Santhakumar Explained
Santhakumar is an Indian director and screenwriter who predominantly works in tamil cinema.[1] He is known for directing Mounaguru (2011) and Magamuni (2019).
Career
Santhakumar worked as an assistant director to Dharani for Dhill (2001), Dhool (2003) and Ghilli (2004) before commencing work on Mounaguru in 2006.[2] [3] Mounaguru notably featured no lip-sync songs, a staple of Indian films, as he felt that it would ruin the film's narrative.[2] A ten minute sequence featuring Arulnidhi on his knees took ten days to shoot.[2] The film faced no significant competition during release and was a success.[4] A critic wrote that the film "has everything that might count as a cliche but the marvel of it is that it never descends into mediocrity or becomes predictable".[5] He commenced work for his next film Magamuni based on the two namesake characters in 2015,[3] and first wrote Maga before Muni. Arya was cast in the titular roles after the producer suggested him after the script was finished, and Santhakumar decided to cast him after Arya was mentally strong and became a cyclist despite having a commercial failure. Regarding her character Deepa, Mahima Nambiar called her a female version of the director.[6] Regarding the film, a critic wrote that "Director Santhakumar comes back to filmmaking after a eight-year gap [...] but has not lost touch with the craft, going by Magamuni. Not only is his story narrative unique, his writing of the various characters are also well fleshed out and detailed".[7] [8] Unlike his previous two films, he turned producer with Rasavathi (2024),[9] [10] which was not well received with a critic noting that "To call the film’s pacing slow is an understatement and it’s understandable given the wafer-thin plot, which the director tries to accentuate by adding more characters that in turn lead to more scenes".[11] [12]
Personal life
[13] He studied at American College, Madurai.[14] Between films, Santhakumar likes to do solo traveling for soul searching and writing.[14]
Filmography
Notes and References
- Web site: Director Santhakumar on ‘Rasavathi’: ‘I am curious about the lives of every character I write’. https://web.archive.org/web/20240508001444/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/director-santhakumar-on-rasavathi-i-am-curious-about-the-lives-of-every-character-i-write/article68147376.ece. 8 May 2024. subscription. The Hindu. 7 May 2024. A.. Shrikumar.
- Web site: S. R. Ashok Kumar . Arts / Cinema : Twin treat . The Hindu . 2011-12-03 . 2012-01-12 . 2012-01-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120115214223/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article2684004.ece . live .
- Web site: Director Santhakumar of Mouna Guru fame updates on his second project. June 16, 2015. Behindwoods. May 14, 2024. April 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230409063019/http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-15/director-santhakumar-of-mouna-guru-fame-updates-on-his-second-project.html. live.
- Web site: Mounaguru Movie Review. The Times of India. 2024-05-15. 2024-05-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20240515203847/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/mounaguru/movie-review/11576622.cms. live.
- Web site: Review: Mounaguru is a must watch. Pavithra. Srinivasan. Rediff. 2024-05-15. 2024-05-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20240515200857/https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-review-mounaguru-is-a-must-watch/20111219.htm. live.
- Web site: INTERVIEW | I played the female version of the director: 'Magamuni' actor Mahima Nambiar. Navein. Darshan. September 12, 2019. The New Indian Express. May 15, 2024. May 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240515200849/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2019/Sep/12/interview--i-played-the-female-version-of-the-director-magamuni-actor-mahima-nambiar-2032303.html. live.
- Web site: 2024-05-10 . ‘Magamuni’ movie review: Arya headlines this offbeat, non-commercial revenge saga that gets many things right - The Hindu . 2024-05-23 . web.archive.org.
- Web site: Magamuni Movie Review : A worthy follow-up to Santhakumar’s debut film, Mouna Guru. The Times of India. 2024-05-15. 2019-09-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20190909095114/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/magamuni/movie-review/70985448.cms. live.
- Web site: Santhakumar plans big in Rasavathi - The Alchemist. N. T.. Bureau. April 30, 2024. May 14, 2024. May 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240514225311/https://newstodaynet.com/2024/04/30/santhakumar-plans-big-in-rasavathi-the-alchemist/. live.
- Web site: Santhakumar's next with Arjun Das to be a multi-genre film. Chandhini. R. November 4, 2022. Cinema Express. May 14, 2024. May 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240514225345/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2022/Nov/04/santhakumars-next-with-arjun-das-to-be-a-multi-genre-film-36260.html. live.
- Web site: 2024-05-12 . ‘Rasavathi’ movie review: This predictable revenge drama dearly misses Santhakumar’s Midas touch . 2024-05-23 . web.archive.org.
- Web site: Rasavathi Movie Review : A few compelling characters trapped in a non-compelling film. The Times of India. 2024-05-15. 2024-05-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20240510000313/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/rasavathi/movie-review/109984609.cms. live.
- Web site: I am not into the business of commercialising cinema: Magamuni director Santhakumar. 10 September 2019. subscription. The Indian Express. https://web.archive.org/web/20190916130928/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/i-am-not-into-the-business-of-commercialising-cinema-magamuni-director-santhakumar-5982630/. 16 September 2019. S.. Subhakeerthana. Antara. Chakraborthy.
- Web site: ‘My stories emerge from my travels,’ says director Santhakumar. A.. Shrikumar. https://web.archive.org/web/20240511014250/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/my-stories-emerge-from-my-travels-says-director-santhakumar/article29320311.ece. 11 May 2024.
