India@75 | 75 people to watch in the south film industry right now

1

Bramma G – Writer/Director: His latest work was seen in Amazon Prime’s ‘Suzhal – The Vortex’ created by Tamil directors Pushkar and Gayatri but Bramma G is a National Award-winning film director known for his films ‘Kuttram Kadithal’ and ‘Magalir Mattum’. His understanding and mastery over local social issues is what drives his filmmaking primarily.

2

Anucharan M – Writer/Director: Having worked in television in Australia, Anucharan’s films range from thrillers (‘Kirumi’) to comedies (‘Panni Kutty’). He makes simple, realistic films across all genres.

3

Halitha Shameem – Writer/Director: She was hailed for her anthology short in 2019 film ‘Sillu Karupatti’ and her 2021 film ‘Aelay’. Halitha is experimental by nature and prefers to work with newcomers so that the audience focus on the character rather than the actor.

4

Gautam Ramachandran – Writer/Director: His latest film ‘Gargi’ starring Sai Pallavi was hailed by film critics as one of the best that focuses on sexual abuse and rape. Gautham’s films are about unravelling the truth behind an incident and providing different perspectives of it.

5

Madonne Ashwin – Writer/Director: ‘Mandela’ was one of this director’s best films and a must-see. Ashwin is a National Award-winning director who makes engaging films with a social message.

6

Mukeswaran – Cinematographer: With Amazon Prime’s ‘Suzhal: The Vortex’ cinematographer Mukeswaran’s work has been noticed world-wide. He has worked mainly with directors Gayatri and Pushkar on their work ‘Vikram Vedha’ and ‘Suzhal’. Aesthetic cinematography is what he is all about.

7

Preetha Jayaraman – Cinematographer: The niece of ace cinematographer PC Sreeram, Preetha has made a mark in her own right and is one of the four women to be inducted into the Indian Society of Cinematographers. She works across all Indian languages.

8

Priya Bhavani Shankar – Actor: She made her debut in 2017 and has risen the ranks slowly. Priya has shown that she can act in the varied roles she has done and states that she will only accept roles that treat women with dignity and respect.

9

Priyanka Arul Mohan – Actor: With the films ‘Doctor’ and ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’, Priyanka sealed her place in the Tamil film industry. Acting across all south languages in three years, the actress has proved her ability to adapt quickly.

10

Kathir – Actor: Kathir got into films in 2013 and has been recognised for his work in ‘Kiurmi’, ‘Pariyerum Perumal’ and ‘Suzhal’. He strives to strike a balance between content-driven films and box office success.

11

H Vinoth – Writer/Director: He burst onto the Tamil film scene with ‘Theeran: Adhigaaram Ondru’ and worked with Kollywood star Ajith in two films so far. Vinoth likes the thriller genre and his journey from being an electrician to a director and love for reading stories drives his passion for cinema.

12

Thamizh – Writer/Director: He made his film directorial debut in 2022 with ‘Sethumaan’. Thamizh is a director like Pa Ranjith who focuses on caste politics and realities of village life.

13

Kumar Ramaswamy N – Writer/ Assistant Director: He believes that Tamil cinema needs good writers and wants more directors to work with new writers. Ramswamy wants to make films from novels written by Rajesh Kumar, Janakiraman, and Jayakanthan who are well-known Tamil authors.

14

Madhumita – Writer/Director: Madhumita’s first film in 2008 won a Tamil Nadu state award but she became known in India thanks to her 2019 Tamil film ‘K.D.’ and the 2022 anthology ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa’. She makes realistic cinema rooted in local culture and sensibilities. Her next is the remake of Malayalam hit film 'Angamaly Diaries’ in Hindi.

'Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa' is an anthology of five stories created by contemporary film-makers Halitha Shameem, Balaji Mohan, Richard Anthony, Surya Krishna and Madhumita.

15

Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi – Director: Kiruthiga is the wife of Tamil Nadu CM Stalin’s politician-actor-producer son Udhayanidhi. However, she is has established herself as a director and her latest web series ‘Paper Rocket’ has been commended. She dfoirsnt believe that she needs to make women-centric films because she’s a woman and prefers to do light-hearted entertainment with a strong message.

16

Aparna and Aruna Guhan – Producers: The twin sisters hail from the renowned AVM family, and AVM Productions are now set to see the release of their first web series ‘Tamil Rockers’. With a legacy behind them, the sisters are taking the production house into the new age with scripts relevant to today’s generation.

Producer Aruna Guhan of AVM Productions (Image via Twitter/_@arunaguhan_)

17

Arivu – Musician: This Indian rapper and lyricist has been in the midst of a controversy over his song ‘Enjaai Enjaami’. Arivu writes and raps mainly on caste, poverty and the plight of the local people in rural areas. He has sung many movie songs but it is his independent music that is his identity and why people love him.

18

Aditi Shankar – Actor: Aditi is the daughter of ace director Shankar and having grown up seeing her father make films with the best in the film business, a lot is expected from her. She has just completed a film with Karthi and her next is with Sivakarthikeyan so she is on a roll. How well she does on screen and whether she keeps the Shankar surname flying high will be revealed on August 12 when her debut film ‘Viruman’ releases.

19

K – Music Director: Krishna Kumar or ‘K’ as he is known as, is not as well-known as the other young music directors in Tamil cinema. However, his work has made a mark in films like ‘Annayum Rasoolum’, ‘Aandavan Kattalai’, ‘The Ghazi Attack’ and ‘Yatra’. He doesn’t hanker after big budget films with big stars and prefers working with unconventional directors, films and documentaries.

20

Rakshit Shetty – Actor/Producer/Writer/Director: Audience across India may have discovered him post ‘Charlie 777’ but Rakshit Shetty is known for his nonlinear storylines and exploring urban legends in Kannada cinema.

Actor Rakshit Shetty in '777 Charlie'. (Image: Screen grab)

21

Raaj B Shetty - Actor/Writer/Director: He is known for ‘Ondu Motteya Kathe’ and ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana’. Based in Mangaluru, Raaj Shetty writes local stories that will resonate with the audience.

22

Rishab Shetty - Actor/Producer/Writer/Director: he has a background in yakshagana, the Karnataka folk art but it’s in Kannada cinema that he found fame. He enjoys writing mostly comedies and working on realistic subjects and characters with a cinematic approach.

23

Hemanth Rao - Writer/Director: His two films ‘Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu’ and ‘Kavaludaari’, as well as his contribution to ‘Andhadhun’ are well-known. Hemanth believes in making content-driven films and films that will bring back the Kannada audience to theatres.

24

Hombale Films – Producers: This production house is trying put the Kannada film industry on the global map and thanks to their film ‘KGF’ has achieved this in small way. Vijay Kiragandur is leading the efforts for this production house, and their upcoming films ‘Salaar’ with Prabhas and ‘Tyson’ with Prithviraj, look set to push them into the big league.

The 'KGF' movies were produced by Hombale Films, with Vijay Kiragandur at the helm.

25

Prashanth Neel – Writer/Director: the director of ‘KGF’ is now a known name but prior to this he has made only one film 2014 starring his brother-in-law. For someone who came into films initially as he needed money, action flicks are Prashanth’s forte as he has proved.

26

Roopa Rao - Writer/Director: She is credited with being India’s first director to have made a same sex love story web series in 2016. Roopa Rao’s oeuvre consists mostly of coming of age and unconventional films. She mostly works in the short film and documentary space though her 2019 debut feature film ‘Gantumoote’ was critically acclaimed.

27

Ravi Basrur – Music Director: He started his journey in Kannada films in 2012 and has won numerous awards. Ravi feels his music should be universal and he started a music production course to promote budding talent.

28

William David – Cinematograpy: He is known for his collaborative work with director Anup Bhandari and their latest film ‘Vikrant Rona’ also has great visuals. William has worked in adventure, fantasy and thriller genres and his USP is that works hard to ensure that he delivers the director’s vision in every single project.

29

Bhuvan Gowda- Cinematography: Known for his work on ‘KGF’, Bhuvan Gowda has worked mostly with director Prashanth Neel and the two have a good understanding with each other. He is known for his style of framing and lighting on the cinematography front and tries to keep the natural ambience while shooting as he feels the work becomes elevated.

30

Arvind Kashyap -Cinematography: 2019 was Arvind’s year when he had numerous Kannada films to his credit as cinematographer. But it was with the 2021 film ‘Hero’ that Arvind proved he can do wonders with the camera when he shot the entire film with one assistant and one lightman thanks to the pandemic. He also used a lot of jugaad to get around restrictions and DIY for lighting to ensure the quality remained top notch.

31

Pruthvi Ambaar – Actor: Not all films made in Karnataka are in Kannada. From directing and acting in short films, Pruthvi has worked in Tulu films and moved into Sandalwood as well. The young hero is happy with his newfound fame in Kannada cinema but believes that he owes a lot to the Tulu film industry and wants to continue with Tulu films as well.

32

Ajaneesh Loknath – Music Director: He is well-known in the Kannada film industry and with Sudeep’s ‘Vikrant Rona’ is now a name to reckon with. Between 2022 and 2023, the music director reportedly has around 20 films! His USP is that he tries to make songs that the audience can sing easily like ‘Ra Ra Rakkamma’.

33

Charan Raaj – Music Director: Being trained in Carnatic music and piano has helped Charan in his career. He worked on ‘Winds of Samsara’, an album of Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman which won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2015. He is known for using songs to improve the story narrative of his films.

34

Shivakumar - Art director: His work in ‘KGF’ and ‘Vikrant Rona’ is being applauded by the Indian film industry. He created an entire forest on set for ‘Vikrant Rona’ using 22 trucks of plants which is one of the highlights of this hit film. Shivakumar created a nursery on an acre of land to build this forest and refreshed the plants every few weeks to provide authenticity.

35

Shreyas Manju – Actor: He is the son of renowned Kannada producer K Manju and has undergone intense training in acting before he made his debut. Given that his father has produced many films, Shreyas’ films are also being produced by his dad who belicves his son will be a good action hero.

36

Dheeren Ramkumar – Actor: The grandson of Kannada legend Dr Rajkumar and nephew of Puneeth and Shiv Rajkumar, Dheeran made his debut in 2019. Now he will be working with well-known Tamil film director Shankar in what seems to be an exciting project. The actor is clear that he doesn’t want to simply do mass, larger-than-life action films but prove himself in diverse roles where the story is key.

37

Dhanya Ramkumar – Actor: The granddaughter of Kannada legend Dr Rajkumar and niece of Puneeth and Shiv Rajkumar, she made her debut in 2021 with ‘Ninna Sanihake’. All eyes are on her since she is the first female actor from this legendary acting family.

38

Basil Joseph – Actor/Writer/Director: His ‘Minnal Murali’, the homegrown superhero, shattered the myth that Indians can’t make superhero films with local sensibilities. Basil makes movies set in small Malayalam towns which are laced with plenty of humour and a protagonist who has no focus in the beginning but discovers a life purpose towards the end.

'Minnal Murali' was directed by Basil Joseph and produced by Sophia Paul. (Photo: Tweeted by @NetflixIndia)

39

Roshan Mathew– Actor: Roshan Mathew was recently seen in Alia Bhatt’s ‘Darlings’ where he played Zulfi. He continues to work in theatre and has now moved beyond Malayalam cinema though his heart remains there. He loves unconventional stories and likes to play all characters, big or small.

40

Anna Ben – Actor: She was hailed for her performance in ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ and ‘Helen’ but Anna doesn’t want to get too comfortable playing ‘safe roles’. She wants to keep evolving as an actor and even is she makes mistakes believes that learning from them is important. She is now in the experimentation mode in her career.

41

Vineeth Sreenivasan – Director/Writer/Singer/Actor/Lyricist: Vineeth started his career in the Malayalam film industry by singing but now he is hailed a wonderful writer and director thanks to ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’, ‘Jacobinte Swargarajyam’ and ‘Hridayam’. His life experiences strongly influence his writing and ensures every script he writes has a different tonality. As for the music, he believes every song must contribute to the evolution of the film and not be a filler.

42

Darshana Rajendran – Actor/Singer: She sang the song ‘Darshana’ which became a superhit recently. Darshana is a natural actor who remains very grounded even today despite the success. With a theatre background, Darshana doesn’t bother too much about screen time but what role she gets to portray on screen and how much impact she makes.

43

Jeo Baby – Writer/Director/Actor: When he made ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, he didn’t expect the kind success this small Malayalam film brought him. He stands up for the rights of women through his films and believes that constructs of patriarchy should be broken. He likes to discuss socio-political issues through his films.

44

Nimisha Sajayan – Actor: With her stellar performance in ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, Nimisha became a household name. She wants to be part of films that make people think and can relate to. The ‘Malik’ actor also doesn’t believe playing roles for the fun of it.

Roshan Mathew and Nimisha Sajayan in 'Oru Thekkan Thallu Case' (Image source: Twitter/nimisha_sajayan)

45

Aparna Balamurali – Actor: Having won the National Award now for ‘Soorarai Pottru’, Aparna is on a high. Her idea is to bring value to any film that she is a part of and doesn’t think that it’s important to play the lead role always.

46

Sunny Wayne – Actor: Sunny has been an actor a few years now but he thinks cinema is not just make instant fame and money. He strives to be in movies with a ‘soul’ and wants to play roles that people can relate to. Criticism – even from those on social media - is something he takes seriously and constantly tries to improve.

47

Kalidas Jayaram – Actor: The son of well-known Malayalam actor Jayaram, he won a National Award as a child actor. In just three years, Kalidas has made a name for himself. He is a director’s actor and will sign a script no matter who the director is as long as the story is good.

48

Shane Nigam – Actor: An actor who has battled depression, Shane is one of the most talented actors around. People think he is the enfant terrible of the Malayalam film industry but he delivers a great performance every single time.

49

Ratheena PT – Director: She made her debut with Mammootty with ‘Puzhu’ this year and believes in making dramas with socially relevant themes that will make the audience think.

50

Pranav Mohanlal – Actor/Singer: Pranav is Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s son who has made his own career path. He doesn’t use his father’s influence in any way and prefers to take a backseat being reserved and media shy. He works in very films and just lets his work do the talking.

51

Kalyani Priyadarshan – Actor: She is director Priyadarshan and actor Lizzy’s daughter and cinema runs in her genes. She started her career as an assistant art director before turning actor as that was her passion. She is now being noticed in Tamil and Malayalam cinema and so far, has not taken any help from her parents to further her career.

52

Sushin Shyam – Music Director: He is the youngest music director in Malayalam cinema but his repertoire of work is tremendous. Sushin works only in scripts that he can connect to and combines technology with music to get the best for his films. He listens to all types of music - world classical, metal, hip-hop, ambience, jazz – but stresses that silence also gives him inspiration.

53

Kailas Menon – Music Director: From being a sound engineer with Gopi Sundar to branching out on his own, Kailas Menon has found his footing as a music director now. Working in more than 1000 jingles has given him the confidence to handle any type of song in any language and given him versatility.

54

Rojin Thomas – Director: ‘Home’ was one of the most acclaimed films in 2021 and Rojin was on cloud nine. The idea for ‘Home’ came when he gave his dad a tech lesson. He has done quite a few films starring children and creates films and characters based on his personal life.

55

Shanil Muhammed – Director: His film ‘Aviyal’ focused on how a man’s perspective of a woman changes with time and was very interesting. Shanil’s style of directing is different – he shot ‘Aviyal’ without the main lead and then showed it to Joju who agreed to do the film and shot his portions. He likes challenges.

56

Muhsin Parari – Writer/Director: He has some fantastic films as a writer to his credit – ‘Sudani from Nigeria’, ‘Virus’ and ‘Thallumaala’. Muhsin is also a lyricist and strives to bring Muslim representation to Malayalam cinema. He also wants to break Muslim stereotypes in cinema and believes in being politically correct on screen.

57

Vishwak Sen – Actor/ Director/ Writer: For someone who changed his name to suit astrology, Vishwak had been training all his life to be an actor. He remade the Malayalam cult film ‘Angamaly Diaries’ at the age of 25 in 2019 and proved that he is a versatile personality.

58

Adivi Sesh – Actor/ Writer: Adivi Sesh returned form the US to make the Telugu film industry his home. He has proved that he can write, act and direct with his films. He is known for his action and suspense thrillers in Tollywood.

59

Panja Vaisshnav Tej – Actor: He is the nephew of Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and made his debut with ‘Uppena’. Coming from a family of actors, he himself never wanted to be an actor and learnt acting on the sets. It was his uncle Chiranjeevi who told him to grab opportunities as they come and thus, he stepped into Tollywood.

60

Naveen Polishetty – Actor/Writer: Hailing from a middle-class family, Naveen started his acting career in Mumbai in theatre. He has said that his success proves that middle class and outsiders can make it big in the film industry; and directors do give opportunities to newcomers.

61

Siddhu Jonnalagadda – Actor/Writer: Sidhu has been writing and acting in Telugu cinema and in the last couple of years made some fun romantic dramas. His screenplays involve a lot of real-life characters he has met through his middle-class life.

62

Kiran Abbavaram Actor/Writer: Known for his movies, ‘Sammathame’ and ‘SR Kalyanamandapam’, Kiran writes stories that revolve around the middle class because he feels the audience will connect more easily with them. He is fond of stories that capture the many aspects of middle-class life.

63

Sathya – Actor: He is a comedian in Telugu cinema and has shown that he can be hilarious if the character is written well. Sathya keeps a low-profile and the five years he struggled in Tollywood makes him appreciate his success now. His brand of comedy has changed from slapstick to playing a hilarious character important to the film.

64

Suhas – Actor/Director: The ‘Colour Photo’ hero has done diverse roles from romantic hero to playing a serial killer. He started with supporting roles and got the opportunity to play the lead thanks to his talent as seen through his short films.

65

Krithi Shetty – Actor: Hailing from Mangalore, Krithi is doing well in Telugu cinema today. She wants to do good roles regardless of screen time and is trying to get a balance of commercial films and performance-oriented films.

66

Sreeleela – Actor: Sreeleela is a Bharathayatam and Kuchipudi dancer and also plays the veena. She is also a state level runner, swimmer and horse-rider. With all this talent, she has now come to be seen in Telugu and Kannada films. But she is also pursuing her education to become a doctor. A rare sight in the film industry.

67

Samyuktha Menon – Actor: Samyuktha proved herself in the Malayalam film industry and is now set take the Telugu industry by storm. Picking characters that satisfy her as an actor, she is someone who is very socially conscious and does her bit for society.

Samyuktha Menon. (Image source: Twitter/@iamsamyuktha_)

69

Sashi Kiran Tikka – Writer/Director: With ‘Goodachari’ and ‘Major’, Sashi proved his directorial talent. The New York Film Academy graduate is hailed as a new age director in Tollywood. He wants to tell stories his way rather than bending to the producers’ chosen templates – this is why he stands out.

70

Buchi Babu Sana – Director: Buchi Babu comes form a small village Pithapuram in East Godavari and draws inspiration from his life and his friends there. His next film reportedly with NTR Jr is set to catapult him into the big league.

71

Sricharan Pakala - Music director: Sricharan was a guitarist who played in a band and at weddings too before he made his way into cinema. He is a fan of 90s music and doesn’t enjoy working with multiple composers on a film. He prefers to travel with a film from beginning to end and pays a lot of attention to lyrics.

72

Kaala Bhairava – Music director/Singer: Being the son of M M Keeravani, Kaala Bhairava is expected to come with an abundance of musical talent. He is strongly influenced by his father’s musical style but he constantly strives to be unique.

73

Vivek Sagar - Music director: Vivek Sagar has done some good Telugu films and his USP is trying to avoid ‘commercial music’. He works hard on writing music for the story of every film rather than force fit trends.

74

Venu Udugula – Writer/Director: He wrote and directed ‘Virata Parvam’, a movie which gave Sai Pallavi the stage to perform though the movie was a run-of-the-mill cinema. He believes in writing serious subjects with a good cinematic experience.

75

Anudeep KV – Director: Anudeep wanted to make the silliest film ever and ended up with ‘Jathi Ratnalu’, a hilarious film which was autobiographical. His strength is comedy and believes that emotions in a film should be intense and extreme – be it comedy or drama.

*These listicles are comprehensive, not exhaustive