| Susi Ganeshan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ganeshan Subbaiya Vannivelampatti, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Residence | India |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Parents | Subbaiya Sittappa |
| Website | |
| www.directorsusiganesh.com | |
Susi Ganeshan (Tamil: சுசி கணேசன்; born Ganeshan Subbiah) is an Indian film director and screenwriter.
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He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a Bachelors degree in automobile engineering.[1] During his college days, he was a journalist and had published many articles for the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan.[1] He was also chairman of ATHENAEUM, the student body of the Madras Institute of Technology, during 1991-92. After working as an assistant to director Mani Ratnam during the filming of Bombay (1995), Iruvar (1997) and Dil Se (1998), Ganeshan debuted as a director with the 2002 film Virumbugiren.[2]
He began his first project Virumbugiren in 2000. Its story was based on love in a village backdrop with a social message to it. The film, starring Prashanth and then newcomer Sneha, was selected and screened at the Kuala Lumpur World Film Festival 2003.[3] The film received four awards at the 2001 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, winning the Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress prizes, while also being adjugded as the Best Film of the year. Virumbugiren became long delayed and released in late 2002.
Ganeshan next directed Five Star (2002), which happened to be his first release, due to the delay of his first project Virumbugiren.[2] Five Star, produced by his mentor Mani Ratnam under the banner Madras Talkies, featured five newcomers in the title roles. The story focused on friendship, love with social awareness and a touch of human emotions. The film bagged him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Storywriter.
In 2006, he made his third film Thiruttu Payale. The film, which featured Jeevan, Sonia Agarwal and Malavika in principal roles, emerged a sleeper hit and ranked among the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year. It was named the third Best Film of the year by the Tamil Nadu State Givernment and gave major breaks to the leading actors, with the performances of Jeevan and Malavika in particular being considerably appreciated.
Three years later, Susi Ganeshan directed Kanthaswamy. The film dealt with disparity of rich and poor in the Indian society, and it was reportedly the first South Indian film in that the protagonist, portrayed by Vikram, conceived a superhero character. The film had the biggest opening in the year 2009.
Susi Ganeshan's next film would be Shortcut Romeo, a remake of his 2006 film Thiruttu Payale.
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Five Star | Tamil | Winner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Storywriter |
| 2002 | Virumbugiren | Tamil | Winner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director |
| 2006 | Thiruttu Payale | Tamil | Winner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film |
| 2009 | Kanthaswamy | Tamil | Also played a guest role Nominated, Vijay Award for Favourite Director |
| 2012 | Shortcut Romeo | Hindi | Filming |