Karthik Subbaraj

Early life

Karthik did his schooling from SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Madurai after which he went on to study mechatronics at Thiagarajar College of Engineering. During his college days he performed stage shows and skits. His father, Gajaraj, is an actor who has acted in many supporting roles in films like Mundasupatti and Kabali.

He made the short film Kaatchipizhai in Madurai, which was selected for Nalaya Iyakunar.

Career

Karthik had intended to direct Jigarthanda first but could not fund the project. He then came up with the story for the low-budget Pizza. The film was a commercial success, remade in Hindi, Bengali and Kannada. This allowed him the opportunity to make Jigarthanda, which received positive reviews and earned actor Bobby Simha a national award. Subbaraj was praised by S. Shankar and Mani Ratnam.

His third movie, Iraivi (2016), received positive reviews, and Subbaraj was praised for the film's portrayal of society's treatment of women. The movie also observed the various ways men's attitudes and behaviors impact women throughout life. He also showcased the pain he went through from the producer of his second film, through the character of S. J. Suryah. He then went on and directed a silent thriller, Mercury (2018), starring Prabhu Deva in the lead, which was not a commercial success. He produced Kallachirippu, a web series under his banner Stone Bench Creations.

Subbaraj directed the action drama Petta (2019) with Rajinikanth's 166th film. He also produced the Amazon original movie Penguin starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead role. He then produced the Hotstar Originals web series Triples starring Jai and Vani Bhojan.

He then directed Miracle, a short film for the Amazon Prime anthology film Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020), and Peace, an episode for the Netflix anthology web series Navarasa (2021). In 2021, Karthik directed Jagame Thandhiram, which received mixed reviews.

His next film was the Vikram starrer Mahaan (2022) which was directly premiered on Amazon Prime Video. The movie received positive reviews from critics. In 2023, he went on to direct Jigarthanda DoubleX.

He then directed Retro, starring Suriya and Pooja Hegde. It opened to positive reviews from critics praising his direction and storytelling. The film became a commercial success at box office.

Filmmaking style

Some critics note that Karthik's directorial films usually have plot twists, needledropping of songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja, flamboyance inspired by Quentin Tarantino's films, and the inclusion of real-life world events and politics in the form of messaging. Karthik, however, has stated that he prefers not to associate with any particular filmmaking style as he seeks to reinvent himself with every new film, noting how he intentionally avoided including a plot twist in Jagame Thandhiram, which disappointed some audiences.

Filmography

As a director

As a producer and writer

Main article: Stone Bench Creations

Frequent collaborators

References

References

1. "Kadhalil Sodhapathathu Eppadi - Kadhalil Sodhapathathu Eppadi - (Karthik Subbaraj & Sathya Prema) - (23/03/2014).". [[YouTube]].
2. (December 2015). "Stage shows and skits during college days".
3. [https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/kabali-karthik-subburajs-father-to-play-a-pivotal-role-in-rajinis-next-289731-2015-08-22 Kabali: Karthik Subbaraj's father to play a role in Rajini's next : Regional cinema, News – India Today] . Indiatoday.intoday.in (22 August 2015). Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
4. "Exclusive biography of #KarthikSubbaraj and on his life".
5. [http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/oct-12-03/pizza-review.html Pizza Review – Pizza Movie Review] {{Webarchive. link. (5 September 2023 . Behindwoods.com. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.)
6. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Jigarthanda/movie-review/39436452.cms Jigarthanda Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India] {{Webarchive. link. (12 September 2015 . Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.)
7. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Vijay-enjoys-every-bit-of-Jigarthanda/articleshow/40305684.cms Vijay enjoys every bit of Jigarthanda] {{Webarchive. link. (1 February 2016 . Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (15 August 2014). Retrieved on 17 December 2016.)
8. Updated, Ramchander. (8 August 2014) [http://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/news/2014/mani-ratnam-impressed-jigarthanda-156345.html Now, Mani Ratnam Is Impressed By Jigarthanda] {{Webarchive. link. (25 June 2016 . Filmibeat. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.)
9. (9 April 2018). "Mercury trailer: Karthik Subbaraj's silent horror-thriller sees Prabhu Deva in a scary avatar".
10. (25 June 2017). "Karthik Subbaraj goes full throttle as producer". [[Deccan Chronicle]].
11. (19 June 2020). "Penguin (Aka) Penguinn review".
12. (30 November 2020). "The New Disney+ Hotstar Show Triples, Starring Jai and Vani Bhojan, Promises to be an Adventurous Ride".
13. (15 October 2020). "'Putham Pudhu Kaalai' movie review: A delightful look at life and relationships during lockdown". The Hindu.
14. (1 June 2020). "Chiyaan 60: Karthik Subbaraj to direct Vikram's upcoming film; will this be a gangster drama?".
15. (2024-12-25). "Suriya 44 now titled Retro; Karthik Subbaraj directorial promises love, laughter, and war featuring Suriya and Pooja Hegde".
16. Choudhury, Anjali. (2 May 2025). "Retro: Suriya and Pooja Hegde's Tamil film falls victim to piracy; full movie gets leaked online".
17. (1 May 2025). "Netizens call Surya-starrer ‘Retro’ his ‘biggest comeback’ film".
18. (9 May 2025). "Suriya donates Rs. 10 Crore from Retro profits to Agaram foundation".
19. Das, Srijony. (26 May 2025). "Retro OTT Release: When and where to watch Suriya’s highest-grossing Tamil romantic action film online".
20. Md Sayem, Kawser. (13 May 2025). "Suriya's 'Retro' Roars: A Bold Comeback With Myth, Action, And Box Office Glory".
21. Singaravel, Bharathy. (2022-02-14). "From Petta to Mahaan: The increasingly chaotic politics of Karthik Subbaraj".
22. M V, Vivek. (22 October 2022). "Interview: A decade of Karthik Subbaraj".
23. (2021-06-20). "‘Wanted to tell a global story with Jagame Thandhiram’: Director Karthik Subbaraj".
24. (2020-10-28). "Mani Ratnam to present Tamil anthology Navarasa for Netflix; Bejoy Nambiar, Karthik Subbaraj among directors".
25. (11 December 2022). "Karthik Subbaraj's 'Jigarthanda Double X': A 'kind of teaser' featuring SJ Suryah, Raghava Lawrence out".
26. performer., Beck, Jeff, composer, performer. Depp, Johnny, composer. "18".
27. (2021-08-09). "Aishwarya Rajesh starrer Boomika promises to be a gripping horror movie".
28. "Attention Please Movie Review: A ferocious, unsettling work that incites meaningful debates on art".
29. PTI. (2022-10-06). "Aishwarya Lekshmi's Telugu movie 'Ammu' to premiere on Prime Video on October 19". The Hindu.