Kamal Haasan to Dhanush: Actors-turned-producers of Tamil cinema

Over the years, several Tamil actors have started their own production houses. Despite being successful actors, our K-Town celebs have been reasonably successful as producers as well. Most of their films have turned out to be commercially successful and have occasionally received nationwide attention. Right from veteran actor Kamal Haasan to Dhanush, here’s a popular list of celebrities who have turned producers.

‘Ulaganayagan’ Kamal Haasan is arguably one of the biggest independent filmmakers of Indian cinema, whose expertise spans over several decades in the industry. Founded by Haasan brothers -- Kamal, Charu and Chandra, Raaj Kamal Films International was established in 1981 with the romantic drama ‘Raaja Paarvai’, which also marked Kamal Haasan’s 100th film. Despite terrific reviews, the film tanked at the box-office. The production house has the reputation of bankrolling ‘quality’ cinema and has produced path-breaking films in Tamil such as ‘Vikram’, ‘Thevar Magan’, ‘Apoorva Sagodharargal’, ‘Hey Ram’ and ‘Virumaandi’ to name a few. Kamal Haasan won the National Award for producing the landmark film ‘Thevar Magan’, which also fetched a National Award for the legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan. Since the early 2000s, Kamal Haasan has mostly acted in films produced by Raaj Kamal Films International. In 2013, the production house almost became bankrupt when the espionage thriller ‘Vishwaroopam’ was banned in Tamil Nadu. However, the film had a dream run at the box-office globally.

After distributing films such as ‘Singam 2’ and ‘Kadugu’, Suriya’s home production 2D Entertainment made its debut production venture with the Jyothika-starrer ‘36 Vayadhinile’, a remake of the Malayalam superhit ‘How Old Are You?’, which became extremely successful at the box-office. Since then, Suriya has produced films like ‘Pasanga 2’ and ‘24’ to name a few. Notably the sci-fi thriller ‘24’ was Suriya’s most expensive project, which was directed by Vikram Kumar of ‘Manam’ fame. When the film released in 2016, it opened to an overwhelming response from audience and became quite successful at the box-office. In fact, the film won two National Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. Currently, 2D Entertainment is bankrolling the rural entertainer ‘Kadai Kutty Singam’ starring Suriya’s brother Karthi in the lead.

Dhanush is easily the most successful actor-producer we have today. His production house Wunderbar Films, which was established in 2013, has produced many critically and commercially successful films. Wunderbar Films bankrolled the National Award-winning ‘Kaaka Muttai’, directed by Manikandan, which went on to win several awards and was screened at international film festivals. Dhanush teamed up with Vetrimaaran and produced the crime-drama ‘Visaranai’, which won multiple National Awards that year. In fact, the film was India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. However, it was not nominated. Apart from offbeat films, Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films has produced films like ‘VIP’, ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’ and ‘Pa Pandi’, which have become very successful at the box-office. In an interview, Dhanush stated that the word Wunderbar was taken from the Hollywood film ‘Inglourious Basterds’. The production house has bankrolled superstar Rajinikanth’s much-awaited ‘Kaala’, which is slated to release on June 7.

‘Puratchi Thalapathi’ Vishal started his own production house Vishal Film Factory in 2013 with the action-drama ‘Pandiya Naadu’, which opened to very good responses from the audience. The production house is in charge of churning out some blockbuster films like ‘Naan Sigappu Manithan’ and ‘Poojai’ to name a few. However, Vishal came under severe criticism for acting in the family drama ‘Aambala’. Last year, Vishal teamed up with ace filmmaker Mysskin for a detective thriller ‘Thupparivaalan’, which was produced by his home production. Much to everyone’s expectations, the film mostly received positive reviews from critics and was an average grosser at the box-office. Vishal Film Factory has produced the recently-released ‘Irumbu Thirai’, a cyber-crime thriller that has gotten favourable reviews from viewers. Directed by debutant PS Mithran, the film is turning out to be one of the highest grossing films for Vishal.

Vijay Antony is easily the most successful music composer-turned-actor in Tamil cinema. He debuted as a music composer in the film ‘Sukran’, after which he has produced some blockbuster albums. Vijay Antony started his own production house Vijay Antony Film Corporation, which has produced several blockbuster films. The 2012 thriller ‘Naan’ was the debut film for Vijay Antony as an actor. Upon release, ‘Naan’ opened to rave reviews from critics and audience alike and became extremely successful at the box-office. Since then, he has produced films like ‘Salim’, ‘Pichaikaran’ and ‘Saithan’ to name a few. Vijay Antony’s wife Fathima takes care of the production house. The actor is currently basking in the success of the recent outing ‘Kaali’, directed by Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi.