Celebrating the Films and Songs of Director Shankar on his 62nd birthday.

Shankar has taken Tamil commercial to new levels through films with budgets, grand locations and technical experimentation. His films opened new markets for Tamil cinema and elevated the status of Indian commercial cinema.

Shankar began his film career in small and insignificant acting roles in Vesham and Poovum Puyalum before becoming assistant director to S.A. Chandrasekhar (father of actor Vijay) and Pavithran.

In 1993 he made his debut as a director through the big-budget action entertainer Gentleman with Arjun and Madhubala. The film was a runaway success and thus began a new style of filmmaking.

With each successive film, Shankar began to push the boundaries of commercial cinema, experimenting with technology, styles, locations and sets.

After capitalising on Prabhu Deva’s dance skills in Kaadhalan, he collaborated with Kamalhaasan in Indian which introduced prosthetic make-up in Tamil films. The film won three national wards, 2 Filmfare Awards and 2 Tamil Nadu state awards and went on to become India’s official entry to the Oscars.

His next film – Jeans became the most expensive Indian film (at the time of its release) and went on to win one national award, four Tamil Nadu state awards and one Filmfare award. It was also chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars. The film was produced by Ashok Amritraj, the producer of Hollywood hits like Double Impact and The Boondock Saints.

In 1999 he produced his first film – Mudhalvan – which was original written for Rajinikanth but eventually had Arjun in the lead role. Among the film’s many accolades were three Filmfare Awards and a Tamil Nadu state award.

Shankar’s next film – Boys ­– was criticised for its unbridled look at modern youth. Despite a shaky start, the film eventually became a hit, launching the careers of Siddharth, Genelia, Thaman S, Bharath and Manikandan.

Shankar continued his experiments with filmmaking styles, maximising his use of modern technology in films like Sivaji the Boss and I.

His one remake – Vijay’s Nanban – received mixed reactions but he returned to experiments with technology with Endhiran and 2.0. pushed Tamil commercial to new heights.

His last two films – Indian 2 and the dual language Game Changer – did not meet fans’ expectations, with both taking a beating from critics and subdued numbers at the box-office.

Shankar has also produced 9 films including Kaadhal, Veyil, Kalloori and Eeram.

Undaunted by two consecutive box-office failures, Shankar has announced his intention to make a three-part film based on the novel Velpari. The project is still in its infancy stage.