Who Is Atlee? All You Need To Know About Ace South Director Behind Shah Rukh Khan-Nayanthara's Jawan

After RRR's Oscar win, South Indian cinema has proved that it has the power to take over Bollywood. Don't you agree?

Fans are expecting fireworks at box office yet again after the release of Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan, a film for which he has joined hands with South Indian filmmaker Atlee. While Shah Rukh has millions of fans across the globe, the director has an ardent fan following down south.

Who is Atlee Kumar? Here's all you need to know about the ace director!

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Atlee's real name is Arun Kumar. He is best known for his works in Tamil movies.

With only six films to his credit, Atlee has found a name for himself in the industry, especially among the A-listers. In fact, he is one of the most sought-after Tamil directors.

Atlee's best films

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As a director

1. Raja Rani

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After working in S Shankar's Enthiran and Nanban, a remake of the Hindi film 3 Idiots, as an assistant director, Atlee made his directorial debut with the film Raja Rani, a film which interestingly starred Nayanthara, Nazriya, Arya and Jai.

The movie follows the story of a couple finding love in each other after being forced into arranged marriage. Both of them have to overcome the baggage of their past relationships.

2. Theri

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His next was Theri, an emotional action thriller starring Thalapathy Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Amy Jackson. The film was a box office hit. In fact, it went on to become the second-highest-grossing Tamil of 2016.

The movie follows the story of a father who is living a quiet life with his daughter as a baker but when he confronts a gangster his past life as a police officer takes front seat.

3. Mersel

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In 2017, he directed Mersal, another action thriller starring Vijay, Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal and Samantha Ruth Prabhu among others. The Tamil movie turned out to be the highest-grossing film in Tamil cinema minting Rs 250 crores worldwide. Due to high demand, Mersel was screened at the largest cinema theatre in Europe Grand Rex, France.

The story of the film revolves around a doctor, who is arrested for the murder of his colleague. He soon discovers that the real culprit is his lookalike who aims to expose corruption in the medical industry.

4. Bigil

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His next film was a sports action drama titled Bigil. He once again paired along with Vijay. This was his third collaboration with him. The movie also starred Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Vivek and Kathir. Bigil mostly garnered positive reviews and turned out to be highest highest-grossing movie of 2019.

Strangely similar to Shah Rukh Khan's Chak De India, Bigil is a story of a former footballer turned coach who aspires to fulfill his late father's dream of creating a women's football team and leading them to victory.

As a producer

5. Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae

Atlee donned a producer's hat in 2017. He along with his wife Priya Atlee, started their own production house called, A for Apple Productions. Their first film was a horror comedy titled Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae which they jointly produced with Fox Star Studios.

6. Andhaghaaram

The movie starred Jiiva, Sri Divya, and Soori in the lead roles. Their second production is Andhaghaaram, a supernatural horror thriller film.

Bollywood debut

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7. Jawaan

After three consecutive blockbuster hits with Thalapathy Vijay, Atlee is now all set to make his Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan. Do you know Jawan, which is his third collaboration with Nayanthara also stars Vijay in a cameo role?

Why is Atlee so popular?

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With just four films in his kitty, Atlee has amassed a huge fan following. He is known for extracting the best out of actors he works with. He usually caters to the masses and makes family entertainers. Even the emotional scenes in his movies are packed with twists. Fans also love his style of storytelling which has an engaging screenplay.

Jawan is going to be a sure-shot hit. Don't you agree?

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