Lokesh Kanagaraj is an Indian film director and screenwriter, working primarily in the Tamil entertainment industry. He gained recognition after directing the 2019 blockbuster film “Katie.”
Wiki/Biography
Lokesh Kanagaraj was born on Friday, March 14, 1986, in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India (37 years old; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Pisces. Lokesh grew up in a middle-class family. He completed his schooling from Palanayiammal High School, Kaliyapuram, Tamil Nadu. He studied at PSG College of Arts and Sciences, Coimbatore, where he completed his graduation in Fashion Technology. Lokesh received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Anna University, Chennai.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Weight (approximately): 75kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Lokesh Kanagaraj (right) and Indian actor Kamal Haasan
family
Parents and siblings
His father was a bus conductor. He has three brothers: Aravind Gnanasambandam, Ashwin Venkatesh and Prashanth Gnanasambandam
wife and children
On January 8, 2012, Lokesh married Aishwarya Lokesh. On September 15, 2011, the couple got engaged. Lokesh and Aishwarya have two children: daughter Adhvika Lokesh and son Aarudhra Lokesh.
Profession
After completing his graduation, Lokesh developed an interest in filmmaking. Before becoming a film producer, Lokesh worked in a private bank in Chennai for nearly five years. Later, he had the opportunity to participate in the Corporate Short Film Competition of the Clubace Short Film Festival, where Indian director Karthik Subbaraj was invited to serve as a judge. Lokesh entered the competition with his short film Acham Thavir; the film won him the Best Director award in the competition. Kartik was amazed by his directorial abilities and suggested and pushed him to pursue a career as a film producer. Lokesh, who never had any formal training as a film director, learned about the concepts of directing by watching the films of his idol Kamal Haasan. So he quit his job and entered the film industry as a director and screenwriter.
Movie
In 2016, Lokesh made his debut as a director and screenwriter with the short film Kalam, which was part of the anthology film Aviyal; a collection of four short films.
Poster of the anthology film Aviyal (2016)
In 2017, he directed his first feature film Maanagaram, which was a commercial success at the box office.
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s first feature film Maanagaram (2017) poster
Lokesh rose to prominence in 2019 when he directed the action thriller “Kathy” starring Kasi; the film was nominated for the South Indian International Film Award for Best Director.
Lokesh Kanagaraj (right) while directing the film Kaithi (2019)
His next directorial film was Master, released in 2021, starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi; the film became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2021. In 2022, Lokesh directed the action thriller Vikram starring Kamal Haasan, which was a huge box office success.
Lokesh Kanagaraj on the sets of the movie Vikram (2022)
In 2023, he directed the movie “Leo”, which is the second collaboration between actors Vijay and Lokesh after the 2021 movie “Master”.
Awards
- 2018: Won the 10th Vijay Awards for Best New Director for the film “Maanagaram”
- 2020: The film Kaithi wins the Most Popular Director Award at the Zee Cine Awards Tamil Awards
- 2021: The film “Master” won the Galata Crown Award for Favorite Director
- 2022: Received the Talent of the Decade Award at the 8th Behindwoods Gold Awards for his contribution to the Tamil film industry
Indian cricketer Suresh Raina presents ‘Talent of the Decade’ award to Lokesh Kanagara at Behindwoods Gold Medal Ceremony in recognition of Lokesh’s contribution to Tamil film industry contribution
- 2022: The film “Master” won the South Indian International Film Award for Best Director
- 2023: The film Vikram won the 11th South Indian International Film Awards (SIIMA) Award for Best Director (Tamil) in September 2023
car collection
Kamal Haasan, happy with the success of his film Vikram (2022), gifted a Lexus ES 300h luxury car to Lokesh.
Lokesh Kanagaraj poses with his brand new Lexus car, a gift from Indian actor Kamal Haasan
Facts/Trivia
- Lokesh created a film series, Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), a shared universe of Tamil action thrillers that he directed; the name was suggested by Lokesh’s fans and Lokesh agreed to name it LCU .
- Lokesh said in an interview that one of his favorite Indian actors is Kamal Haasan and that he has been deeply influenced by him since childhood. He further stated that he was so fascinated by Kamal that he asked her mother why she didn’t name him Vikram, as Lokesh was born in Kamal Haasan’s film Vikram (1986) was released the same year.
- In 2014, his directorial short film Customer Joy won the Best Short Film Award at the All India Corporate Film Competition.
- On March 16, 2017, Lokesh was invited to be a judge for the AVTAR (Amateur Visual Artists Talent Awards and Recognition) Film Festival, held at GR Damodaran Science College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
- In 2021, Lokesh made a brief appearance in his directorial film Master.
Lokesh Kanagaraj in a still from the movie “Master” (2021)
- The 2023 Bollywood film “Bholaa” is adapted from the Tamil film Kaithi (2019) directed by Lokesh.
- In 2023, Lokesh made a cameo appearance in the Tamil film Singapore Salon.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education