# Lokesh Kanagaraj

Lokesh Kanagaraj (/loʊkeɪʃ kənəɡərɑːdʒ/; born 14 March 1986) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Tamil cinema. He started his career with a short film in the 2016 anthology Aviyal, he later directed his first feature film Maanagaram (2017). He created the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) franchise after the commercial success of Kaithi (2019), the franchise's first installment. He directed Master (2021), a standalone film featuring Vijay. This was followed by Vikram (2022), the second installment in the LCU with Kamal Haasan in the lead role.
Lokesh Kanagaraj and Shruti Haasan come together for a musical project titled "Inimel". He then worked on Leo (2023) which became his most successful film, it became one of the highest grossing Indian films by earning over ₹600 crore (US$69 million) worldwide and served as the third installment in the LCU.

## Early life

Lokesh Kanagaraj was born in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. In PSG College of Arts and Science, he majored in Fashion Technology before pursuing an MBA. He did his schooling in Palanayiammal Matric Hr. Sec. School Kalliyapuram, Pollachi. He is an ex-bank employee. He pursued his passion towards film making by participating in a corporate short film competition. The judge of the competition was Karthik Subbaraj. Impressed with his short film, he encouraged Lokesh to pursue a directorial career making films.

## Career

Lokesh made his directorial debut with the short film, Acham Thavir (2012), which won awards for Best Director, Best Film and Best Actor at the Clubace short film festival. In 2016, his short film Kalam was included in the anthology film Aviyal, produced by Karthik Subbaraj. He directed his first feature film, Maanagaram, in 2017, followed by the 2019 action thriller Kaithi produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, with Karthi in the lead role. Lokesh's next film, Master, released in January 2021 and starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing Indian film of that year.
In 2022, Lokesh directed Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film’s success, along with the establishment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), elevated his reputation in the industry, leading to another collaboration with Vijay on Leo. Following Leo, Lokesh announced Thalaivar 171, Rajinikanth’s 171st film, produced by Sun Pictures, with music by Anirudh Ravichander. The official title Coolie was revealed in April 2024.
In June 2023, Lokesh announced to conclude his directing career after completing 10 films. By November 2023, he launched his production company, G Squad, and unveiled his first production, Fight Club, directed by Vijay Kumar. Later that year, in December, Lokesh announced a short film within the LCU, titled Chapter Zero, as a prequel to Kaithi 2.
On 14 April 2024 coinciding with Puthandu, Lokesh announced his production venture, Benz, directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan and starring Raghava Lawrence in the lead. He has also written the story for the film. On 30 October 2024, Benz was confirmed to be a part of the LCU.

## Filmmaking style

Lokesh's films are primarily in the noir action genre. He has likened himself to John Woo, who is also known mainly for directing such films. Despite this, Lokesh has expressed interest in exploring other genres such as fantasy and comedy. He has cited action films from the 1980s and 1990s as influences on his films, and has named Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino as some of his favourite directors due to their filmmaking styles. Rathna Kumar, who worked with Lokesh on Master, Vikram, and Leo, mentioned that his penchant for retro songs, violence, and hyperlink narratives in his films come from his admiration for Tarantino. Though Lokesh's films are sometimes criticised for glorifying bloodshed and violence, he admitted that while he does try to romanticise violence, he has always had to tone down such sequences in his films to appeal to family audiences. To make his stunt sequences believable, Lokesh avoids using ropes, and believes this limitation makes the sequences look brutal and raw.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |

### As film director

List of Lokesh Kanagaraj film credits as director :
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2016 | Aviyal | Anthology film; Segment: Kalam |
| 2017 | Maanagaram | |
| 2019 | Kaithi | 1st installment in Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) |
| 2021 | Master | |
| 2022 | Vikram | 2nd installment in Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) |
| 2023 | Leo | 3rd installment in Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) |
| 2025 | Coolie † | Filming |

### As producer and writer

List of Lokesh Kanagaraj producer and writer credits :
| Year | Title | Credited as | Credited as | Notes |
| Year | Title | Producer | Writer | Notes |
| 2018 | Vella Raja | | Story | TV series |
| 2023 | Michael | Presenter | | for the Tamil version |
| 2023 | Fight Club | Presenter | | |
| TBA | Benz † | Presenter | Story | 4th installment in Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) |
| TBA | Mr. Bhaarath † | Presenter | | |

### As actor

List of Lokesh Kanagaraj film credits :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2021 | Master | Prisoner | Cameo |
| 2024 | Singapore Saloon | Himself | Cameo |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist | Director | Ref. |
| 2024 | "Inimel" | Shruti Haasan | Dwarkesh Prabakar | |

### Recurring collaborations

Editor Philomin Raj has worked on all films. The duo Anbariv have worked on five films. Anirudh has worked on four films. Rathna Kumar, Arjun Das, Arun Alexander and Dheena have worked on three films. Only people who have worked in three or more films are listed. This list only concerns Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial films.
List of Lokesh Kanagaraj recurring collaborations :
| Film | Philomin Raj | Anbariv | Arjun Das | Arun Alexander | Anirudh Ravichander | Dheena | Rathna Kumar |
| Maanagaram (2017) | Y | Y | | Y | | | |
| Kaithi (2019) | Y | Y | Y | Y | | Y | |
| Master (2021) | Y | | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Vikram (2022) | Y | Y | Y Cameo | | Y | Y Cameo | Y |
| Leo (2023) | Y | Y | | | Y | | Y |
| Coolie (2025) | Y | Y | | | Y | | |

## Accolades

List of Lokesh Kanagaraj awards :
| Ceremony | Award Name | Movie | Status |
| 10th Vijay Awards | Best Debut Director | Maanagaram | Won |
| Zee Cine Awards Tamil - 2020 | Favourite Director | Kaithi | Won |
| 11th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director | Vikram | Won |