Susi Ganeshan
Born	Ganeshan Subbaiya Vannivelampatti, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Residence	India
Years active	2002-present
Parents	Subbaiya Sittappa
Website
www.directorsusiganesh.com

Susi Ganeshan (Tamil: சுசி கணேசன்; born Ganeshan Subbiah) is an Indian film Director, Producer and screenwriter.

Early life[link]

He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil parents Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a Bachelors degree in automobile engineering.^[1] During his college days, he was a journalist and had published many articles for the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan.^[1] He was also chairman of ATHENAEUM, the student body of the Madras Institute of Technology, during 1991-92. After working as an assistant to director Mani Ratnam during the filming of Bombay (1995), Iruvar (1997) and Dil Se.. (1998), Ganeshan debuted as a director with the 2002 film Virumbugiren.^[2]

Career[link]

He began his first project Virumbugiren in 2000. Its story was based on love in a village backdrop with a social message to it. The film, starring Prashanth and then newcomer Sneha, was selected and screened at the Kuala Lumpur World Film Festival 2003.^[3] The film received four awards at the 2001 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, winning the Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress prizes, while also being adjugded as the Best Film of the year. Virumbugiren became long delayed and released in late 2002.

Ganeshan next directed Five Star (2002), which happened to be his first release, due to the delay of his first project Virumbugiren.^[2] Five Star, produced by his mentor Mani Ratnam under the banner Madras Talkies, featured five newcomers in the title roles. The story focused on friendship, love with social awareness and a touch of human emotions. The film bagged him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Storywriter.

In 2006, he made his third film Thiruttu Payale. The film, which featured Jeevan, Sonia Agarwal and Malavika in principal roles, emerged a sleeper hit and ranked among the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year. It was named the third Best Film of the year by the Tamil Nadu State Givernment and gave major breaks to the leading actors, with the performances of Jeevan and Malavika in particular being considerably appreciated.

Three years later, Susi Ganeshan directed Kanthaswamy. The film dealt with disparity of rich and poor in the Indian society, and it was reportedly the first South Indian film in that the protagonist, portrayed by Vikram, conceived a superhero character. The film had the biggest opening in the year 2009.

Susi Ganeshan's next film would be Shortcut Romeo, a remake of his 2006 film Thiruttu Payale.

Filmography[link]

Director[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Susi Ganesan at the Internet Movie Database

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Manoj K. Jayan
Occupation	Film actor
Years active	1988 - present
Spouse	Urvashi (2000-2008) Asha (2011-present)[1]
Children	Tejalakshmi

Manoj K. Jayan (bornമനോജ്‌ കെ. ജയന്‍ on 26 July 1966) is an Indian actor who mainly acts in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. Manoj has won the Kerala State Film Award twice: Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Hariharan's Sargam (1992) and Second Best Actor for Hariharan's Pazhassi Raja (2009).

Family and early life[link]

Manoj K. Jayan was born in Kottayam District, Kerala in an Ezhava family to the Carnatic musician Jayan and V. K. Sarojini, a teacher. Biju K. Jayan is his only brother.^{[citation needed]} Despite being the son of a renowned Carnatic musician, as a child Manoj was not keen to learn Carnatic music. From his childhood days onward he had a passion for movies. As an introvert, he didn't participate in competitions during his school/college days. Manoj used to imitate movie actors for his friends and their appreciation encouraged him to try his luck in acting.

While he was studying in Nattakam (near Kottayam) Government College, Manoj enjoyed watching movies more than attending classes. One day he revealed his interest in acting to his parents and they sent him to Southern Film Institute, Trivandrum. Hostel life, theory classes and video practical in the institute helped Manoj to overcome his inhibitions and shyness. The training and direction he received from the institute transformed Manoj into a more professional and polished actor.

Immediately after leaving his institute, Manoj got a call from his professor Adam Ayub for a role in a serial to be telecasted in Doordarshan. The TV serial "Kumilakal" featured him in two roles: one an abnormal person and second one a smart fellow. This role in itself was a challenging one and the serial went on to become a super hit in the history of Dooradarshan. The character Rajasekaran portrayed by Manoj in Kumilakal became an unforgettable character for Malayalees and a stepping stone for his entry into cinema.^[2]

His first film was made by Ali Akbar, a person from his film institute. His first movie, Mamalakalkappurathu, was never released. Perunthachan, a script by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, was a milestone in his career; this role gave him numerous openings, such as Kuttan Thampuran in Sargam (one of the outstanding characters of Malayalam cinema) and his role in Thalapathi along with Mammooty and Rajinikanth.

Television serials[link]

Awards[link]

Playback singer[link]

• Saivar Thirumeni (2001) Alli Kallinu Vellam Kootti

Filmography[link]