Hari (director)

Indian film director and screenwriter

Hari

Hari at the 62nd Filmfare South Awards

Born|

Hari Krishnan [1]

(1973-12-26) 26 December 1973 (age 51)

Katchanavilai Village, Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu, India

Occupation| Film director Screenwriter
Years active| 2002–present
Spouse| Preetha Hari
Children| 3

Harikrishnan is an Indian film director and screenwriter best known for his action and masala films in Tamil cinema. He made his directorial debut with Thamizh (2002).[2] He later directed films such as Saamy (2003), Kovil (2004), Ayya (2005), Thaamirabharani (2007), Vel (2007) and the Singam film series (2010-2017). He mostly directed Coimbatore, Dindigul, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli district based movies.

## Early life

[edit]

Hari was born on 26 December 1973 in the Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Gopalakrishnan, runs a grocery store.[3] Later, his family moved to Chennai, where Hari graduated with a degree in Commerce.[4]

## Career

[edit]

Hari first joined as an assistant, gaining experience by working with various directors; Senthilnathan, Jeevabalan, Ameerjan, K. Natraj in  Valli, Alex Pandian, Nassar in Avatharam.[4] Later, he assisted K. Balachander in his film Kalki and worked as an associate director with Saran in the films Amarkalam, Parthen Rasithen and Alli Arjuna.[5][6][7]

His first film, in 2002, was Thamizh, with Prashanth and Simran. Film critic Balaji commented that it was "one of the few movies in recent times where a lot of importance seems to have been attached to the script. In spite of the flimsy story and routine screenplay where a youth grows to be a "dada", the dialogs elevate the quality of the movie and make it very enjoyable".[8] His second film Saamy, under the Kavithaalaya banner, starred Vikram. It was named the year's biggest hit,[9] grossing ₹160 million.[10] Its success led to remakes; in Telugu (Lakshmi Narasimha),[11] Kannada (Ayya)[12] and Hindi languages (Policegiri).[13] His next two films Kovil, with Silambarasan and Arul also starred Vikram. In 2005, he made Ayya, starring Sarathkumar, which introduced Nayantara to Tamil cinema. His next film was Aaru, with Suriya in 2005. In 2007, he directed two films, Thaamirabharani with Vishal and Vel, with Suriya. In 2008, he directed Seval, with Bharath. Ayyappa Prasad from Nowrunning.com stated that Hari "panders to the taste of his rural audience all the way, but the movie is bound to disappoint city-dwellers, since neither the story nor its treatment appeal to anyone with high IQ."[14]

In 2010 Hari directed his tenth film Singam, with Suriya, marking their third collaboration. The film was one of the top box office films of the year,[15] although reviewers identified it as a standard masala entertainer.[16][17] Following its success, the film was remade in Hindi (as Singham), in Kannada (as Kempe Gowda) and Bengali (Shotru).[18][19] After directing Venghai, a film with Dhanush and Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead, he made a sequel to Singam, with Suriya reprising his role as Duraisingam. It was named one of the biggest box office hits of 2013,[20][21] with Sify stating that it was "the biggest theatrical earner" of the year.[22] He worked for the second time with Vishal, in a film titled Poojai,[23] which had Shruti Haasan as the female lead.[24] Hari joined with Suriya for the fifth time for (Singam 3). He is shooting Saamy Square, the sequel of Saamy starring Vikram in the lead role. This film marks the third collaboration between Hari and Vikram. The film has met with mixed response.[25] After Saamy Square, Hari will most likely team up with Suriya yet again. Earlier, director Hari revealed that his next project with Suriya would not be Singam 4, but a fresh script. In an interview with an entertainment portal, Hari has disclosed details about this untitled film. In February 2020, Studio Green officially announced that Hari's next movie with Surya would be titled "Aruvaa", and would be released in Diwali 2020, but now Suriya has proceeded with his other projects and it is uncertain whether Aruvaa will happen or not.[26] He started working with actor and also his brother-in-law, Arun Vijay, in their first collaboration, titled Yaanai who was released in 2022.[27] The next was Rathnam (2024) marks the third collaboration with Vishal. it was received good reviews from movie critics.[28]

## Personal life

[edit]

Hari with his wife Preetha Vijayakumar.

Hari is married to former actress Preetha Vijayakumar, the daughter of Vijayakumar and Manjula, half-sister of actor Arun Vijay, and has three sons.[29]

## Filmmaking style

[edit]

Hari's films are usually fast-paced and are primarily in the action and masala genres. Due to his penchant for such films, Hari has been nicknamed as the aruva director" as the aruva (sickle) are present in most of his films. Hari has recurring elements in his films which include "ferocious" protagonists, humorous subplots and item numbers.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36]

## Filmography

[edit]

### As writer and director

[edit]

Year | Film | Notes

|
|

2002 | Thamizh | Directorial Debut
2003 | Saamy |
2004 | Kovil |
Arul |
2005 | Ayya |
Aaru |
2007 | Thaamirabharani |
Vel |
2008 | Seval |
2010 | Singam |
2011 | Venghai |
2013 | Singam II |
2014 | Poojai |
2017 | Singam 3 |
2018 | Saamy Square |
2022 | Yaanai |
2024 | Rathnam |

### As lyricist

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Song  | Composer

|
|
|

2007 | Thaamirabharani | Thaaliye Thevaiyillai | Yuvan Shankar Raja
2007 | Vel | Thoppul Kodi and Otraikannale
2008 | Seval | "Thayaramma" and "Thulasi Chediya" | G. V. Prakash Kumar
2011 | Venghai | Yenna Solla Pore and Pudikkudhu. | Devi Sri Prasad
2017 | Singam 3 | Vettai Theme and Wi Wi Wi Wi Wifi | Harris Jayaraj
2022 | Yaanai | Ganapathy Saranam, Deiva Magale and Edhanaala Varutham | G. V. Prakash Kumar

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hari Krishnan tamilfilmdirectorsassociation.com
2. ^ "Director Hari bereaved". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
3. ^ "06-06-03". 4 August 2003. Archived from the original on 4 August 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
4. ^ a b "'சாமி' ஆக்ஷன்லதான் இறங்கணும்!". Kalki. 8 June 2003. pp. 82–83. Retrieved 10 February 2024.82-83&rft.date=2003-06-08&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-06-08/page/82/mode/2up&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Hari+(director)" class="Z3988">
5. ^ "14-06-03". 4 August 2003. Archived from the original on 4 August 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
6. ^ "Hari Tamil Director | Movie Director Hari Story | News, Gossips, Specials, Rumers, Shooting spot, Sneak Previews, New Releases". Koodal.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
7. ^ "Hari Tamil Celebrity HARI | Tamil Celebrity Actor, actress, Directors, Important Person Interviews". Koodal.com. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
8. ^ Balaji Balasubramaniam. "Balaji's Tamil Movie Reviews". Bbthots.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
9. ^ D Govardan (26 August 2003). "Tamil films enter hit zone in 2003". Economic Times. TNN. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
10. ^ "Reel of fortune". The Hindu. 29 December 2003. Archived from the original on 6 May 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
11. ^ "Movie review: Lakshmi Narasimha". Sify. 20 April 2014. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014.
12. ^ "Tamil film Raam to be remade in Kannada". The Times of India. 26 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
13. ^ "Sanjay Dutt to complete shoot of 'Policegiri': Producer". Economic Times. PTI. 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
14. ^ "Seval Review – Tamil Movie Review by Ayyappa Prasad". Nowrunning.com. 30 October 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
15. ^ "Top 20 Chennai Box Office Collection of 2010 – Behindwoods.com – Tamil Movie Slide Shows – Endhiran | Nandalala | Myna | Singam | Paiyaa | Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa | Naan Mahaan Alla | Uthama Puthiran | Angadi Theru". Behindwoods.com. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
16. ^ "Singam Review – Tamil Movie Singam Review". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
17. ^ "Movie Review : Singam- Review". Sify. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
18. ^ Roshmila Bhattacharya (7 July 2013). "Singam returns". Deccan Herald. DHNS. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
19. ^ "Clash of remakes in film industry". The Times of India. 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
20. ^ "The Biggest Box Office Hits in Tamil cinema, 2013 – Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 1 January 2014. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
21. ^ "Top 10 Tamil grossers of 2013 – The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 1 January 1970. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
22. ^ "2013 - The top 10 Tamil grossers". Sify. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014.
23. ^ "Hari's film with Vishal titled Pooja". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
24. ^ "I am doing the Hari film: Shruti Haasan". Sify. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014.
25. ^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (20 September 2018). "Saamy Square (Saamy 2) movie review and ratings: Live audience response". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
26. ^ "Director Hari reveals details about his next film with Suriya". India Today. Ist. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
27. ^ "Yaanai Review".
28. ^ "'Rathnam' twitter review: Vishal starrer to mark a strong comeback for director Hari".
29. ^ "Interview: Director Hari". Dinakaran. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007.
30. ^ "Not sure if next film with Suriya is Singam 3: Director Hari". The Hindu. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019 - via www.thehindu.com.
31. ^ "'Vettaikaran' just another 'no-risk' masala movie (Tamil Film Review)". Sify. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017.
32. ^ "'Fast-paced films are my strength'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
33. ^ "Wishful Thinking: The Director Hari Interview". 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
34. ^ "Singam 3 Review {3/5}: Suriya is in full form in Si3 and the Singam Super franchise is here to stay". The Times of India.
35. ^ "Poojai movie review: The film should have been more than just the hero flexing his muscles and fighting". India.com. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
36. ^ "Welcome to Sify.com". Sify. Archived from the original on 18 June 2004.

## External links

[edit]

* Hari at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Hari

* Thamizh (2002)
* Saamy (2003)
* Kovil (2004)
* Arul (2004)
* Ayya (2005)
* Aaru (2005)
* Thaamirabharani (2007)
* Vel (2007)
* Seval (2008)
* Singam (2010)
* Venghai (2011)
* Singam II (2013)
* Poojai (2014)
* Si3 (2017)
* Saamy Square (2018)
* Yaanai (2022)
* Rathnam (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Australia

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

People|

* Trove

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