Sundar C

Sundar was born on January 31, 1968 in Erode Tamil Nadu]]. His parents are Chidambaram Pillai and Theivanai Ammal, both of whom are respected in the Tamil community. On his father's recommendation, he adopted the name "Sundar C" to better suit the film industry.^[2]

Sundar began his career as an assistant director to Manivannan and made his directorial debut with the film Murai Maman in 1995. Initially, he intended to cast a leading action hero Sarathkumar for the lead role, but due to the producer's inability to secure the actor, Jayaram was selected instead, capitalizing on his comedic prowess. The film was a success at the box office.^[3] Sundar then continued to focus on comedy films, directing Ullathai Allitha (1996), Mettukudi (1996) and Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga (1999), all starring Karthik. In 1997, he directed the high-profile Arunachalam, with Rajinikanth. The film won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, including Best Film.^[4]

Sundar started the new millennium by directing the thriller Unnai Kann Theduthey (2000) and the action film Rishi (2001). In 2003, he directed both Anbe Sivam and Winner. While Winner was commercially successful, Anbe Sivam—despite being critically acclaimed—underperformed at the box office but later became a cult classic.^[5] He continued his directorial ventures with Chinna (2005) and Rendu (2006).^[6] Subsequently, Sundar transitioned to acting, making his lead debut in the commercially successful Thalai Nagaram (2006).^[7][8] He continued to secure lead roles in hits like Veerappu (2007), directed by Badri, and Sandai (2008) by Sakthi Chidambaram. He received the Kalaimamani award from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2009.^[9] He then made a directorial comeback with Nagaram Marupakkam in 2010.

In 2012, Sundar directed the comedy film Kalakalappu, which was a commercial hit.^[10] He followed it up with Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru (2013), Aranmanai (2014), Aranmanai 2 (2016), and Kalakalappu 2 (2018). He starred in the well-received horror thriller Iruttu (2019), directed by V. Z. Durai,^[11] and also directed Vishal's action film Action (2019).^[12] His subsequent release as a director and actor, Aranmanai 3 (2021), was successful at the box office despite being critically panned.^[13] He later starred in Thalai Nagaram 2 (2023).^[14] Later, he directed and starred in Aranmanai 4 (2024).

Sundar C's films are usually fast-paced and are primarily in the action, comedy, romantic, thriller and horror masala genres. Due to his back to back commercial success for more than 30 years, he became one of the most popular and commercial filmmakers in Tamil cinema.^[15][16]Sundar has recurring elements in his films which include "ferocious" protagonists, fast-paced narratives, strong violences, humorous subplots, love and comedy subplots, strong emotional core, adapting to trends, glamour and item numbers.^{[17][18][19][20]}

In 2000, Sundar married actress Khushbu. After their marriage, she took his name as her surname and became known as Khushbu Sundar. They have two daughters, Avantika and Anandita, after whom they named their production house, Avni Cinemax.^[105][106]