Samuthirakani is a multifaceted personality who has made a significant impact in the Indian film industry. As a film director, singer, screenwriter, dubbing artist, and actor, he has worked in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films.
He began his journey in the film industry by studying at Rajapalayam Rajus College, where he earned his B.Sc. in Mathematics. He later pursued his Bachelor of Law at Ambedkar Law College.
Samuthirakani started his career as an assistant director to Sundar K. Vijayan in 1997. He also worked as an assistant to K. Balachander for the films Paarthale Paravasam (2001) and Anni (2001-2003),which marked his acting debut in Tamil cinema.
He ventured into direction in the early 2000s and made his directorial debut with Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003) for S.P.B. Charan. His notable films include Naadodigal (2009),which earned him the Vijay Award for Favourite Director, and Easan (2010),where he played the role of ACP Sangayya and received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Character Artiste (Male).
Samuthirakani has also directed Telugu films like Sambo Siva Sambho (2010),a remake of Naadodigal (2009),and Janda Pai Kapiraju (2015).
His Tamil films, Poraali (2011) and Nimirndhu Nil (2014),were later remade in Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada. Appa (2016),which he directed, was remade in Malayalam as Aakasha Mittayee (2017).
In 2014, he appeared as Raghuvaran's father in the superhit film Velaiyilla Pattathari (2014). He then appeared in the superhit film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011),for which he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor - Tamil.
Samuthirakani also got a role in the film Kaala (2018),which starred Rajinikanth. His film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) earned him the SIIMA Best Actor in a Negative Role award.
He has directed films like Naadodigal 2 (2020) and Vinodhaya Sitham (2021). In 2021, he appeared as the lead actor in the Telugu film Aakashavaani.
In 2022, he worked in several Tamil and Telugu films, including Bheemla Nayak (2022),Maaran (2022),Yaanai Yaanai (2022),Macherla Niyojakavargam (2022),and RRR (2022),which grabbed attention not only domestically but also internationally by getting an Oscar.
In 2023, Samuthirakani was seen in Thunivu (2023),Naan Kadavul Illai (2023),Thalaikoothal (2023),Vaathi (2023),and Dasara (2023).
