Samuthirakani
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1973-04-26
    • Born Place: Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Also Known As:

    Samuthira Kani, P. Samuthirakani, P. Samudhirakani, Samudhirakani, Samudhira Kani, சமுத்திரக்கனி, Samuthrakani, Samudhrakani, ساموتهیراکانی

Samuthirakani

P. Samuthirakani (born April 26, 1973, in Seithur, Tamil Nadu) is a celebrated and multifaceted figure in the Indian film industry, excelling as an actor, film director, and writer primarily in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema. After completing his B.Sc. in Mathematics and a law degree, he initially pursued his passion for film by working as an assistant director under veteran filmmaker K. Balachander. Samuthirakani made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003), which earned him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer. His commercial breakthrough as a director came with the highly successful film Naadodigal (2009), which was subsequently remade in several languages. As an actor, his career reached a new zenith with his standout performance as the stern Kanagu in M. Sasikumar's period drama Subramaniapuram (2008). He later solidified his reputation for intense, character-driven roles, most notably winning the prestigious National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his powerful portrayal of Inspector Muthuvel in Vetrimaaran's docudrama Visaranai (2015). In recent years, he has gained pan-Indian recognition, balancing his work as a director of socially conscious films like Appa (2016) and its Telugu remake Bro (2023), with critically praised supporting roles in major multilingual blockbusters such as RRR (2022) and Telugu films like Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), demonstrating his versatility across the South Indian film industries.

Person History