Actor, director and writer · Telugu cinema
Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani movies: 28 Telugu films on file (27 as actor, 3 as director, 1 as writer), 2010–2027. Earliest on file: Shambo Shiva Shambo (2010). Latest release: Karmakhya (31 July 2026). Next: Mysaa (27 November 2026).
- Films on file
- 28 (27 as actor, 3 as director, 1 as writer)
- Years on file
- 2010–2027
- Born
- 26 April 1973 · April birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- RRR, Hanu Man, Game Changer
- Record
- Q7413131 on Wikidata
Samuthirakani (born P. Samuthirakani, 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who works mainly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema. A former assistant to K. Balachander, he established himself as a director with Naadodigal (2009) and as an actor with roles such as the police inspector in Visaranai, which won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2016. He has also won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a SIIMA Award, and in Telugu he has acted in films such as Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and Hanu-Man and directed Bro (2023).
Early life
Samuthirakani was born in Seithur, Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu. He earned a B.Sc. in mathematics from Rajapalayam Rajus College and a law degree from Ambedkar Law College, but his goal was acting, even though, he has said, people told him he had neither the looks nor the talent for it.
Assistant director and television
In 1997 he began as an assistant director under Sundar K. Vijayan. K. Balachander then took him on as an assistant for his 100th film, Paarthale Paravasam (2001), and for the Jaya TV serial Anni; he later assisted Balachander on Poi (2006) and Ameer on Paruthiveeran (2007). He directed the Sun TV serials Arasi and Selvi, which were major hits.
Director
His early directing work included the shelved Uyir Nanbanukku and Unnai Charanadaindhen (2003). The success of Naadodigal established him, and he followed it with Poraali (2011), Nimirndhu Nil (2014) and Appa (2016), all of which were remade in Telugu and Kannada. He later made Naadodigal 2, about equality, and the fantasy comedies Vinodhaya Sitham (2021) and Bro (2023).
Tamil roles
He won praise as Dhanush’s father in Velaiilla Pattadhari (2014) and as a police inspector in Visaranai, and had an important role in Rajinikanth’s Kaala (2018).
Telugu films
In Telugu he appeared in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), played the lead in Aakashavaani (2021), and played Vibhishana in the superhero film Hanu-Man (2024). He has also narrated the Tamil versions of National Geographic documentaries such as Eye of the Leopard.
Career on file
Samuthirakani has 28 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 2010 to 2027: 27 films as actor, three films as director and one film as writer. The earliest of them is Shambo Shiva Shambo (2010), and the most recent release is Karmakhya (2026). Three more are dated for later: Mysaa (2026), Dada (2026) and Mahakāli (2027). Measured by how many Wikipedia language editions cover them, the best-known titles here are RRR (2022), Hanu Man (2024) and Game Changer (2025). Other recent releases on file are Bad Boy Karthik (2026), The RajaSaab (2026) and Mass Jathara (2025).
Among directors, Gopichand Malineni cast Samuthirakani most often, in two films. In the films Samuthirakani directed, Chandra Mohan appears most often (two films). S. Thaman and Thaman S each scored four of them, more than any other music director; next is Kaala Bhairava (2). People Media Factory produced three of them, more than any other banner on file. Across these films the credits on file name 24 different directors, 18 music directors and 97 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 17 of them; they average 155 minutes, and the longest is The RajaSaab at 183 minutes. 17 of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 2010s (3) and 2020s (25). 2022 is the busiest single year, with seven films.
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.
Upcoming movies (3)
All upcoming Telugu movies · Dates are those on record and can change.