There are television actors who have gone on to become the biggest movies stars. How often do you hear a story about a talented storyteller, who got famous on TV before he or she went on to make it big in the movies in India? The Tamil film industry owes a great deal to Naalaya Iyakunar, a popular talent show on Kalaignar TV. The platform identified fresh talents who defined the last decade of Tamil cinema.

Filmmaker-writer Karthik Subbaraj, who is celebrating his 38th birthday today, was discovered on the show. His transition from a software engineer to Tamil movie’s top filmmaker is the stuff stories are made of. He quit his high-paying job and passed up an opportunity to settle down in France to pursue his passion for cinema. It was a great leap of faith, which paid off handsomely.

Karthik quit his job after he was selected as a participant of Naalaya Iyakunar. And he never failed to impress the judges and audience week after week with his short films. Later, he emerged as the winner of the first season. Two years later, he made his first feature film titled Pizza. And today ‘A Karthik Subbaraj Film’ is a brand in itself that draws the audience to the box office, irrespective of which star is playing the lead role. If the star headlining his movie is Rajinikanth or Vikram, it is a bonus.

On his birthday here’s every film by him, ranked. Karthik has made five feature movies so far, excluding the short segments he helmed for anthologies Bench Talkies and Putham Pudhu Kaalai. And his latest movie Jagame Thandhiram is yet to release, so it is not taken into account.

5. Mercury

Mercury is a silent thriller directed by Karthik Subbaraj

With no dialogues and a heavy subject, Mercury highlights the plight of the less privileged who have to pay the price for development. Set in a picturesque background, the horror film revolves around environmental destruction by corporate greed and its lifelong consequences that innocents suffer.

You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.

4. Iraivi

On the surface, it is a story about a group of men who dig their own grave because of momentary lapses in their judgements. But, look closer, it is mainly a commentary on masculinity and now it has come to define every aspect of our life. In this film, Karthik also shows how society has accepted the institutionalised oppression of women for over many generations. And how families normalise inequality between men and women. Stereotyping gender roles, demanding women to show superhuman tolerance to all the indiscretions of men, rescuer syndrome, and regret of old age, Karthik probes into all the tenets of a male-centric society in this film. And the film is further elevated by performances of a high-calibre star cast.

3. Petta

Rajinikanth in Petta.

This film was a fresh breath of air in the cluster of Rajinikanth films that we got in the last decade. Karthik achieved a breakthrough of sorts in bringing ‘vintage Rajini’ back on the screen. And redefined how modern Rajinikanth films are made. Petta was the filmmaker taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane dotted with old Rajinikanth films. The actor’s nostalgia is now a genre in itself. In this film, Rajinikanth played a character who was gentle, villainous, funny and very pragmatic. His character was larger-than-life, yet human.

You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.

2. Pizza

This is the film that put Karthik on the map. It came at a time when small-budget movies were making big gains at the box office in Tamil Nadu. It was also the time, the industry was awakening to the fact that the primary requirement to make a good film is to have a good script. And this film reinforced that belief once again. It is a triumph of Karthik as a a writer and as a filmmaker. This film also became a calling card for Vijay Sethupathi.

You can watch this film on Sun NXT.

1. Jigarthanda:

Bobby Simhaa in Jigarthanda.

This is the film that announced the arrival of Karthik Subbaraj in the Tamil film industry. It showed that he was not a one-time wonder and was here to stay. The film follows the efforts of an aspiring filmmaker Karthik Subramani, who spies on a dangerous criminal “Assault” Sethu, as part of the research for his mob movie. What happens when Karthik is caught spying while Sethu was committing a double murder? Drama. This film is a compelling instance of the power of art in bringing a change in people.

You can watch this film on Disney plus Hotstar.