Karthik Subbaraj (born 19 March 1983) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter working mainly in Tamil cinema.
Early life Karthik Subbaraj born in Madurai. He did his schooling from SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Madurai after which he went on to study mechatronics at Thiagarajar College of Engineering. During his college days he performed stage shows and skits. His father, Gajaraj, is an actor who has acted in many supporting roles in films like Mundasupatti and Kabali.Kabali: Karthik Subbaraj's father to play a role in Rajini's next : Regional cinema, News – India Today . Indiatoday.intoday.in (22 August 2015). Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
He made the short film Kaatchipizhai in Madurai, which was selected for Nalaya Iyakunar.
Career Karthik had intended to direct Jigarthanda first but could not fund the project. He then came up with the story for the low-budget Pizza. The film was a commercial success, remade in Hindi, Bengali and Kannada.Pizza Review – Pizza Movie Review . Behindwoods.com. Retrieved on 17 December 2016. This allowed him the opportunity to make Jigarthanda, which received positive reviews and earned actor Bobby Simha a national award.Jigarthanda Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India . Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 17 December 2016. Karthik was praised by S. Shankar and Mani Ratnam.Vijay enjoys every bit of Jigarthanda . Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (15 August 2014). Retrieved on 17 December 2016.Updated, Ramchander. (8 August 2014) Now, Mani Ratnam Is Impressed By Jigarthanda . Filmibeat. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
His third movie, Iraivi (2016), received positive reviews, and Karthik was praised for the film's portrayal of society's treatment of women. The movie also observed the various ways men's attitudes and behaviors impact women throughout life. He also showcased the pain he went through from the producer of his second film, through the character of S. J. Suryah. He then went on and directed a silent thriller, Mercury (2018), starring Prabhu Deva in the lead, which was not a commercial success. He produced Kallachirippu, a web series under his banner Stone Bench Creations.
Karthik directed the action drama Petta (2019) with Rajinikanth's 166th film. He also produced the Amazon original movie Penguin starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead role. He then produced the Hotstar Originals web series Triples starring Jai and Vani Bhojan.
He then directed Miracle, a short film for the Amazon Prime anthology film Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020), and Peace, an episode for the Netflix anthology web series Navarasa (2021). In 2021, Karthik directed Jagame Thandhiram, which received mixed reviews.
His next film was the Vikram starrer Mahaan (2022) which was directly premiered on Amazon Prime Video. The movie received positive reviews from critics. In 2023, he went on to direct Jigarthanda DoubleX.
He then directed Retro, starring Suriya and Pooja Hegde. It opened to positive reviews from critics praising his direction and storytelling. The film became a commercial success at box office. In November 2025, Karthik began production on his 10th directorial, produced by Guneet Monga, which was later titled Dorothy.
Filmmaking style Some critics note that Karthik's directorial films usually have plot twists, needledropping of songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja, flamboyance inspired by Quentin Tarantino's films, and the inclusion of real-life world events and politics in the form of messaging. Karthik, however, has stated that he prefers not to associate with any particular filmmaking style as he seeks to reinvent himself with every new film, noting how he intentionally avoided including a plot twist in Jagame Thandhiram, which disappointed some audiences.
Filmography As a director
Year Title Notes 2012Pizza 2014Jigarthanda 2015 Bench Talkies Anthology film; segment: Neer 2016 Iraivi 2018 Mercury 2019 Petta 2020 Putham Pudhu Kaalai Anthology film; segment: Miracle 2021 Jagame Thandhiram Navarasa Television series; segment: Peace 2022 Mahaan 2023Jigarthanda DoubleX Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award for Best Director 2025Retro Also writer 2026 Dorothy
As a producer and writer
Year Title Producer Writer Language Notes 2016Aviyal Tamil 2017Meyaadha Maan 2018Kallachirippu ZEE5 original series 2020Penguin Triples Hotstar original series 2021Boomika 2022Attention Please Malayalam Buffoon Tamil Ammu Telugu 2025Game Changer 2026Neelira Tamil 29
As an actor Year Title Role Notes 2013 Soodhu Kavvum Jaguar car owner Cameo appearance 2019 Petta Motorcycle driver Uncredited appearance
Frequent collaborators Collaborator Santhosh NarayananGajarajVivek HarshanBobby SimhaRamachandran DurairajAadukalam NarenSananth (uncredited)Vijay Sethupathi (cameo)Vettai MuthukumarDeepak ParameshKarunakaranS. J. SuryahJoju GeorgeVidhu
References
External links