Lokesh Kanagaraj

Kanagaraj worked across film director and screenwriter. This article rests on 2 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Lokesh Kanagaraj • Born — 14 March 1986 • Birthplace — Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India • Education — PSG College of Arts and Science • Occupation — * Film director • screenwriter • producer, Actor • Years Active — 2015–present • Known for — Lokesh Cinematic Universe (2019present) • Spouse — Aishwarya (m. 2012) • Children — 2

Lokesh Kanagaraj was born on 14 March 1986 in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India to a Tamil family. In PSG College of Arts and Science, he majored in Fashion Technology before pursuing an MBA. He did his schooling in Vivek Vidhyalaya Matric Hr. Sec. School Kinathukadavu. He is an ex-bank employee. He pursued his passion towards film making by participating in a corporate short film competition. The judge of the competition was Karthik Subbaraj. Impressed with his short film, he encouraged Lokesh to pursue a directorial career making films. Lokesh married his longtime partner Aishwarya on 8 January 2012. They have two daughters.

Lokesh made his directorial debut with the short film, Acham Thavir (2012), which won awards for Best Director, Best Film and Best Actor at the Clubace short film festival. In 2016, his short film Kalam was included in the anthology film Aviyal, produced by Karthik Subbaraj. He directed his first feature film, Maanagaram, in 2017, followed by the 2019 action thriller Kaithi produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, with Karthi in the lead role. Lokesh's next film, Master, released in January 2021 and starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing Indian film of that year. In 2022, Lokesh directed Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film's success, along with the establishment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), elevated his reputation in the industry, leading to another collaboration with Vijay on Leo (2023) served as the third installment in the LCU franchise. In June 2023, Lokesh announced to conclude his directing career after completing 10 films. Later that year, in December, Lokesh announced a short film within the LCU, titled Chapter Zero, a prequel to Kaithi 2. Lokesh and Shruti Haasan came together for a musical project titled Inimel (2024). Following the release of Leo, Lokesh announced he would be directing the 171st film of Rajinikanth, Coolie (2025), produced by Sun Pictures and with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It marked Lokesh's first collaboration with Rajinikanth and was conceived as a standalone film separate from the LCU. It released worldwide on 14 August 2025 to mixed reviews from both critics and audience alike, with significant box-office collections reported across India and overseas markets. On 14 January 2026, coinciding with Sankranthi and Pongal, Lokesh announced he would be directing the 23rd film of Allu Arjun, produced by Mythri Movie Makers and with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.

In November 2023, Lokesh launched his production company, G Squad, and unveiled his first production, Fight Club, directed by Vijay Kumar. On 14 April 2024 coinciding with Puthandu, Lokesh announced his production venture, Benz, directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan and starring Raghava Lawrence in the lead. He has also written the story for the film. On 30 October 2024, Benz was confirmed to be a part of the LCU. A few weeks later, Lokesh announced Mr Bhaarath, an upcoming Tamil-language romantic comedy, on 18 December 2024, to be produced under his G Squad banner. On 12 December 2025, Rathna Kumar's fourth directorial venture, 29, was announced as a co-production by Lokesh and Karthik Subbaraj under the banners G Squad and Stone Bench.

• Year — Title — Credited as — Notes • Director — Producer — Writer • 2016 — Aviyal — Anthology film; Segment: Kalam • 2017 — Maanagaram • 2019 — Kaithi • 2021 — Master — Cameo • 2022 — Vikram • 2023 — Michael — Presenter — Telugu film; presenter for the Tamil-dubbed version • Leo • Fight Club — Presenter • 2025 — Coolie • 2026 — 29 • 2026 — Benz — Uncredited as screenplay writer • 2026 — Mr. Bhaarath

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2021 — Master — Prisoner — Cameo appearances • 2024 — Singapore Saloon — Himself • Inimel — Music video co-starring Shruti Haasan, who also sang the song. • 2026 — Kattalan — Leo Cabral — Cameo appearance; Malayalam film • Jana Nayagan — Reporter — Cameo appearance • DC — Devadas — Debut as a lead

• Year — Title — Writer • 2018 — Vella Raja — Story

Editor Philomin Raj and art director Sathees Kumar have worked on all films. The duo Anbariv have worked on five films. Anirudh has worked on four films. Rathna Kumar, Arjun Das, Arun Alexander and Dheena have worked on three films. Only people who have worked in three or more films are listed. This list only concerns Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial films. List of Lokesh Kanagaraj recurring collaborations • Film — Philomin Raj — Sathees Kumar — Anbariv — Arjun Das — Arun Alexander — Anirudh Ravichander — Dheena — Rathna Kumar • Maanagaram (2017) • Kaithi (2019) • Master (2021) • Vikram (2022) — Cameo — Cameo • Leo (2023) • Coolie (2025) — Uncredited

List of Lokesh Kanagaraj awards • Ceremony — Award Name — Movie — Status — Ref. Reference • 10th Vijay Awards — Best Debut Director — Maanagaram • Zee Cine Awards Tamil - 2020 — Favourite Director — Kaithi • 10th South Indian International Movie Awards — Best Director — Master • South Indian International Movie Awards — Best Director — Vikram

Kanagaraj worked for the screen, as film director and screenwriter. 8 films survive in the institutional catalogues, spanning 2017 to 2025. Among them are Maanagaram (2017), Kaithi (2019), Thalapathy 64 (2020), Master (2021), Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023). The whole run is set out in the catalogue below.