Arun Kumar aka Atlee broke out with blockbusters in the Tamil film industry but given the success of his Bollywood directorial debut Jawan, he is clearly a pan-Indian filmmaker. Jawan, in fact, also ranked second in JustWatch India’s 10 Most Popular Movies of 2023. Here’s a look at his journey to box-office and streaming glory.
Assistant Director under Shankar
Doubling as a screenwriter and producer on his projects, Atlee began his career as an assistant director under Tamil veteran Shankar. Atlee’s stint as an AD was on Shankar’s sci-fi epic Enthiran (Robot) which starred superstar Rajinikanth in a double role as a robotics scientist and his creation. Atlee crossed paths with Shankar again for Nanban, the Tamil remake of 3 Idiots, a modern Bollywood classic and one of Aamir Khan’s best movies.
Working on Nanban was crucial in Atlee’s career as it starred Vijay, the Tamil actor who would end up starring in most of the director’s future filmography.
Directorial debut with Raja Rani
Featuring Arya and Nayanthara as a mismatched couple, the romantic-comedy Raja Rani marked Atlee’s debut as a Tamil director. Raja Rani was an instant hit with particular praise for the performances and Atlee’s dialogues, winning multiple state and industry honours. But Raja Rani was just the tip of the iceberg as Atlee was yet to prove his worth as an action director.
A Hat-Trick with Vijay
Atlee’s subsequent efforts marked some of Thalapathy Vijay’s best movies with Atlee directing the Tamil hero as both a man of action and emotion. Their first collaboration was Theri which starred Vijay in a dual role as a morally righteous police officer and a loving father.
Their sophomore film Mersal took Atlee’s obsession with multiple roles a notch higher as Vijay starred in triple roles. Vijay didn’t just play a local village wrestler in this drama but also the wrestler’s two sons. Apart from familial themes, the movie also went down an action thriller territory unleashing Atlee’s potential in the genre.
Bigil, Vijay and Atlee’s third movie together, marked a change in tone for it was a football drama. Vijay stars as a local gangster who turns into a football coach to lead a women’s soccer team to victory. It won’t be surprising to note that Vijay yet again starred in a double role as he also played the protagonist’s father.
Bollywood success with Jawan
All eyes were on Atlee as he geared up to make his Bollywood debut with none other than industry stalwart Shah Rukh Khan. Already eager to rebrand himself as an action star in 2023 with Pathaan, Khan played the jailer-cum-vigilante Azad in Atlee’s adrenaline-fueled action epic. Atlee’s affinity for double roles in Tamil cinema made its way to the Hindi format too with the interval shockingly revealing Khan also playing Azad’s aged, army veteran father.
Why Jawan is Atlee’s best movie
Despite all of Atlee’s movies being full-fledged entertainers, Jawan encapsulates the best of Atlee’s multi-genre filmography. The movie is effective not just as a showcase for its larger-than-life leading man but also offers compelling performances from Vijay Sethupathi in a villainous role and Atlee’s Raja Rani collaborator Nayanthara as a duty-bound police officer. Apart from boasting chase and combat scenes worthy of the big screen, Jawan also has its fair share of sentimentality as a father-son tale. With the post-interval scenes also delving into a tragic backstory involving Deepika Padukone in an extended cameo as the protagonist’s mother, Jawan succeeds as a movie for the masses.
Where can you stream Atlee’s filmography?
Most of Atlee’s movies are on Netflix, Prime Video, and Sun NXT.
