Mysskin
Born
Shanmugha Raja

(1971-09-20) 20 September 1971
Other namesMysskin
Occupation(s)Director, writer, music director, actor, producer, singer, lyricist
Years active2002–present

Shanmugha Raja, known professionally as Mysskin, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, singer, producer and composer.[1][2][3][4]

He made his directorial debut in 2006 with Chithiram Pesuthadi. His subsequent films Anjathe (2008), Nandalala (2010) and Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (2013) and Pisaasu (2014) received critical acclaim. He made his acting debut with Nandalala (2010), where he portrayed a mentally disabled man. In 2023 he debuted as music director in the tamil movie named as Devil. He is considered a great auteur in Tamil Cinema.

Career

He chose Mysskin as his assumed name, inspired by Prince Myshkin, the protagonist in Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot.[3][2] His schooling was in Tamil and he is an avid book reader[5] He was working in a book store when director Kathir first asked him to join him. He was with him for nearly 8 months but did not work in any movie. It was under director Vincent Selva that he did his first movie Youth, followed by Jithan, again under Vincent Selva.[5] Mysskin made his directorial debut with the low – budget film Chithiram Pesudhadi which went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. A simple love story, it became a hit owing to the unique style the film was written in. The leads, debutants Narain and Bhavana went on to become popular faces following the success. He then moved on to Anjathe which became one of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil Cinema. The film received critical acclaim for all departments of film making. The film was also noted for its narrative style and Mise-en-scène which marked an example of Tamil new wave cinema.[6] It starred Narain, Prasanna, Vijayalakshmi Ahathian and yesteryear actor Pandiarajan in a never before seen role. Both the Mysskin films had his iconic yellow saree item numbers which became big hits and captured the hearts of the young and old alike.

Nevertheless, Mysskin came back with Nandalala a film loosely based on Takeshi Kitano's Kikujiro and it was completely different from his first two ventures. A film which dealt with a young boy and a mentally challenged person going in search of their respective mothers. He chose to play the mentally challenged character after the script was turned down by many established actors. The film went on to become his most critically acclaimed film with some critics calling it one of the best Tamil films ever made.[7] Nandalala won the people's choice award at the Norway Film Festival. His next film, Yuddham Sei, a dark crime thriller was a hit at the box office as well. His visual style and directing prowess were appreciated and talked about by everybody.[8] His next film, an commercial attempt at the superhero genre, Mugamoodi received positive responses from the public and media. His next film Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (The Wolf and the Lamb) was a fast-paced thriller released on 27 September 2013. It received superlative reviews from all corners. Audience and critics praised the film as a trendsetter and the changing face of Tamil cinema. Once again Mysskin proved that he was a director of high standards. In Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum, Mysskin also acted as one among the two lead characters, an antihero.

Pisaasu released on 19 December 2014 and became a major success, receiving critical acclaim for its sensible portrayal of the supernatural, horror, and romance. It was one of the biggest commercial hits of 2014 in Tamil cinema and proved to be the most profitable Tamil film for the year. His next film, Thupparivaalan a detective thriller starting Vishal in the lead, heavily inspired by Sherlock Holmes, was released on 14 September 2017. In the film Savarakathi, which was released in 2018, he played as an antagonist opposite director Ram. The film was an average commercial success though praised by critics. He also had an important cameo in Thiagarajan Kumararaja's Super Deluxe which released on 29 March 2019.[9] His latest film was Psycho, released on 24 January 2020 starring Udhayanidhi Stalin and Aditi Rao Hydari. The film was a critical and commercial success and redefined the clichéd whodunit genre.

Filmmaking

Mysskin is inspired by filmmakers such as Akira Kurosowa, Robert Bresson and Takeshi kitano. He is known for his peculiar combat sequences using elaborate storyboard[10][11] and real unarmed martial strikes and stances;[12] unconventional shots (like close-ups of feet); diegetic sound, light, silhouette and shadow; stage techniques (like monologue, face-floor, motion-freeze); staccato background score; meticulous scene and set construction; irony-laden dialogues; ellipses; minimalism; deep characterization (with archetypal hairdo, dress, accent, posture, gesture, locale, furniture); limited use of song choreography; and neo-noir renditions where the lead role is not infallible.

Mysskin is known to start film shoot only after a bound script is ready. He rigorously annotates his scripts with cues and camera lens focal lengths for each scene.[13][14] He says that his films are influenced by the works of Akira Kurosawa.[15] His plots predominantly deal with the urban poor and middle class. His films also have a recurring theme of compassion and redemption. His favorite directors are Robert Bresson, Melville, and Takeshi Kitano. He also borrows his filmmaking style from Takeshi Kitano.

He assistant directors like G. R. Adithya and Sri Ganesh have also made successful films like Savarakathi and 8 Thottakkal.

Filmography

  • All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
Denotes films that have not yet been released

As director, writer and actor

Year Title Credited as Role Notes
Director Writer Actor Producer
2002YouthGreen tickMan in song "Old Model Laila"Uncredited role[16]
2002Kadhal VirusGreen tickMan at film shootUncredited role
2005JithanGreen tickMan at phone boothUncredited role
2006Chithiram PesuthadiGreen tickGreen tick
2008AnjatheGreen tickGreen tickNominated, Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil
Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Director
2010NandalalaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickBhaskar Mani
2011Yuddham SeiGreen tickGreen tick
2012MugamoodiGreen tickGreen tick
2013Onaayum AattukkuttiyumGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickWolf / Edward
2014PisaasuGreen tickGreen tick
2017ThupparivaalanGreen tickGreen tick
2018SavarakkaththiGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickMangeswaran
2019Super DeluxeGreen tickGreen tickArputham
2019Kattumaram Green tickSingaram
2019Suttu Pidikka UtharavuGreen tickIbrahim
2020PsychoGreen tickGreen tick
2021BachelorGreen tickPastor DoctorCameo appearance
2023MaaveeranRed XRed XGreen tickRed XM. N. Jeyakodi
2023Are You Ok Baby?Green tick
2023LeoRed XRed XGreen tickRed XShanmugam
2024Pisaasu IIGreen tickGreen tickFilming
TrainGreen tickGreen tickFilming

As singer

YearSong(s)FilmComposerNotes
2008"Kannadhasan Karaikudi" & "Acham Thavir"AnjatheSundar C Babu
2008"Sutta Pazhama"Dindigul SarathyDhina
2011"Aararo" & "Vedham Pudhumai"Yuddham SeiK
2012"Bar Anthem"Mugamoodi
2013"Ammadi Aathadi"Thulli VilayaduSrikanth Deva
2015"Vellakaara Rani"KallappadamK
2016"Kathi Edukkuthaan"SavarakkaththiArrol Corelli
2017"Ivan Thupparivaalan"ThupparivaalanArrol Corellialso sang the Telugu dubbed version of the song

As lyricist

YearSong(s)FilmComposerNotes
2006"Aaahayam Aaahayam" & "Idhu Enna Pudhu Kanavo (M)"Chithiram PesuthadiSundar C Babu
2012"Bar Anthem"MugamoodiK
2016"Thangakathi"SavarakathiArrol Corelli
2017"Ivan Thupparivaalan"ThupparivaalanArrol Corelli
2020"Thaai Madiyil"PsychoIlaiyaraaja

As music director

YearFilmDirector Notes
2023DevilGR AathityaaOn Final Stage of post production

References

  1. "Mysskin — Missing the forest for the trees | FCCI". Journal of Indian Cinema. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Ahead of Psycho's Release, Delving Into Mysskin's Unique Craft". The Quint. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Shanmugha Raja is the real name of director Mysskin". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. Lakshmi, V. (29 June 2022). "Mysskin turns composer for a crime thriller". Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Director Mysskin". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  6. Kalorth, Nithin (September 2013). "Identification and Analysis of Images in Anjathey". Media Watch. 4 (3): 391–399. doi:10.1177/0976091120130311. ISSN 0976-0911. S2CID 61507138.
  7. "Review: Nandhalala is brilliant". Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  8. "Review: Yuddham Sei is gripping". Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  9. "Super Deluxe: Director Mysskin spills the beans on Vijay Sethupathi film". India Today. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  10. "Mysskin choreographs fights with storyboard". Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  11. "Mysskin says storyboarding helps cut costs". Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  12. "Mysskin storyboarding combat sequence for Thupparivaalan". Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  13. Films can be made without songs or heroines, says Mysskin
  14. Cuss words are needed for realism, says Mysskin
  15. Mysskin admits Kurosawa influence
  16. "Did you know Mysskin's debut on-screen appearance was with Vijay's 'Youth'?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
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