Atlee

Career overview

Arun Kumar, popularly known as Atlee, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and film producer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He began his career in the film industry as an assistant to director Shankar, working on Enthiran in 2010 and Nanban in 2012. Atlee made his directorial debut with the romantic drama Raja Rani in 2013, which was a major critical and commercial success. For his work on the film, he received the Vijay Award for Best Debut Director and the Tamil Nadu State Award for best dialogue writer. The film starred Nayathara, Nazriya, Arya, and Jai, and was produced by Fox Star Studios.

Following his debut, Atlee collaborated with actor Vijay on a string of films, including Theri in 2016, Mersal in 2017, and Bigil in 2019, all of which achieved massive commercial success. In 2017, Atlee and his wife, Priya, established their own production house named A for Apple Productions.

Atlee later expanded his career into Hindi cinema by directing Jawan in 2023, which starred Shah Rukh Khan and became a huge hit. Additionally, he has worked on a project titled AA22 with Allu Arjun.