A. Karunakaran (born 25 December 1971) is a Telugu film director known for Tholi Prema (1998), Happy (2006), Ullasamga Utsahamga (2008) and Darling (2010).[1]
Career
Karunakaran began his career as a clap director for Kadhal Desam (1996) after Sasi introduced him to Kathir.[2] He worked as an assistant to Bhagyaraj and Shankar before making his directorial debut with Tholi Prema (1998). He conceived the script while in Madras and cast Pawan Kalyan after seeing him in a magazine.[1] Tholi Prema was a box office success.[1] His second film Yuvakudu was Bhumika Chawla's first film.[1] The film was unsuccessful.[1] His next film Vasu (2002) was not very successful at the box office, but garnered a cult following over the years.[3] Karunakaran collaborated with Pawan Kalyan for Balu ABCDEFG (2005), but the film was a failure unlike Tholi Prema.[4][5] The following year, Happy (2006), based on the Tamil film Azhagiya Theeye (2004) released and was a box office success.[6] Karunakaran garnered acclaim for Ullasamga Utsahamga (2008) starring newcomer Yasho Sagar.[7] Darling (2010) released to positive reviews.[8] He then directed a bilingual titled Endhukante Premanta in Telugu and Yen Endral Kadhal Enben in Tamil.[9] The Telugu version released to negative reviews while the Tamil version was never released.[10] Chinnadana Nee Kosam (2014) and Tej I Love You (2018) released to mixed reviews.[11][12]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tholi Prema | Cameo appearance National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu[2] |
| 2000 | Yuvakudu | |
| 2002 | Vasu | Cameo appearance |
| 2005 | Balu ABCDEFG | |
| 2006 | Happy | |
| 2008 | Ullasamga Utsahamga | Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer[13] |
| 2010 | Darling | |
| 2012 | Endhukante Premanta | Simultaneously shot in Tamil as Yen Endral Kadhal Enben[2] |
| 2014 | Chinnadana Nee Kosam | |
| 2018 | Tej I Love You |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Interview with Karunakaran, Jeevi(12 July 2001).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tale of triumph, Manigandan, K.R.(28 April 2012).
- ↑ "Vaasu" completes 19 Years: Venkatesh's fans reminisce the musical masterpiece(10 April 2021).
- ↑ Johnny sinks, but Pawan Kalyan remains afloat, Vijayalaxmi(15 May 2003).
- ↑ Baalu ABCDEFG. Sify(10 January 2005).
- ↑ Bunny boy is now his own man - Kannada News. IndiaGlitz.com(2006-02-28). Retrieved 2021-05-23.
- ↑ Ullasanga Utsahanga is a good watch
- ↑ Darling Review. Times of india. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
- ↑ New kid on the block. The Hindu(16 April 2012).
- ↑ Endukante Premanta Alternate review. idlebrain.com. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ↑ Review : Chinnadana Nee Kosam- Routine but Entertaining(26 December 2014).
- ↑ Tej I Love You Movie Review {2/5}: Dull and predictable. The Times of India.
- ↑ Nandi awards 2008 announced - Telugu cinema news. www.idlebrain.com. Retrieved 2018-12-15.