M. Sasikumar

Some Lesser Known Facts About M. Sasikumar

• M. Sasikumar is an Indian actor, film director, film producer, and singer, who is primarily known for his contribution to the Tamil film industry. He rose to fame by playing the role of Paraman in the Tamil-language period action film Subramaniapuram (2008).

• Sasikumar grew up in a middle-class family in Puthuthamaraipetti, Madurai, Tamil Nadu. His grandparents were farmers.

  

• Following his graduation, Sasikumar was introduced to Bala (film director) by his uncle Kandasaamy who was the producer of the film Sethu.

• In 1999, he worked as an assistant director under Bala in the Tamil film Sethu. He also played a forgettable role in the film. While working as an assistant director on the set of Sethu, Sasikumar came in contact with Ameer, who was also working as an assistant director on the project.

  

• Subsequently, M. Sasikumar worked as an assistant director to Ameer in his Tamil films Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002) and Raam (2005) and learned the minutes of direction.

• Next, he started working as an assistant director in Ameer’s Tamil film Paruthi Veeran (2007). Meanwhile, he also began the preliminaries of his directorial debut film. He quit the film Paruthi Veeran (2007) midway to focus on his own project.

• He made his debut with the low-budget film Subramaniapuram (2008) and received wide critical acclaim for his acting and direction. Sasikumar was also the producer of the film. The film was shot within 85 days at various locations like Madurai, Tiruppur, and Coimbatore. Co-starring Jai, Swathi, and Ganja Karuppu in pivotal roles, the film resurrected Madurai from the 1980s. Despite a low budget, the film was a commercial success. The film earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Director, and he also won a nomination for the Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor.

  

• Following the success of the film, Sasikumar starred in the Tamil-language action drama Naadodigal (2009) as Karunakaran Natraj. The film revolves around a group of four men and two women who enjoy the most of their lives and has set a goal in their lives to achieve. Sasikumar delivered a stellar performance in the film and received critical acclaim. The film earned him a nomination at the Vijay Awards for Favorite Hero.

• In 2009, he produced the Tamil film Pasanga, which was a huge hit. The film won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil and Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film.

• In 2010, he directed the Tamil film Easan.

• In the same year, Sasikumar, along with Samuthirakani and Pandiraj, lent his voice to the Tamil song Suvadu Suvadu from the film Vamsam. Later, he sang the song Vidiya Potri from the Tamil film Poraali (2011).

• A year later, he played the role of Ilankumaran in the Tamil action thriller film Poraali. The film revolves around the story of a quick-witted fighter and how he takes on a large, greedy group. It was dubbed in Telugu as Sangharshana and remade in Kannada as Yaare Koogadali.

• In 2012, he appeared in Johny Antony’s Malayalam film Masters as Milan Paul. The film received positive critical reviews and was a commercial success.

• His Tamil films Kutti Puli (2013), Appa (2016) and Balle Vellaiya Thevaa (2016) performed well at the box office.

• In 2014, he appeared in the Tamil film Bramman as Siva. The film is a tale of two friends who got separated in childhood and are very passionate about cinema. It performed average at the box office.

• Subsequently, Sasikumar played the lead role in the Tamil action drama Kodiveeran.

• Some of his other popular Tamil films include Petta (2019), Enai Noki Paayum Thota (2019), and Naadodigal 2 (2019).

  

• In 2023, he played the role of Abdul Malik, a Muslim man who helps a Hindu family from north India in their tough times, in the Tamil drama film Ayothi. Released on 3 March 2023, the film received positive reviews from critics and the audience. Later, the film was also released on the OTT platform ZEE5.

• Some of his production ventures include Poraali (2011), Sundarapandian (2012), Thalaimuraigal (2013), Appa (2016), Kidaari (2016), Balle Vellaiyathevaa (2016), and Kodiveeran (2017).

• In his spare time, Sasikumar loves to read books.

• Sasikumar released a promotional video for the film Subramaniapuram prior to the release of the film. Despite the promotional video being a huge hit, Sasikumar decided not to use the video in the film, not even in the film credits. In an interview, when asked about the reason for the same, Sasikumar replied,
  

  Stars do not make a movie, they only bring the audience to the theatre. Once inside the hall, it is the script and the director’s skill that holds the audience’s attention.”

• In an interview, Sasikumar shared that he mostly worked with rural projects as they helped him to stay attached to his roots. He said,
  

  I come from a family of farmers. Even though I chose to be a filmmaker and then an actor, deep down there’s a farmer in me still alive. The only way I stay connected with my roots is through my films.”