Vikram Sugumaran

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vikram Sugumaran

• Vikram Sugumaran grew up in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India.

• He developed an interest in acting at a young age and relocated from Paramakudi to Chennai to pursue his passion.

• Vikram entered the film industry as an assistant to renowned Sri Lankan cinematographer and director Balu Mahendra.

  

• Sugumaran worked with Balu Mahendra on about 56 short films between 1999 and 2000. He also contributed to various films, including ‘Julie Ganapathi’ (2003).

  

• Over time, Vikram shifted his focus to writing and directing, discovering his true passion behind the camera.

  

• Vikram wrote the dialogues for the action drama film ‘Aadukalam’ (2011), which starred Dhanush and Taapsee Pannu as protagonists.

  

• He made his directorial debut with the film ‘Madha Yaanai Koottam’ (2013), which became a sleeper hit at the box office. The film was also dubbed in Hindi under the title ‘Ravanpur.’

• Vikram made a directorial comeback after a decade with ‘Raavana Kottam,’ which released in 2023 and starred Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Anandhi, and Prabhu.

  

• Vikram’s ‘Raavana Kottam’ became a topic of debate in the Tamil film industry for its bold depiction of rural life and sensitive social issues. The film’s focus on caste conflicts, politics, and social divisions in Tamil Nadu sparked strong conversations and differing opinions among audiences and critics.

• In 2024, Vikram shared a post on social media, revealing that a person he had helped become an actor was stopping him from getting new opportunities.

• On 2 June 2025, Vikram died of cardiac arrest. He was returning to Chennai by bus after pitching a script to a producer in Madurai when he experienced severe chest pain. Though he was rushed to the hospital, doctors were unable to revive him.

• Before his death, Vikram had been working on a film titled ‘Thrum Porum,’ which was unfinished at the time.