S. P. Jananathan

S.P. Jananathan
Born7 May 1959[1][2]
Died14 March 2021(2021-03-14) (aged 61)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s)Film director, producer
Years active2003–2021

S. P. Jananathan (7 May 1959 – 14 March 2021) was an Indian film director, who worked in Tamil cinema.

Early life

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Jananathan worked as an assistant to directors like B. Lenin, Bharathan, Vincent Selva and Keyaar.[3][4] He was a treasurer of the Tamil Film Directors’ Union.[5] He produced Purampokku in collaboration with UTV Motion Pictures.[6] Apart from directing, he also served as a visual effects director for Dharma and an associate director for Kumbakonam Gopalu, both of which were directed by Keyaar.

Career

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Jananathan's debut film as a director was the romantic drama Iyarkai (2003). Although it failed to deliver expectations in the box office, it went onto win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 2004.[7]

In 2006, he directed the medical thriller film E. His third directorial film, Peraanmai, was an action-adventure film loosely based on the 1972 Russian movie The Dawns Here Are Quiet.[8]

In 2015, Jananathan directed the political thriller Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai, featuring Arya, Shaam, and Vijay Sethupathi. The film also saw the director making his debut as a producer.

His final directorial film was the 2021 film Laabam, in which he collaborated with Vijay Sethupathi for a second time.

Death

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Jananthan died on 14 March 2021 at the age of 61 after being unconscious for two days following a cardiac arrest.[9][10] Prior to his death, he underwent treatment at a private hospital in Chennai and was under ventilator support.[11][12] He was admitted in the ICU on 11 March 2021 by his assistants who found him unstable and unconscious at his residence in Chennai.[13]

His final film, Laabam, was released six months after his death.

Filmography

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As film director and writer

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  • Note: he is credited in all films as S. P. Jhananathan.
Year Film Credited as Notes
Director Story Dialogues
2003 Iyarkai Yes Yes Yes Winner, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
2006 E Yes Yes Yes
2009 Peraanmai Yes Yes Yes
2015 Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai Yes Yes Yes Also producer
Bhooloham No No Yes
2021 Laabam Yes Yes Yes Posthumous release

Other crew positions

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Year Film Role Notes
1998 Dharma Visual effects director

Recurring collaborations

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Only people with 3+ collaborations are listed. Editor N. Ganesh Kumar and art director V. Selvakumar have worked on all of his films.

Films N. Ganesh Kumar V. Selvakumar N. Kalyanakrishnan V. T. Vijayan N. K. Ekambaram
Iyarkai (2003) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
E (2006) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Peraanmai Yes Yes Yes Yes
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (2015) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Laabam (2021) Yes Yes

References

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  1. ^ "TANTIS". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  2. ^ "SP-Jananathan".
  3. ^ "Making an impression with simplicity". The Hindu. 14 December 2009. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  4. ^ Warrier, Shoba (17 October 2006). "MGR films are my reference point". Rediff. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  5. ^ "Donation scheme: Film directors' noble gesture". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
  6. ^ UTV Motion Picture and Binary Pictures to produce 'Purampokku'. Yahoo. 22 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Honour well deserved". The Hindu. 27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 21 November 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  8. ^ https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2009/Oct/19/peraanmai-95790.html
  9. ^ "'Laabam' director SP Jananathan passes away at 61". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  10. ^ Staff Reporter (14 March 2021). "Director S.P. Jananathan passes away". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  11. ^ "National Award winning director SP Jananathan passes away in Chennai". The News Minute. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  12. ^ "'Laabam' director SP Jananathan critical, on ventilator support". The News Minute. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  13. ^ "SP Jananathan, National Award-winning Tamil filmmaker, admitted to ICU after found unconscious at Chennai residence". Firstpost. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
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