K. Bhagyaraja

K Bhagyaraj
Bhagyaraj in April 2014
Born	Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (1953-01-07) 7 January 1953 (age 65) Vellankoil, Gobichettipalayam, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	actor, director, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Praveena (m 1981–1983) (deceased) Poornima Jayaram (m 1984–Present)
Children	Saranya Bhagyaraj (b 1985) Shanthanu Bhagyaraj (b 1986)
Parent(s)	Krishnasaamy Amaravathiyammal

Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter and producer active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Telugu and Hindi films and TV serials. He won a Filmfare Best Actor Award for Mundhanai Mudichu (1983). He is the editor of weekly magazine Bhagya and has also written several novels.

Bhagyaraj was born in Vellankovil near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district in Tamil Nadu. His parents were Krishnaswamy and Amaravathiamma. He married twice. His first marriage was with actress Praveena, in 1981. She died due to an aggravated case of jaundice in August 1983. His second marriage was with actress Poornima Jayaram on 7 February 1984. She was his co-star in Darling Darling Darling (1983). The couple has a daughter Saranya Bhagyaraj and a son Shanthnu Bhagyaraj.

Beginning his career as an assistant to directors G. Ramakrishnan and Bharathiraja, Bhagyaraj became recognised for his scriptwriting talent. He first appeared as a junior artist playing small supporting roles with screen-space of not more than three minutes in films such as Pathinaru Vayathinile and later appeared similarly in Sigappu Rojakkal (1978). He was assistant director to Bharatiraja in two films – 16 Vayathnile and Kizhake Pogum Rail. Among his early work was writing the script for Bharathiraja's films Kizhake Pogum Rail (1978) and Tik Tik Tik (1981), and writing dialogues for Sigappu Rojakkal. He made his directorial début with Suvarillatha Chiththirangal in 1979 and also his début as the leading man in Puthiya Vaarpugal in 1979, directed by Bharatiraja. He received the Best Dialogues Award for Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979). Kanni Paruvathile, a film for which he wrote dialogues and screenplay and acted in a negative role, was a huge success. Though he had not achieved success as a director till 1979, he was motivated with success as the hero with Puthiya Vaarpugal, a negative role, and as a writer of story and dialogues for Kanni Paruvathile and decided to write, direct and act for Oru Kai Oosai, which, though not a huge success, gave him his first Best Actor Award.