Mysskin | |
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Born |
Shanmugha Raja 20 September 1971 |
Occupation | Film director, actor |
Years active | 2006–present |
Mysskin (Tamil: மிஷ்கின்; born Shanmugha Raja on 20 September 1971) is a South Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, singer and producer. He made his directorial debut in 2006 with Chithiram Pesuthadi. His other directorials Anjathe, Nandalala, and Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum received high critical acclaim. He has also proved his acting skills by starring as a mentally challenged person in Nandalala and as a killer seeking redemption in "Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum".
He chose Mysskin as his name inspired by Prince Myshkin, the protagonist in Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot. His schooling was in Tamil and he is an avid book reader He was working in a book store when director Kathir first asked him to join him. He was with him for nearly 8 months but did not work in any movie. It was under director Vincent Selva that he did his first movie Youth, followed by Jithan, again under Vincent Selva. Mysskin made his directorial debut with the low -budget film Chithiram Pesuthadi which went to become one of the biggest hits of the year. A simple love story, it became a hit owing to the unique style the film was written in. Narain and Bhavana debuted as leads in the film became popular faces. He then moved on to Anjathe which became one of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil Cinema. The film received critical acclaim for all departments of film making. The film was also noted for its narrative style and mise en scene which marked an example of Tamil new wave cinema. It starred Narain, Prasanna, Vijayalakshmi Ahathian and yesteryears actor Pandiarajan in a never before seen role. Interestingly both the Mysskin films had item songs which became big hits and has captured the hearts of the young and old alike.