Praveen Gandhi

Praveen Gandhi Biography

Praveen Gandhi is a known film director associated with Tamil cinema. Well-known film producer K. T. Kunjumon gave him the first break in the film industry. Ratchagan (1997) was his debut flick, which marked Tamil debut of former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. The high budget movie flopped at box office, though songs composed by A. R. Rahman became instant chartbusters. Jodi in 1999, Star in 2001, Thullal in 2007 and Pulipaarvai in 2014 are his other directorial works. He also worked as an actor and editor in many of his films, apart from handling the roles of art director, lyricist etc.

Praveen Gandhi’s real name is Devaraj Gandhi, and he is also known by the name, Praveenkanth. He was very young when T. Kunjumon gave him the opportunity to direct Ratchagan in 1997. The movie had a lot of speculations because of the presence of Sushmita Sen in the movie, who have brought Miss Universe crown to India just a couple of years back. The songs filmed on her and Nagarjuna, such as Soniya and Chandiranai Thottathu Yaar were instant chartbusters. But the success of album couldn’t guarantee the success of the movie. Yet A. R. Rahman became a part of his films like  Jodi in 1999, Star in 2001 etc. Jodi was a commercial success.

His movies are popular for its songs, mostly composed by A. R. Rahman. Though he stayed in Tamil cinema till 2014, he couldn’t get the big success he was waiting for, and he took a break from the industry. Among his films, he played supporting roles in his films like Jodi, Star and Thullal. He marked his debut as an editor, art director, lyricist and music composer with 2014 movie, Pulipaarvai before retiring from films.

Published: January 04, 2020

Updated: January 04, 2020