K. E. Gnanavel Raja

Biography:

Since he was a young child, Gnanavel Raja has been pursuing his dream of becoming a film producer. He said that while attending St. Bede’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai, he frequently skipped classes to attend movie showings at the neighbouring Devi or Sathyam cinema halls. Although Gnanavel Raja has frequently been identified in the media as the cousin of Sivakumar’s sons Suriya and Karthi, he is also distantly linked to the family of the actor Sivakumar.
He started the industry by producing Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006), which starred Suriya in the lead role, after which he worked primarily with the actor and his brother Karthi as a producer or distributor for several of their films till 2012. Paruthiveeran (2007), Singam (2010), and Naan Mahaan Alla (2010) are only a few of the studio’s successful films. Telugu-language viewers were also introduced to the two actors through the films’ Andhra Pradesh dubbed releases. Attakathi (2012) marked his first success as a distributor for the films of another actor, while Kumki (2012) and Soodhu Kavvum (2013) marked his next two successes.
Alex Pandian (2013) and All in All Azhagu Raja (2013) suffered slight setbacks in terms of box office performance, while Gnanavel Raja enjoyed success with low-budget productions like Pa. Ranjith’s Madras (2014), Indru Netru Naalai (2015), and Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum (2016). Additionally, the distribution agreements negotiated for the films Trisha Illana Nayanthara (2015), 36 Vayathinile (2015), and O Kadhal Kanmani (2015) all turned out to be successful. Other setbacks included the release agreement for Uttama Villain (2015) and during the screening of Komban (2015), where protesters alleged that the plot involved animosity between various caste groups and could, therefore, spark violence in Tamil Nadu’s southern districts.
Gnanavel Raja got into several fights with other filmmakers in 2016, which helped to increase his profile as a person in the industry. He briefly went on a hunger strike in May 2016 as a form of protest against the negative impacts of piracy on his most recent film, 24 (2016). The following month, he demanded a ban on Karthik Subbaraj’s upcoming films, citing the fact that the filmmaker had gone over budget for Iraivi (2016) and that the movie had portrayed producers negatively. He later criticised actor Sivakarthikeyan for breaking his acting contract with Studio Green.
Gnanavel Raja lambasted the current Tamil Film Producers Council at the beginning of 2017 for failing to sufficiently combat piracy before being elected as the board’s Secretary. Seven months later, he announced his resignation to run for president of the Chennai Kanchipuram Thiruvallur District Film Distributors Association, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. He impliedly lambasted the actors Silambarasan, Trisha, and Vadivelu for making life tough for movie producers during a press conference in late 2017.

He later founded Aadnah Arts and Blue Ghost Pictures alongside Studio Green, which will produce two horror films in 2018.