Lokesh Kanagaraj is an Indian film director who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He began his career in cinema by directing one of the four segments in the anthology film Aviyal (2016). Over time , Lokesh has carved a niche for himself in Indian cinema through a string of extremely successful action and crime thrillers including Maanagaram (2017), Kaithi (2019), Master (2021) , Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023). Lokesh's films are oriented around the hyperlink crime cinema subgenre where most of the story takes place during nighttime, with Lokesh citing Quentin Tarantino as a major inspiration for his style of filmmaking. His films are known for depicting the dark underbelly of metropolitan cities through multiple grey characters, with the nexus between the police force and organized crime syndicates being a key feature. Lokesh is also credited with the creation of LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe) where his films Kaithi (2019), Vikram (2022), and Leo (2023) share interrelated subplots, themes and characters.

Lokesh Kanagaraj

Lokesh Kanagaraj

Directing Born March 14, 1986 Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Lokesh Kanagaraj is an Indian film director who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He began his career in cinema by directing one of the four segments in the anthology film Aviyal (2016). Over time , Lokesh has carved a niche for himself in Indian cinema through a string of extremely successful action and crime thrillers including Maanagaram (2017), Kaithi (2019), Master (2021) , Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023). Lokesh's films are oriented around the hyperlink crime cinema subgenre where most of the story takes place during nighttime, with Lokesh citing Quentin Tarantino as a major inspiration for his style of filmmaking. His films are known for depicting the dark underbelly of metropolitan cities through multiple grey characters, with the nexus between the police force and organized crime syndicates being a key feature. Lokesh is also credited with the creation of LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe) where his films Kaithi (2019), Vikram (2022), and Leo (2023) share interrelated subplots, themes and characters.

Known For

Jana Nayagan poster

Jana Nayagan

TV Reporter
DC poster

DC

Devadas
Kattalan poster

Kattalan

Leo Cabral
DC Rave - A Musical Festival poster

DC Rave - A Musical Festival

Lokesh Kanagaraj
Master poster

Master

Prisoner
Singapore Saloon poster

Singapore Saloon

Reality Show Special Guest
Sindhanai Sei poster

Sindhanai Sei

Self (uncredited)