Nalan Kumarasamy

Nalan Kumarasamy (born 25 October 1980) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as a short filmmaker and won the title of the first season of Naalaya Iyakunar. He made his feature film debut with Tamil film, Soodhu Kavvum.

Early life and education Nalan Kumarasamy did his schooling in Campion High School (Tiruchirappalli), B. E (Mechanical Engineering) in Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering(SVCE), Chennai and M.Tech. in Sastra University, Thanjavur. During his college days he was active in cultural events and participated in IIT Sarang.

Career Nalan Kumarasamy was into event management and real estate when he heard about Naalaya Iyakunar. There were just ten days to the deadline. So he turned it meta and made a short called Oru Padam Edukkanum about a filmmaker with a deadline. He went on to make seven more short films. Nenjukku Neethi, his entry for the final round, made him first prize winner of season 1.

In 2013, he made his debut as a director with the movie Soodhu Kavvum. The film's main concept is about how baloney has engulfed people's day-to-day life and modern society. It features Vijay Sethupathi and Sanchita Shetty in the leads. It was released on 1 May to universal acclaim from critics and became a blockbuster. Soodhu Kavvum was selected for screening in the Zurich Film Festival, being the only Tamil film of 2013 to be screened there.

In 2016 he made a romantic comedy-drama film Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum. It was an official remake of the Korean film My Dear Desperado. The film released in March 2016 with positive reviews from critics and had an average run. He has the Tamil anthology Kutty Story (2021) starring Vijay Sethupathi. The next, Vaa Vaathiyaar is billed as an action-comedy entertainer and marks the first collaboration between Karthi and director Nalan Kumarasamy. Vaa Vaathiyaar is continuing its underwhelming run at the box office after receiving mixed reviews for its story and screenplay following its release on 14 January 2026.

Filmography As director Year Film Notes 2013 Soodhu Kavvum 2015 X: Past Is Present Segment: "Summer Holiday" 2016 Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum 2021 Kutty Story Segment: "Aadal Paadal" 2026 Vaa Vaathiyaar

As writer Year FilmCredited as Notes Writer 2013 2017 Maayavan 2019 Super Deluxe

As actor Year Film Role Notes 2012 Pizza Michael's friend uncredited role 2014 Jigarthanda Aspiring director cameo 2015 Enakkul Oruvan Director 2017 Kattappava Kanom Doctor Rakesh 2020 MamakikiHimself Released on ZEE5

As presenter Uriyadi (2016)

Short films Title Notes Oru Padam Edukunam Nadanthathu Yenna Thurumbilum Iruppan Nenjuku Neethi