Nithilan Saminathan

Nithilan Saminathan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Tamil film industry. He is known for his debut film, Kurangu Bommai and Maharaja, one of the highest grossing Tamil films of 2024.

Early life Nithilan was born as Santhamurthy Swaminathan. When he was in class 12, he read an article written by Vairamuthu, discussing the lyrics of the song "Andhimzhai Pozhigiradhu" which had the word "Nithilam" in it. When Kamal Haasan supposedly suggested an alternative, Vairamuthu insisted on keeping the word as Kannadasan had already used it. Nithilan was inspired by this and chose to set his name as "Nithilan Swaminathan" for his film career.

Nithilan initially aspired to join the military like his relatives, but his love for films and poetry gradually steered him towards filmmaking. He graduated with a degree in Visual Communication. Punnagai Vaanginaal Kanneer Elavasam, his final round entry, made him the top prize of season 3.

Nithilan made his directorial debut with the film Kurangu Bommai in 2017. It was appreciated for its storytelling and direction. After a seven-year hiatus, Nithilan's sophomore film, Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi, was released in 2024.