Vinayan

T. G. Vinayakumar, professionally credited as Vinayan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and lyricist, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. He has directed 40 Malayalam films and 4 Tamil films.

Career Vinayan started his career with the film Super Star, and he has directed the following films like Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, Karumadikkuttan, Oomappenninu Uriyadappayyan, Dada Sahib, Vellinakshatram, Aakasha Ganga, Rakshasa Rajavu, Kalyana Sougandhikam, Kasi, En Mana Vaanil, Independence, Sathyam, Albhutha Dweep, Athishayan, Dracula 2012 and Sipayi Lahala. The genres of his films include comedy, horror, action, fantasy and family drama.

Vinayan also introduced a handful of actors and singers in the Malayalam film industry. Jayasurya, Indrajith Sukumaran, Anoop Menon, Honey Rose, Priyamani, Manikkuttan, Suresh Krishna, Meghana Raj, Lakshmi Menon, Sithara (singer), Sudeep kumar (singer) etc. are some of the actors and singers Vinayan has introduced in Malayalam. He also introduced Telugu actor Sharwanand into Tamil cinema through the 2009 film Naalai Namadhe.

In 2005, Vinayan wrote and directed the film Albhuthadweep (Wonder Island) which cast around 300 dwarfs for the first time in a film. The two-foot-high hero of the film, Ajayan, was written in the Guinness Book of Records and Vinayan himself was listed in India's Limca Book of Records. The film garnered the FilmFare and the Cinema Express awards, and was successfully remade in 2007 in the Tamil language by Vinayan himself.

Vinayan has also remade a few of his films into Tamil. He is also a script writer and lyricist. He directed a Malayalam television serial Iniyonnu Visramikkatte before making movies.

Vinayan was the first general secretary of MACTA Federation, which was the first trade union in Malayalam cinema for workers and technicians. He has also launched a co-operative society (with the assistance of the Government of Kerala) for the benefit of film workers. Vinayan is also the Advisory Member of the Cine Workers Welfare Board, sponsored by the Government of India.

In 2008, when actor Dileep violated an agreement and was called out by the MACTA Federation, the actors’ association—backed by superstars and supported by producers and directors—retaliated by splitting the federation and banning its general secretary, Vinayan, for daring to challenge their nexus. Challenging the ban, Vinayan took the matter to the Supreme Court, which in 2020 ruled in his favor—lifting the ban and imposing fines on the president of the actors’ association, Innocent, as well as key FEFKA leaders like Sibi Malayil and B. Unnikrishnan. It was after these events that Vinayan went on to direct Pathonpathaam Noottandu, a big-budget historical film that sparked widespread discussion in Kerala and emerged as a box office success.

Filmography

As director

Television serials Iniyonnu Visramikkatte (Doordarshan)

As producer Aakasha Ganga (1999) Raghuvinte Swantham Rasiya (2011) Dracula 2012 (2013) Aakasha Ganga 2 (2019)

As lyricist Karumadikuttan (2001) Rakshasarajavu (2001) Boyy Friennd (2001) Kaattuchembakam (2002) Omappenninu Uriyadapayyan (2002) Sathyam (2004) Albhuthadweep (2005) Athisayan (2007) Yakshiyum Njanum (2010) Dracula 3D (2013)

As actor Meenamasathile Sooryan (1986) - Madhavan Alilakkuruvikal (1989) Mollywood Times (2026) - Cameo as himself

Accolades