Agathiyan


Agathiyan is an Indian film director. He is credited to be the first director of Tamil cinema to win the National Film Award for Best Direction. He was also awarded National Film Award for Best Screenplay in 1996 for the Tamil film Kadhal Kottai.

Personal life

He married Radha in 1978. His elder daughter Karthika, host of Makkal TV, is married to Thiru, director of Theeratha Vilaiyattu Pillai and Samar.
His second daughter Vijayalakshmi Agathiyan made her acting debut in the Tamil film Chennai 600028 is married to Feroz, director of Pandigai movie. His younger daughter Niranjani Ahathian is a costume designer who worked in Kabali and Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal.

Career

Ahahtian, a director in his late forties entered films a decade back and struggled as an assistant to various directors. Hailing from a agriculturist family, he spent a happy-go-lucky time in college, and when he decided to pack his bags and come to Chennai to try his luck in films as a director, he lost his family's support. Struggling with no money, he did odd jobs in film companies and became an assistant to anyone who offered him food and shelter.
He initially directed movie in 1991 and was credited as Ravi Thasan but it was an utter flop movie. Anbalaya Prabhakaran, who acted in that movie and also produces small budgeted films with new directors, gave Ahahtian his second break as a director with Madhumathi, a teenage love story with new faces. The film was a big hit. He was back to where he started, but again fate had bigger things in store for him. Sivasakthi Pandian, a film distributor turned producer, produced Vaanmathi with Ajith and Swathi. The film was a hit. Next came Kadhal Kottai from the same banner and Ahahtian became the toast of the industry. Offers poured in for films.
In late 2014, he began work on an untitled project produced by Bharathiraja featuring Santhosh Prathap, Oviya, Vijayalakshmi and Manoj Bharathiraja in the lead roles, but the film was later shelved.
He have served as jury member at 57th National Film Awards.

Filmography

Awards

;National Film Awards
;Filmfare Awards South
;Tamil Nadu State Film Awards