Lokesh Kanagaraj (/loʊkeɪʃ kənəɡərɑːdʒ/; born 14 March 1986) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Tamil cinema. He started his career with a short film in the 2016 anthology Aviyal, he later directed his first feature film Maanagaram (2017). He created the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) franchise after the commercial success of Kaithi (2019), the franchise's first installment.
Lokesh Kanagaraj | |
|---|---|
 Lokesh in 2020 | |
| Born | 14 March 1986 Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | PSG College of Arts and Science |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | Lokesh Cinematic Universe (2019–present) |
| Children | 2 |
Early and personal life
Lokesh Kanagaraj was born on 14 March 1986 in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India to a Tamil family. In PSG College of Arts and Science, he majored in Fashion Technology before pursuing an MBA. He did his schooling in Vivek Vidhyalaya Matric Hr. Sec. School Kinathukadavu. He is an ex-bank employee. He pursued his passion towards film making by participating in a corporate short film competition. The judge of the competition was Karthik Subbaraj. Impressed with his short film, he encouraged Lokesh to pursue a directorial career making films.
Lokesh married his longtime partner Aishwarya on 8 January 2012. They have two daughters.
Career
Lokesh made his directorial debut with the short film, Acham Thavir (2012), which won awards for Best Director, Best Film and Best Actor at the Clubace short film festival. In 2016, his short film Kalam was included in the anthology film Aviyal, produced by Karthik Subbaraj. He directed his first feature film, Maanagaram, in 2017, followed by the 2019 action thriller Kaithi produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, with Karthi in the lead role.
Lokesh's next film, Master, released in January 2021 and starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing Indian film of that year.
In 2022, Lokesh directed Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film’s success, along with the establishment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), elevated his reputation in the industry, leading to another collaboration with Vijay on Leo (2023). It became one of the highest grossing Indian films by earning over ₹600 crore (US$71 million) worldwide and served as the third installment in the LCU franchise.
In June 2023, Lokesh announced to conclude his directing career after completing 10 films. Later that year, in December, Lokesh announced a short film within the LCU, titled Chapter Zero, as a prequel to Kaithi 2. Lokesh Kanagaraj and Shruti Haasan come together for a musical project titled Inimel (2024).
Following the release of Leo, Lokesh announced he would be directing the 171st film of Rajinikanth, Coolie (2025), produced by Sun Pictures and with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It marked Lokesh’s first collaboration with Rajinikanth and was conceived as a standalone film separate from the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). It released worldwide on 14 August 2025 to mixed reviews from both critics and audience alike, with significant box-office collections reported across India and overseas markets.
On 14 January 2026, coinciding with Sankranthi and Pongal, Lokesh announced he would be directing the 23rd film of Allu Arjun, produced by Mythri Movie Makers and with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.
G Squad
In November 2023, Lokesh launched his production company, G Squad, and unveiled his first production, Fight Club, directed by Vijay Kumar. On 14 April 2024 coinciding with Puthandu, Lokesh announced his production venture, Benz, directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan and starring Raghava Lawrence in the lead. He has also written the story for the film. On 30 October 2024, Benz was confirmed to be a part of the LCU. A few weeks later, Lokesh announced Mr Bhaarath, an upcoming Tamil-language romantic comedy, on 18 December 2024, to be produced under his G Squad banner. On 12 December 2025, Rathna Kumar’s fourth directorial venture, 29, was announced as a co-production by Lokesh and Karthik Subbaraj under the banners G Squad and Stone Bench.
Filmmaking style
Lokesh's films are primarily in the action genre. He has likened himself to John Woo, who is also known mainly for directing such films. Despite this, Lokesh has expressed interest in exploring other genres such as fantasy and comedy. He has cited action films from the 1980s and 1990s as influences on his films, and has named Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino as some of his favourite directors due to their filmmaking styles. Rathna Kumar, who worked with Lokesh on Master, Vikram, and Leo, mentioned that his penchant for retro songs, violence, and hyperlink narratives in his films comes from his admiration for Tarantino. Though Lokesh's films are sometimes criticised for glorifying bloodshed and violence, he admitted that while he does try to romanticise violence, he has always had to tone down such sequences in his films to appeal to family audiences. He made an exception with Coolie; saying he made no compromises on the film's violent content, and it subsequently became his first film to receive an A (adults only) certificate. To make his stunt sequences believable, Lokesh avoids using ropes, and believes this limitation makes the sequences look brutal and raw.
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 2016 | Aviyal | Yes | No | Yes | Anthology film; Segment: Kalam |
| 2017 | Maanagaram | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | Kaithi | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2021 | Master | Yes | No | Yes | Cameo |
| 2022 | Vikram | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | Michael | No | Presenter | No | Telugu film presenter for the Tamil-dubbed version |
| Leo | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| Fight Club | No | Presenter | No | ||
| 2025 | Coolie | Yes | No | Yes | |
| TBA | Benz † | No | Yes | Yes | Uncredited as screenplay writer |
| TBA | 29 † | No | Yes | No | |
| TBA | Mr. Bhaarath † | No | Yes | No | |
| TBA | AA23 † | Yes | No | Yes | Telugu-language debut |
As actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Master | Prisoner | Cameo | |
| 2024 | Singapore Saloon | Himself | ||
| 2026 | Jana Nayagan † | TBA | ||
| DC † | Devadas | Debut as lead; Filming |
Music video
| Year | Title | Singer(s) | Lyrics | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Inimel" | Shruti Haasan | Kamal Haasan |
Television
| Year | Title | Writer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Vella Raja | Story |
Recurring collaborations
Editor Philomin Raj and art director Sathees Kumar has worked on all films. The duo Anbariv have worked on five films. Anirudh has worked on four films. Rathna Kumar, Arjun Das, Arun Alexander and Dheena have worked on three films. Only people who have worked in three or more films are listed. This list only concerns Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial films.
| Film | Philomin Raj | Sathees Kumar | Anbariv | Arjun Das | Arun Alexander | Anirudh Ravichander | Dheena | Rathna Kumar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maanagaram (2017) |  | | | | ||||
| Kaithi (2019) | | | | | | | ||
| Master (2021) | | | | | | | | |
| Vikram (2022) | | | | Cameo | | Cameo | | |
| Leo (2023) | | | | | | |||
| Coolie (2025) | | | | | Uncredited |
Accolades
| Ceremony | Award Name | Movie | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Vijay Awards | Best Debut Director | Maanagaram | Won | |
| Zee Cine Awards Tamil - 2020 | Favourite Director | Kaithi | Won | |
| 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director | Master | Won | |
| South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director | Vikram | Won |