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Nelson Dilipkumar (/nɛlsən ðɪliːpkumɑːr/ born 21 June 1984) is an Indian director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He started his career with a feature film in 2010 with Vettai Mannan, starring Silambarasan. However, it was shelved due to various reasons. He later directed Kolamaavu Kokila (2018), making his debut in the industry. He directed Doctor (2021) featuring Sivakarthikeyan, which emerged a commercial success during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by Beast (2022), with Vijay in the lead role, which emerged as one of the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2022. He then worked on Jailer (2023), which became his most successful film; it became one of the highest-grossing Indian film, earning over ₹600 crore (US$72 million) worldwide, collaborating with Rajinikanth. He is one of the highest paid director in India.
Nelson Dilipkumar | |
|---|---|
 Nelson at the Jailer (2023) Audio Launch | |
| Born | June 21, 1984 Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | The New College, Chennai |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
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Nelson holds a degree in visual communication from New College, Chennai. He started his career as an assistant script-writer in Star Vijay.[1] Nelson's father died in November 2018.[2]
Nelson started his work on what was originally intended to have been his directorial debut, Vettai Mannan, in 2010. The film would have starred Silambarasan, Jai, Hansika Motwani and Deeksha Seth; would have been produced by NIC Arts's S. S. Chakravarthy; and would have featured music by Yuvan Shankar Raja. However, the film was shelved for unknown reasons halfway through production.[3][4] There was an attempt to revive the project in 2017 with a new crew, such as Anirudh Ravichander replacing Yuvan Shankar Raja as the composer.[5] However, the project failed to take off again.
Composer Anirudh Ravichander helped Nelson make his actual debut feature film as writer-director,[6] the dark comedy Kolamaavu Kokila, starring Nayanthara in the lead role. The film, produced by Lyca Productions, released on 17 August 2018 and became a commercial success.[7][8][9]
His next film was Doctor, starring Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role opposite Priyanka Arul Mohan. The film became one of the biggest Tamil-language blockbusters among films that released theatrically after the pandemic-induced lockdowns.[10][11]
In November 2020, Anirudh introduced Nelson to actor Vijay,[12][13] who was impressed with Nelson's script for Beast. The film, an action-comedy thriller and Vijay's 65th film,[14][15] also starring Pooja Hegde,[16] was released on 13 April 2022 as a pan-Indian film dubbed in the Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam languages.[17][18] Despite getting mixed reviews from critics, the film became a box office success, collecting ₹300 crore at the worldwide box office.[19][20][21] Beast was screened at the Rome International Film Festival, Veneto International Film Festival, Italy and Eastern Europe Film Festival.[22][23][24]
Nelson's next film was the 169th film of Rajinikanth, which was tentatively titled as Thalaivar 169.[25] On 17 June 2022, the title was announced to be Jailer.[26] Rajinikanth played the role of a jailer in the film.[27] It was released on 10 August 2023 to generally positive reviews from both the critics and audience, alike. The performances of the cast (especially Rajinikanth's), direction, music, cinematography, editing, and action sequences were highly praised.[28][29] Nelson was also praised by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin for his direction.[30] It was deemed as a huge commercial comeback for both Rajinikanth and Nelson, and had a huge opening weekend.
Owing to his films success, he confirmed Kolamaavu Kokila, Doctor, Beast and Jailer would have sequels.[31]
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Nelson's films contain dark humour.[32][33] The supporting characters in his films are often singled out for their eccentricity, relying on body language and dialogue delivery to produce humour. Nelson also tends to use double act comedy extensively, such as Bobi and Tony in Kolamaavu Kokila; Mahaali and Kili in Doctor and Jack and Jill in Beast. Visually, Nelson's filmography can be identified through steady camera shots, blocked shots and headspace, rarely opting for zoom shots.[citation needed] His films also feature slow table conversations between characters, with the camera focused on the conversing character and alternates to the next conversing character.[citation needed] Nelson has cited C. V. Sridhar, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino as his favorite directors.[citation needed] Critics have also noted Breaking Bad references in his work.[34] Nelson has stated in interviews that although his stories may not be original ideas, he has the intention of presenting them in a new format, thus breaking clichés.[citation needed]
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As a director
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† |
Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Years | Film | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Kolamaavu Kokila | [35] | |
| 2021 | Doctor | [36] | |
| 2022 | Beast | Guest appearance in the song "Jolly O Gymkhana" | [37] |
| 2023 | Jailer | [38] |
As a producer
| Years | Film | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bloody Beggar | Production debut (Producer Only); Diwali Release on 31 October | |
Recurring collaborations
Editor R. Nirmal and music composer Anirudh Ravichander have worked in four films of Nelson Dilipkumar. Actors Yogi Babu and Redin Kingsley have also worked on four films. Sivakarthikeyan has written lyrics for three movies and has acted in one movie. Only people with three or more collaborations are listed.
| Films | R. Nirmal | Anirudh Ravichander | Yogi Babu | Sivakarthikeyan | Redin Kingsley[39] | D. R. K. Kiran | Sunil Reddy | Jani Master | VTV Ganesh | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolamaavu Kokila (2018) |  | | | as lyricist | |
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| Doctor (2021) | | | | | | | | |
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| Beast (2022) | | | | as lyricist | | | | | | |||
| Jailer (2023) | |
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| Year | Film | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kolamaavu Kokila | 8th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debut Director | Won |
| Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| 2023 | Jailer | 12th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director | Won |
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