S. Shankar Net Worth: A director with multiple highest-grossing movies in his name

S. Shankar is one of the notable and respected directors of South Indian cinema, also counted as one of the best in the industry. His noteworthy works include Robot, Sivaji, Anniyan, I, and many others. Although Shankar wanted to become an actor, after his talent as a director was discovered by director S. A. Chandrasekhar, he decided to give direction a chance and never looked back. Shankar is especially popular for focusing on contemporary social issues through his movies. This article presents interesting details such as S. Shankar age, personal life, popular movies, awards and achievements, and much more about the actor.

S. Shankar Net Worth 2023

S. Shankar Personal Biography

S. Shankar was born on 17 August 1963 in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu to Muthulakshmi and Shanmugam. He holds a diploma in mechanical engineering from Central Polytechnic College. After completing graduation, Shankar worked in a typewriting company but left to pursue his career in acting.

Shankar is married to Easwari Shankar and they have three children together. Their daughter Aditi Shankar is an actress and playback singer known for her works mainly in Tamil movies.

S. Shankar Career Highlights

Early Career- Acting, Direction & Production

Shankar made his debut in the film industry as an actor in 1986 appearing in small uncredited roles in movies. After director Chandrasekhar saw a drama stage show made by Shankar and his team, he offered Shankar to join him as a screenwriter. Shankar later joined Chandrasekhar as an assistant director and worked with him on movies like “Jai Shiv Shankar”, ‘Nanbargal”, and others. He made his directorial debut in 1993 with the movie  “Gentleman” which turned out to be a superhit.

Shankar’s next big work came with the film “Indian” starring Kamal Haasan that was released in 1996. The movie was a hit and also got submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1998, he released the movie “Jeans” which was the most expensive Indian movie at the time and also became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the 1990s. In 1999, Shankar made his production debut with the movie “Mudhalvan” which turned out to be a commercial success.

Later Years

In 2001, Shankar made his Bollywood debut with the movie “Nayak” which was a remake of his superhit film Mudhalvan. Despite being a remake of a hit movie, Nayak did not perform well at the box office. Shankar’s psychological thriller “Anniyan”, based on dissociative identity disorder, was released in 2005 and became the second highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. He later teamed up with Rajinikanth for the movie “Sivaji”, which was the most expensive Indian film at that time. Shankar received a record salary for the film and it became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of that time.

In 2010, Shankar decided to work on his old project titled “Robot” which was stalled due to the busy schedule of Kamal Haasan. Shankar decided to work with Rajinikanth in this movie after they worked together in Sivaji. Robot (titled Enthiran in Tamil),  made on a budget of Rs.1.32 billion became the most expensive Indian film and one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the time. Shankar’s yet another hit came with his next film “I” which earned Rs. 184 crore worldwide. His next big movie was “2.0”, a sequel to Enthiran, which despite receiving mixed reviews became the seventh highest-grossing Indian film worldwide. Shankar is currently busy with the filming of another sequel, “Indian 2”, that is set to release later in 2023. Shankar has also announced his big project in collaboration with the popular Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh.

Richest south Indian actors

Richest Directors in the World

Popular Movies with S. Shankar

Check out the complete list of movies that S. Shankar has directed or acted in:

As an actor:

• Vesham (1985)
• Poovum Puyalum (1986)
• Vasantha Raagam (1986)
• Seetha (1990)
• Kadhalan (1994)
• Indian (1996)
• Kadhal Virus (2002)
• Sivaji: The Boss (2007)
• Enthiran (2010)
• Nanban (2012)

As a director & writer

• Gentleman (1993)
• Kadhalan (1994)
• Indian (1996)
• Jeans (1998)
• Mudhalvan (1999)
• Nayak (2001)
• Boys (2003)  
• Anniyan (2005)
• Sivaji: The Boss (2007)
• Enthiran (2010)
• Nanban (2012)
• I (2015)
• 2.0 (2018)
• Indian 2 (2023)

As a producer

• Mudhalvan (1999)
• Kaadhal (2004)
• Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi (2006)
• Veyil (2006)
• Kalloori (2007)
• Arai Enn 305-il Kadavul (2008)
• Eeram (2009)
• Rettaisuzhi (2010)
• Anandhapurathu Veedu (2010)
• Kappal (2014)

Awards won by S. Shankar

Here’s a list of awards won by S. Shankar:

National Film Award

• 2006 Best Feature Film in Tamil for Veyil

Filmfare Awards South

• 1993 Best Director for Gentleman  
• 1994 Best Director for Kadhalan
• 2005 Best Director for Anniyan
• 2006 Best Film – Tamil for Veyil

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

• 1993 Best Director for Gentleman
• 1996 Best Film (First prize) for Indian      
• 2005 Best Film (Second prize) for Anniyan
• 2005 Best Director for Anniyan
• 2006 Best Film (First prize) for Veyil
• 2007 Best Film (First prize) for Sivaji: The Boss

Vijay Awards

• 2010 Favourite Director for Enthiran: The Robot
• 2013 Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema

S. Shankar on Social Media

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