Meet Atlee, director of Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan, started work at 19, gave Thalapathy Vijay biggest hit of his career

The Jawan prevue, featuring Shah Rukh Khan in a never-seen-before avatar as a grey-shaded character with glimpses of Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Priyamani, and Sanya Malhotra, has wreaked havoc on the internet. Promising an action-packed adventure, the prevue has blockbuster written all over it. Set to release in cinemas on September 7, Jawan is directed by Atlee. Here's everything you need to know about him, who has a unique connection with 3 Idiots and has helmed three successive blockbusters for Thalapathy Vijay.

Born as Arun Kumar in Madurai in 1986, he moved to Chennai where he completed his schooling and studied visual communications at Sathyabhama University, Chennai. Before starting his film career, Arun Kumar chose the unique name of Atlee. He started working at the age of 19 as an assistant director with Shankar Shanmugam, referred to simply as Shankar, on Rajinikanth-starrer science fiction film Enthiran in 2010. 

Two years later, he again assisted Shankar in his next film called Nanban, which was the official remake of Rajkumar Hirani's directorial 3 Idiots. In Nanban, Thalapathy Vijay, Jiiva, and Srikanth play the three main protagonists, originally essayed by Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, and R. Madhavan in the Hindi film. During its shoot, Atlee developed a strong bond with Vijay and later went on to direct him in three blockbusters.

In 2013, Atlee made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy Raja Rani starring Arya, Jai, Nayanthara, and Nazriya Nazim in the leading roles. It earned widespread critical acclaim and also turned out to be a massive commercial success. The filmmaker then shifted his gears to make an action-thriller called Theri, which featured Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Amy Jackson. The film was a huge box office success earning over Rs 150 crore at the box office worldwide.

Next year, the actor and the filmmaker returned with Mersal in which Vijay starred in a triple role with a huge ensemble cast of Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Hareesh Peradi, Kovai Sarala and Sathyan. The 2017 release grossed more than Rs 250 crore at the global box office. Vijay and Atlee reunited for their third film Bigil in 2019 in which the actor played a double role and Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Vivek, and Kathir were seen in supporting roles. Released on the occasion of Diwali, the sports action film turned out to be the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year earning more than Rs 300 crore worldwide, and also, the biggest blockbuster in Vijay's career.

On the personal front, Atlee married actress Krishna Priya in 2014, and the couple was blessed with a baby boy in January 2023. They named him Meer, which means 'leader'. It is a coincidence that Atlee's son shares his name with Shah Rukh's father Meer Taj Mohammed Khan. Atlee and Priya also own a production house named A for Apple Production and have successfully produced two films under their banner, Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae (2017) and Andhaghaaram (2020).

READ | Jawan prevue: Shah Rukh Khan's villainous avatar, bald look, Deepika Padukone's cameo steal the show in Atlee's actioner