Hari (director) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hari
Hari at the 62nd Filmfare South Awards
Born	Hari Krishnan (1973-12-26) 26 December 1973 (age 51) Katchanavilai Village, Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Film director Screenwriter
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Pritha Hari
Children	3
Family	Vijayakumar family (by marriage)

Harikrishnan, often called Hari, is a talented Indian film director and writer. He makes movies in Tamil cinema, which is the Tamil language film industry in India. He is famous for directing exciting action movies and 'masala' films. Masala films are a mix of different genres like action, comedy, and drama.

Hari started directing movies in 2002 with Thamizh. He has directed many popular films, including Saamy (2003), Kovil (2004), Ayya (2005), Thaamirabharani (2007), Vel (2007), and the Singam film series (2010-2017). Many of his films are set in places like Coimbatore, Dindigul, Tenkasi, and the Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli districts.

Hari's Early Life

Hari was born on December 26, 1973, in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Gopalakrishnan, owned a grocery store. Later, Hari's family moved to Chennai. There, Hari completed his college degree in commerce.

Hari's Film Career

Hari began his journey in filmmaking as an assistant director. He learned a lot by working with several directors. These included Senthilnathan, Jeevabalan, Ameerjan, K. Natraj, Alex Pandian, and Nassar. He also worked with famous director K. Balachander on his film Kalki. Later, he was an associate director with Saran on films like Amarkalam and Parthen Rasithen.

Directorial Debut and Early Success

Hari's first movie as a director was Thamizh in 2002. It starred Prashanth and Simran. Critics noted that the film had strong dialogue. His second film, Saamy, came out in 2003. This movie, starring Vikram, became a huge hit. Its success led to remakes in other languages, including Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi.

He then directed Kovil with Silambarasan and Arul with Vikram. In 2005, Hari directed Ayya, which introduced actress Nayantara to Tamil cinema. He also directed Aaru with actor Suriya that same year.

Popular Films and Collaborations

In 2007, Hari directed two more films: Thaamirabharani with Vishal and Vel with Suriya. In 2008, he directed Seval.

His tenth film, Singam, was released in 2010. This was his third time working with Suriya. Singam was one of the top movies of the year. It was also remade in Hindi, Kannada, and Bengali. After directing Venghai with Dhanush and Tamannaah Bhatia, Hari made a sequel to Singam, called Singam II, in 2013. Suriya played his role again. This sequel was also a big hit.

Hari worked with Vishal again on the film Poojai in 2014. Shruti Haasan was the female lead. In 2017, Hari and Suriya teamed up for the fifth time for Singam 3. In 2018, he directed Saamy Square, which was a sequel to his earlier hit Saamy. This marked his third collaboration with Vikram.

Hari's first movie with his brother-in-law, actor Arun Vijay, was Yaanai, released in 2022. In 2024, he worked with Vishal for their third film together, Rathnam.

Future Projects

Hari has mentioned that his next project with Suriya will be a new story, not another Singam film. In February 2020, it was announced that this movie would be called "Aruvaa". However, Suriya has been busy with other projects, so it is not certain when "Aruvaa" will be made.

Hari's Personal Life

Hari with his wife Preetha Vijayakumar.

Hari is married to Preetha Vijayakumar, who used to be an actress. Preetha is the daughter of actors Vijayakumar and Manjula. She is also the half-sister of actor Arun Vijay. Hari and Preetha have three sons.

Hari's Filmmaking Style

Hari's movies are usually very fast-paced and full of action. They often belong to the action and masala genres. Because he likes making such films, Hari is sometimes called the "Aruva director." An aruva is a type of sickle, and it often appears in his movies. His films often feature strong main characters, funny side stories, and special song-and-dance numbers.

Hari's Filmography

As Writer and Director

As Lyricist

Frequent Collaborators

Hari often works with the same actors and crew members. Here are some of his frequent collaborators:

Collaborator	Thamizh (2002)	Saamy (2003)	Kovil (2004)	Arul (2004)	Ayya (2005)	Aaru (2005)	Thaamirabharani (2007)	Vel (2007)	Seval (2008)	Singam (2010)	Venghai (2011)	Singam II (2013)	Poojai (2014)	Singam III (2017)	Saamy Square (2018)	Yaanai (2022)	Rathnam (2025)
Suriya
Vadivelu
Vijayakumar															(archival footage)
Nassar
Delhi Ganesh
Manorama
Nizhalgal Ravi
Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran
Thalaivasal Vijay
O. A. K. Sundar
Charle
Singamuthu
Madhan Bob
Imman Annachi
Chaams
Crane Manohar
Devi Sri Prasad
Priyan
V. T. Vijayan