Krishnaswamy Bhagyaraj (7 January 1953 – 27 June 2026) was an Indian filmmaker, actor, musician and politician. He worked predominantly in Tamil cinema, while also directing and acting in films in other Indian languages. He wrote and directed more than… Krishnaswamy Bhagyaraj (7 January 1953 – 27 June 2026) was an Indian filmmaker, actor, musician and politician. He worked predominantly in Tamil cinema, while also directing and acting in films in other Indian languages. He wrote and directed more than 25 films and acted in over 75 films, and was regarded as one of the most influential writer-directors in Tamil cinema during the 1980s. He edited the Tamil weekly magazine Bhagya and authored several novels.
Bhagyaraj was born in Vellankoil, near Gobichettipalayam, in 1953. He began working in the Tamil film industry in the mid-1970s as an assistant director under G. Ramakrishnan and Bharathiraja. He began writing scripts and dialogues for films, while also appearing in smaller acting roles. Beginning in the early 1980s, Bhagyaraj started directing films and often appeared in the lead role in the films he directed. He also directed a few remakes of his films in Hindi. He emerged as one of the leading screenwriters and directors in Tamil cinema during the 1980s and early 1990s. In later years, he directed a few films, and also appeared as a supporting actor in several films.
He founded MGR Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam in 1989. He joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam later, before joining the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2005. He was active in politics in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Bhagyaraj received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer for Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979), the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for Mundhanai Mudichu (1983), and the SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
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