Arun Kumar, known professionally as Atlee, is a prominent Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, primarily recognized for his contributions to Tamil and Hindi cinema.
Atlee Kumar Age
Atlee was born on 21 September 1986. As of 2024, he is 38 years old.
Atlee Kumar Biography
| Full Name | Arun Kumar |
| Date of Birth | 21 September 1986 |
| Birth Place | Madurai, Tamil Nadu |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) |
| Weight | Not Known |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Education | B.sc. in Visual Communication from Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai |
| Profession | Director, Producer and Screenwriter |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Social Media | Instagram, X, Facebook |
Atlee Kumar Family
Atlee was born in Madurai in a South Indian family. He is a private person, so not much is known about his parents and siblings.
In 2014 he married actress Krishna Priya at the Hyatt Hotel in Chennai. In 2023, the couple has been blessed with a son named Meer.
Atlee is also known to be an animal lover and has a pet dog named Becky.
| See also: Krishna Jagarlamudi Biography |
Atlee Kumar Early Life & Career
After completing his schooling in Madurai, Atlee move to Chennai the base of Kollywood to pursue his passion for cinema. He got enrolled for a Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication from Sathyabama University. During the course, he honed his storytelling and directing skills.
Atlee has a dream professional stat with director Shankar whom he assisted on projects such as Enthiran (2010) and Nanban (2012). Along with it, he started his own direction journey with a short film Mugaputhagam (2011) whic received widespread acclaim.
In the year 2013, Atlee got his first film project as a director for the film Raja Rani. The film became a massive hit and proved as a stepping stone for Atlee. Following this, Atlee had a hattrick of collaborations with actor Vijay in the movies Theri, Mersal and Bigil. These films solidified Atlee’s status as one of the leading directors in Tamil cinema.
In the year 2023, Atlee worked on his first pan-India project, Jawan that marked his successful debut in Bollywood.
Atlee’s latest project is the film Baby John starring Varun Dhawan and Keerthi Shetty, which he created as a producer. The film is adaptation of Atlee’s movie Theri.
Atlee Kumar Income & Net Worth
As of 2024, Atlee’s net worth is Rs. 42 crores. He is known for charging hefty fees for directing movies. However, for his film Jawan he reduced his fees to Rs. 30 crores.
Atlee Kumar Awards & Recognitions
Raja Rani (2013): Atlee’s directorial debut won him the Best Debut Director award at the Vijay Awards and the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Dialogue Writer.
Theri (2016):Best Director – Tamil award at the IIFA Utsavam and the 6th SIIMA Awards for this film.
3. Mersal (2017): Best Director at the Edison Awards.
Best Director – Tamil at the 7th SIIMA Awards.
Favourite Director at the 10th Vijay Awards.
5. Jawan (2023): Critics Best Director Award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024.
Director of the Year at the NDTV Indian Of The Year Awards 2024.
Atlee Kumar Controversies
Kapil Sharma Atlee insult:
Atlee Kumar appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show to promote his upcoming film Baby John. During the episode, host Kapil Sharma posed a question that some viewers interpreted as an insult regarding Atlee’s appearance. This prompted backlash on social media, with critics labeling Kapil’s comment as “racist” and disrespectful.
Plagiarism Allegations:
Atlee has faced longstanding accusations of plagiarism throughout his career. Critics argue that many of his films recycle familiar storylines and concepts from earlier works in Tamil cinema. For instance, Raja Rani has been described as an updated version of Mouna Ragam, while Mersal has been criticized for borrowing heavily from Apoorva Sagodharargal and Moondru Mugam. Bigil was described to take the base from the film Chak De India.
Conclusion
With only 5 films as a director, Atlee has proven his capabilities. As he continues his work, audience have high expectations from his work.
FAQs
Atlee married actress Krishna Priya in 2014.
Atlee and his wife was blessed with a son named Meer.
Atlee’s first movie was Raja Rani released in 2013 starring Arya and Nayantara.
Atlee is a Hindu by religion.
Baby John, as a producer
Atlee has directed 5 films till now.
Atlee is a famous Tamil film director, producer and screenwriter.
Atlee’s father name is not documented online.
Atlee has directed several Telugu movies, including:
Whistle: An action drama film
Adirindi: An action musical thriller film
Police: An action drama thriller film
Raja Rani: A comedy romantic film