Cheran is a film director and actor from India who is most known for his work in Tamil cinema. Vetri Kodi Kattu (2000), Autograph (2004), and Thavamai Thavamirundhu won him four National Film Awards (2005). He's also won six South Filmfare Awards and five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Cheran built his name as a director by making village-based drama films on human relationships, and his work in Bharathi Kannamma (1997) and Porkkaalam (1998) received critical acclaim (1997). Later, he worked on topics exploring how globalization affects the Indian middle class, like Vetri Kodi Kattu (2000), which told the story of a scam job offer, and Pandavar Bhoomi, which presented the story of village-to-city emigration (2001).
Autograph (2004), his most well-known film to date, is a semi-autobiographical story of a man in four stages of his life. He eventually found fame as an actor in films such as Pirivom Santhippom (2008) and Yuddham Sei (2011), as well as in the family drama Thavamai Thavamirundhu (2005).