Hello guys, whenever we talk about big money in the film industry, most people think of actors and actresses. But guys have wondered ever about the creative powerhouses behind the cameras. Filmmakers & Directors are the visionaries whose ideas come alive on the big screens.
They are engaged from the pre-production to the final edit, which contributes to their substantial salaries. In this article, we delve into the world of the Highest-Paid Tamil Directors, shedding light on the masters who have not only ruled Kollywood but also made waves across Indian cinema.
So guys, read this blog, continue to explore the Top 10 Highest-Paid Tamil Directors of all time, and also know their net worths and how much they charge per movie, and their salaries.
Top 10 Highest-Paid Tamil Directors & Their Net Worths
Whether it’s their blockbuster success or massive fan following, or jaw-dropping paychecks, this guide will give you a deep look at those directors whose visions dominate the silver screen and their bank accounts. Let’s look! List of Highest Paid Kollywood Directors.
| Directors | Fees Per Movie (Rs) | Net Worth (Rs) |
| Atlee | 60 Crore | 70 Crore |
| Lokesh Kanagaraj | 60 Crore | 100 Crore |
| S. Shankar | 40 Crore | 200 Core |
| Nelson Dilipkumar | 25 Crore | 145 Crore |
| A.R. Murugadoss | 16 Crore | 72 Crore |
| Mani Ratnam | 20 Crore | 130 Crore |
| Siva | 20 Crore | 78 Crore |
| Vetrimaaran | 15 Crore | 80 Crore |
| H. Vinoth | 10 Crore | 68 Crore |
| Pa. Ranjith | 10 Crore | 75 Crore |
1. Atlee
Arun Kumar is also known as Atlee by professionally is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and film producer who mostly works in Tamil cinema. He is known for his commercial success films or blockbusters like Jawaan & Bigil.
He stands out as the highest-paid directors in Tamil cinema due to his ability to captivate audiences through his directing skills. He charged Rs. 60 Crore per movie, and if we talk about their net worth, which is estimated to be approximately 70 Crore.
He began his career as an assistant director under S. Shankar in the films Enthiran (2010) and Nanban (2012) and made his directorial debut with the film Raja Rani (2013).
- Top Movies: Bigil, Jawaan, Raja Rani, Nanban, Enthiran
- Net Worth: 70 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 60 Crore
2. Lokesh Kanagaraj
Lokesh Kanagaraj is an indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who mostly works in Tamil cinema. He is also recognized as a star director due to his critically successful Tollywood movies like Kaithi and Vikram.
He is also renowned as the highest-paid Tamil director as he charges Rs. 60 crore per movie, and marking their net worth is approximately 100 crore.
He started his career with a short film in the 2016 anthology Aviyal, and later directed his first feature film, Maanagaram (2017).
- Top Movies: Vikram, Kaithi, Aviyal, Maanagram, Master
- Net Worth: 100 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 60 Crore
3. S. Shankar
S. Shankar or Shankar Shanmugam is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil films. He is also recognized as one of the prominent directors of Indian cinema.
He is mostly renowned for his blending of visually stunning technologies like VFX into a good storyline, like Robot and 2.0. He demands Rs. 40 crore per movie, and if we talk about their net worth, it is estimated to be 200 crore.
- Top Movies: Indian, Jeans, Gentleman, Robot, Robot 2.0
- Net Worth: 200 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 40 Crore
4. Nelson Dilipkumar
Nelson Dilipkumar is an Indian director and screenwriter who works in Tamil films and is known for directing action films which incorporate dark humour, and he is also one of the highest-paid directors in India.
Nelson started his career with directing 2010 feature film Vettai Mannan. He became a star director when he worked on Jailer, which became his most successful film; it became one of the highest-grossing films in India, earning over ₹600 crore (US$71 million) worldwide.
He charged Rs. 25 crore per movie and his net worth is approx 145 crore.
- Top Movies: Beast, Jailer, Doctor, Kolamaavu Kokila, Bloody Beggar
- Net Worth: 145 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 25 Crore
5. A.R. Murugadoss
AR Murugadoss’ full name is Murugadas Arunachalam is a film director, screenwriter, and producer who is mostly known for directing action films mainly on social issues.
He entered the film industry as an assistant director of Ratchagan in 1997. He made his directorial debut with the film Dheena in 2001. He also worked in Bollywood cinema, directing Ghajini in 2008.
He demands Rs. 16 crore per movie, and his net worth is approximately around to be Rs. 72 crore.
- Top Movies: Sikandar, Ghajini, Sarkar, Kaththi, Thuppakki
- Net Worth: 72 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 16 Crore
6. Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is a Film director, producer, and screenwriter who works in Tamil films along with Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films. He entered the film industry in 1983 and directed his first film, Pallavi Anu Pallavi.
He is mostly known for his romantic, terrorism, and war films, he directed some of the popular films in indian cinema, including Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023), based on the Indian epic written by Kalki Krishnamurthy.
For directing films, he charged Rs. 20 per movie as a salary, and his net worth is around Rs. 130 crore.
- Top Movies: Mouna Ragam, Bombay, Roja, Ponniyin Selvan: I, Ponniyin Selvan: II
- Net Worth: 130 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 20 Crore
7. Siva
Siva is an indian film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and lyricist who mostly worked in Tamil & Telugu films. His full name is Sivakumar Jayakumar. He began his film career as a cinematographer, later moved to directing and screenwriting in Telugu cinema.
He is known for his high-profile films, including Veeram, Siruthai, and Vedalam. He marked his directorial debut in Telugu cinema with the film Souryam in 2009 and then moved to Tamil cinema as a director, where he made his directorial debut with the film Siruthai.
According to Tamil media reports, he charges Rs. 20 crore per movie as a salary, and his net worth is estimated at 78 crore approx.
- Top Movies: Veeram, Siruthai, Vedalam, Souryam
- Net Worth: 78 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 20 Crore
8. Vetrimaaran
Vetrimaaran is a film director, producer, and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is recognized for his unique filmography with major commercial success and highly critically acclaimed work in feature films.
Vetrimaaran made his directorial debut with the movie Polladhavan in 2007. He is also a founder of the International Institute of Film & Culture.
During his directing career, he has won five National Film Awards, three Filmfare South Awards, and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award. He charges 15 crore per movie as salary. If we talk about his net worth, he has approximately 80 crore in his bank.
- Top Movies: Polladhavan, Aadukalam, Visaranai, Asuran
- Net Worth: 80 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 15 Crore
9. H. Vinoth
H. Vinoth is a Tamil film director and screenwriter who works in Kollywood cinema. He renowned for his critically acclaimed movies like Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, Nerkonda Paarvai, Valimai, and others.
He made his directorial debut with the film Sathuranga Vettai in 2014. Currently, he works on his new project, Jana Nayagan starring Vijay.
His net worth is estimated to be Rs. 68 crore approximately, and he charges Rs. 10 crore per movie for directing a movie as salary.
- Top Movies: Polladhavan, Aadukalam, Visaranai, Asuran
- Net Worth: 68 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 10 Crore
10. Pa. Ranjith
Pa. Ranjith is a film director, producer, and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is one of the promising directors of South Indian cinema.
He made his directorial debut with the film Attakathi in 2012. He is known for making action-drama films like Kabali, Kaala, and Madras. Through his directing career, he earns a whopping net worth of Rs. 75 crore and charges Rs. 10 crore per movie.
- Top Movies: Kaala, Kabali, Madras
- Net Worth: 75 Crore
- Salary Per Movie: 10 Crore
Leave a Reply