
Lokesh Kanagaraj
Known for directing · Born 14 March 1986 · 40 · Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
29 credits
Lokesh Kanagaraj is an Indian film director who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He began his career in cinema by directing one of the four segments in the anthology film Aviyal (2016). Over time , Lokesh has carved a niche for himself in Indian cinema through a string of extremely successful action and crime thrillers including Maanagaram (2017), Kaithi (2019), Master (2021) , Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023). Lokesh's films are oriented around the hyperlink crime cinema subgenre where most of the story takes place during nighttime, with Lokesh citing Quentin Tarantino as a major inspiration for his style of filmmaking. His films are known for depicting the dark underbelly of metropolitan cities through multiple grey characters, with the nexus between the police force and organized crime syndicates being a key feature. Lokesh is also credited with the creation of LCU (Lokesh Cinematic Universe) where his films Kaithi (2019), Vikram (2022), and Leo (2023) share interrelated subplots, themes and characters.
Known for

Vikram
2022

Kaithi
2019

Leo
2023

Master
2021

Coolie
2025

Maanagaram
2017

Vella Raja
2018

DC
2026

Bholaa
2023

Aviyal
2016
Lokesh Kanagaraj's Sophomore Acting Film
—

Kaithi 2
—