Vetri Mahalingam

Vetri Mahalingam began his career as an art director and worked with P. Krishnamoorthy, before then working as an assistant director to Bharathiraja during the making of Taj Mahal (1999) and Kadal Pookkal (2001).[4] He then moved on to make the small-budget Arumbu Meesai Kurumbu Paarvai as his maiden film. His next film, Vennila Veedu (2014), has been his highest-profile film till date. Starring Mirchi Senthil and Vijayalakshmi in the lead role, the family drama was inspired by a real life event.[5][6] The story narrated how a couple from a village migrate to the city after their marriage and how they manage in an urban scenario. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics an audiences.[7]

Vetri's third film was Visiri (2018), a tale narrating the fan rivalry between fans of Tamil actors Ajith Kumar and Vijay. The film took a low-profile opening as a result of the bigger films releasing at the same time such as Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren, Madura Veeran, Padaiveeran and Yemaali, and did not perform well at the box office. As a result of the failure, Vetri openly criticised film associations for failing to support small budget films and for failing to live up to their earlier promises stating as such.[8]