{{short description|Indian film director}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Ashwin Saravanan | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_place = Tamil Nadu, India | occupation = Film director | spouse = Kaavya Ramkumar | children = | years_active = 2015–present }}
'''Ashwin Saravanan''' is an Indian film director, who has directed predominantly Tamil language films. Directorial debut from ''Maya'' and film making style is neo-noir horror film. Second film was Game over and it is a psychological thriller film. Third movie is Connect and it is a supernatural horror movie.
==Career== Ashwin Saravanan began writing short stories during his years in college and eventually made some short films. Inspired by the success of young filmmakers in the early 2010s such as Karthik Subbaraj, Balaji Mohan and Nalan Kumarasamy, Ashwin chose to quit his job in the software industry to work as a film director.<ref name="go">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/software-trainee-directing-taapsee-game-over-director-ashwin-saravanan-intv-102982 |title=From software trainee to directing Taapsee: 'Game Over' director Ashwin Saravanan intv |date=4 June 2019 |website=The News Minute}}</ref> His first film, the horror drama ''Maya'' (2015) featured Nayanthara in the lead role, and the film won positive reviews from critics. A critic from ''The Times of India'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote: "''Maya'' is wholly original and cerebral as well. Even after the film has ended, we keep thinking about it, replaying the scenes in our mind and thinking about the inventiveness in how the plot lines are brought together. And that is its real success".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Maya/movie-review/49021647.cms |title=Maya Movie Review |work=The Times of India}}</ref> Sify wrote: "''Maya'' is a stupendous film and the entire team has done a remarkable job on par with international standards", going on to call it "undoubtedly one of the best horror movies of Tamil cinema".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/maya-review-Tamil-pjrrVfaahbigf.html |title=Review : Maya |website=Sify |date=19 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919035522/http://www.sify.com/movies/maya-review-Tamil-pjrrVfaahbigf.html |archive-date=19 September 2015}}</ref>
Ashwin subsequently began working on ''Iravaakaalam'', a thriller film starring S. J. Suryah and Wamiqa Gabbi, by early 2017. Despite completing production, the film remains unreleased owing to financial problems face by the producers, Thenandal Studio Limited.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/hema-rukmani-interview-mersal-vijay-4885287/ |title=We are hopeful that Mersal will have a Diwali release: Sri Thenandal Film's Hema Rukmani |date=12 October 2017}}</ref> In 2018, Ashwin moved on to work on a bilingual psychological thriller film, ''Game Over'' (2019), shot in Tamil and Telugu. The film featured Taapsee Pannu playing a character dealing with an 'anniversary reaction', a condition which triggered unsettling feelings around the anniversary of a traumatic event. Produced by Y NOT Studios, the film performed well at the box office.<ref name="go"/> Ashwin then began pre-production on a film starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead role, but the film failed to develop into production despite a year of work.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/game-over-director-samantha-akkineni-ashwin-saravanan-6180758/ |title=Game Over director's next with Samantha Akkineni? |date=23 December 2019}}</ref>
Ashwin's latest release was ''Connect'' (2022), a horror drama featuring Nayanthara, Anupam Kher and Sathyaraj in leading roles. He wrote the script for the film during the COVID-19 lockdown in India, noting that he added elements of the anxiousness that he was feeling during the period into the script. After pitching the idea to Nayanthara, the actress also agreed to produce the film.<ref name="tnm">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/nayanthara-actor-who-puts-script-first-director-ashwin-saravanan-tnm-171165 |title='Nayanthara is an actor who puts the script first': Director Ashwin Saravanan to TNM |date=21 December 2022 |website=The News Minute}}</ref>
==Personal life== Ashwin is married to Kaavya Ramkumar, who has worked as a co-writer in his films.<ref name="tnm"/>
==Filmography== *''Note: All films are in Tamil unless otherwise noted.'' {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%" |- align="text-align:center;" ! Year ! Film ! Director ! Writer ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- | 2015 ||''Maya'' | {{yes}} || {{yes}} |Debut film |<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/maya/movie-review/49021647.cms|title=Maya Movie Review {3.5/5}: Critic Review of Maya by Times of India|newspaper=The Times of India}}</ref> |- | 2019 ||''Game Over'' | {{yes}} || {{yes}} | Simultaneously shot in Telugu |<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/game-over/movie-review/69759622.cms|title=Game Over Movie Review {4/5}: Critic Review of Game Over by Times of India|newspaper=The Times of India}}</ref> |- | 2022 ||''Connect'' | {{yes}} || {{yes}} | |<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/connect/movie-review/96359828.cms |title=Connect Movie Review: A horror film with connectivity issues |newspaper=The Times of India}}</ref> |- | 2{{TBA}} || {{pending film|italic=no| ''Iravaakaalam'' }} | {{yes}} || {{yes}} | Delayed |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Director Ashwin Saravanan opens up on Iravakaalam release! |url=https://www.indiaglitz.com/ashwin-saravanan-iravakaalam-release-clarification-tamil-news-257331 |date=6 April 2020 |website=IndiaGlitz}}</ref> |} {{pending films key}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|7594197}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saravanan, Ashwin}} Category:Living people Category:Tamil film directors Category:Film directors from Tamil Nadu Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century Indian people Category:Tamil screenwriters