C. Prem Kumar

C. Prem Kumar is an Indian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer primarily associated with Tamil cinema. He is widely known for his critically acclaimed debut as a director with the film '96 (2018).

C. Prem Kumar
Born	Premkumar Chandran Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s)	Film director Screenwriter Cinematographer
Years active	2009–present
Spouse	Dhanalakshmi

Career

Before making his mark in the film industry as a director, Prem Kumar was established as a cinematographer, working on several Tamil films including Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012), which was based on an incident in which he fell during a cricket match and lost his memory during his own wedding.^[1] His first film as a director was the reunion film '96, which was well received.^[2][3][4] The film was noted for having a strong female lead character, which was lacking in most Tamil films.^[5] He subsequently directed Jaanu (2020), the Telugu remake of '96.^[6] His third film as a director was Meiyazhagan, which was based on the bromance between its lead characters, also released to positive reviews.^[7][8]

Filmography

As director

Year	Film	Notes
2018	'96	Won—Gollapudi Srinivas Award[9]
2020	Jaanu	Telugu film
2024	Meiyazhagan

As cinematographer

Year	Film	Notes
2009	Pasanga
2011	Varnam
2012	Sundarapandian
	Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom
2014	Rummy
2017	Yeidhavan
2020	Oru Pakka Kathai

Frequent collaborators

List of C. Prem Kumar frequent collaborators

Film	Govind Vasantha	Mahendiran Jayaraju	R. Govindaraj	Devadarshini	Rajkumar
'96 (2018)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Jaanu (2020)	Y	Y
Meiyazhagan (2024)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y