Mari Selvaraj

Mariselvam Selvaraj^[3] is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Tamil film industry. He worked as an assistant director to Ram. He made his directorial debut with Pariyerum Perumal (2018), which opened to highly positive reviews and received many awards and accolades.

Mari Selvaraj
Born	Mariselvam Selvaraj Puliyankulam Srivaikuntam Thoothukudi district Tamil Nadu[1][2]
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Film director Screenwriter Film Producer
Years active	2007–present
Spouse	Divya
Children	2

Film career

Mari Selvaraj joined Ram as an assistant director in three films: Kattradhu Thamizh (2007), Thanga Meenkal (2013), and Taramani (2017).^[4]

In 2018, he made his directorial debut with Pariyerum Perumal, which garnered critical acclaim and was one of the most successful films of the year. Afterward, he directed Karnan (2021), Maamannan (2023), and Vaazhai (2024).

Filmography

As a film director

Year	Film	Notes
2018	Pariyerum Perumal
2021	Karnan
2023	Maamannan
2024	Vaazhai	Also producer[5]
2025	Bison †	Filming

As a lyricist

Year	Film	Song(s)
2018	Pariyerum Perumal	"Naan Yaar", "Karuppi"
2021	Karnan	"Kanda Vara", "Utradheenga Yeppov"
2024	Vaazhai	"Oru Oorula Raja", "Paadhavathi", "Vaazhai's Surprise"[6]

Awards and nominations

Date of Ceremony	Film	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
16 December 2018	Pariyerum Perumal	Behindwoods Gold Medal	Best Director	Won	[7]
20 December 2018		16th Chennai International Film Festival	Best Tamil Feature	Won	[8]
5 January 2019		Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards	Best Story	Won	[9]
			Best Director	Won
25–28 April 2019		Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards	Best Director	Nominated	[10]
15 April 2019		Film Critics Circle of India	Award for Best Debut Film	Won	[11]
28 April 2019		Toulouse Indian Film Festival	Audience Award	Won	[12]
			Independent Critic Award	Won
			Jury Award	Won
25 January 2019		Galatta Debutant Awards	Best Debutant Director	Won	[13]
			Best Debutant Dialogue Writer	Won
4 January 2023	Karnan	Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards	Best Dialogue	Won	[14]
2 June 2024	Maamannan	Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards	Best Dialogue	Won	[15]
3 August 2024		Filmfare Awards South	Best Director	Nominated	[16]
13 June 2025	Vaazhai	Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards	Best Director	Won	[17]

Other works

• Marakkave Ninaikkiren (Tamil: மறக்கவே நினைக்கிறேன்), a series in Tamil Magazine Ananda Vikatan.^[18][19]
• Thamirabaraniyil Kollapadathavargal (Tamil: தாமிரபரணியில் கொல்லப்படாதவர்கள்), short stories collection published in 2013 by Vamsi Pathipagam. This is Mari Selvaraj's Debut fiction^[20]