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.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 14, 1986 (40)
- Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
- Writer, director, actor and producer
- 11 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
What are Lokesh Kanagaraj's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 0 · Serious 3 · Dark 5
Grounded 1 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3
Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 7
Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 3
Casual 0 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Heroas Devadas in DC (2026)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Lokesh Kanagaraj's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).
- ZEE5
Subscription and free streaming for Lokesh Kanagaraj's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
27 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Mr. Bhaarath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
DC(2026)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
DC Rave - A Musical Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Jana Nayagan(2026)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Kattalan(2026)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
29(2026)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Banduan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Coolie(2025)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Singapore Saloon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Leo(2023)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Mumbaikar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Bholaa(2023)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Michael (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Vikram(2022)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Master(2021)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Kaithi(2019)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Vella Raja(2018)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Maanagaram (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Aviyal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
AA23 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Benz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Chapter Zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Kaithi 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Lokesh Kanagaraj's Sophomore Acting Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Rolex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled Regina Cassandra Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Vikram 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 27 titles, 19 of them dated from 2016 to 2026.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Lokesh Kanagaraj's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 11 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 59/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Lokesh Kanagaraj's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Lokesh Kanagaraj work with?
People who share at least 2 of Lokesh Kanagaraj's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Anirudh Ravichander shares the most, 5.
Writers
- Rathna KumarShared titles: 29 (2026), Leo (2023), Vikram (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Rathna Kumar
Actors
- Avinash RaghudevanShared titles: 29 (2026), DC (2026)See all 2 shared titles with Avinash Raghudevan
- MahendranShared titles: 29 (2026), Master (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Mahendran
- Kanna RaviShared titles: Coolie (2025), Kaithi (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Kanna Ravi
- Joseph VijayShared titles: Leo (2023), Master (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Vijay
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Anirudh RavichanderShared titles: DC (2026), Coolie (2025), Leo (2023), Vikram (2022), Master (2021)See all 5 shared titles with Anirudh Ravichander
- Philomin RajShared titles: Coolie (2025), Leo (2023), Vikram (2022), Kaithi (2019)See all 4 shared titles with Philomin Raj
- Girish GangadharanShared titles: Coolie (2025), Vikram (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Girish Gangadharan
- Sathyan SooryanShared titles: Master (2021), Kaithi (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Sathyan Sooryan
Producers
- K.T.S. SwaminathanShared titles: DC (2026), Coolie (2025)See all 2 shared titles with K.T.S. Swaminathan
- Kalanithi MaranShared titles: DC (2026), Coolie (2025)See all 2 shared titles with Kalanithi Maran
- Ramesh KuchirayarShared titles: DC (2026), Coolie (2025)See all 2 shared titles with Ramesh Kuchirayar
- S.R. PrabhuShared titles: Bholaa (2023), Kaithi (2019)See all 2 shared titles with S.R. Prabhu
