Mysskin

Shanmugha Raja, known professionally as Mysskin, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, actor, film producer and composer.

He made his directorial debut in 2006 with Chithiram Pesuthadi. His subsequent films Anjathe (2008), Nandalala (2010) and Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (2013) and Pisaasu (2014) received critical acclaim. He made his acting debut with Nandalala (2010), where he portrayed a mentally disabled man. In 2023, he debuted as music director with Devil (2024). He is considered an auteur in Tamil cinema.

Early life
Shanmugha Raja chose Mysskin as his assumed name, inspired by Prince Myshkin, the protagonist in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot. His schooling was in Tamil. He is an avid book reader.

Directing
Mysskin was working in a book store when director Kathir first asked him to join him. He was with him for nearly eight months but did not work in any movie. It was under director Vincent Selva that he did his first movie Youth, followed by Jithan, again under Vincent Selva.

Mysskin made his directorial debut in 2006 with the low-budget film Chithiram Pesuthadi, which went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. A simple love story, it became a hit owing to the unique style the film was written in. The leads, debutants Narain and Bhavana, went on to become popular faces following the success. He then directed Anjathe (2008) which became one of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil cinema. The film received critical acclaim for all departments of filmmaking. The film was also noted for its narrative style and mise-en-scène, which marked an example of Tamil new wave cinema.

Mysskin went on to direct Nandalala (2010), a film loosely based on Takeshi Kitano's Kikujiro (1999) and being completely different from his first two ventures. The film is about a young boy and a mentally challenged person going in search of their respective mothers. Mysskin himself chose to play the mentally challenged character (marking his major acting debut) after the script was turned down by many established actors. The film went on to become his most critically acclaimed film, with some critics calling it one of the best Tamil films ever made.

His next film, Yuddham Sei (2011), a dark crime thriller was a hit at the box office as well. His visual style and directing prowess were appreciated and talked about by everybody.

Acting
Mysskin has found success as an actor in films not directed by him. In the film Savarakathi (2018), he played the antagonist opposite director Ram. The film was an average commercial success but was praised by critics. He also had an important cameo appearance in Thiagarajan Kumararaja's Super Deluxe (2019). He has also played antagonistic roles in films such as Maaveeran (2023) and Leo (2023).

Filmmaking style
Mysskin is inspired by filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa, Robert Bresson and Takeshi Kitano. He is known for his peculiar combat sequences using elaborate storyboard and real unarmed martial strikes and stances; unconventional shots (like close-ups of feet); diegetic sound, light, silhouette and shadow; stage techniques (like monologue, face-floor, motion-freeze); staccato background score; meticulous scene and set construction; irony-laden dialogues; ellipses; minimalism; deep characterization (with archetypal hairdo, dress, accent, posture, gesture, locale, furniture); limited use of song choreography; and neo-noir renditions where the lead role is not infallible.

Mysskin is known to start film shoot only after a bound script is ready. He rigorously annotates his scripts with cues and camera lens focal lengths for each scene. He says that his films are influenced by the works of Kurosawa.

His assistant directors like G. R. Adithya and Sri Ganesh have also made successful films like Savarakathi and 8 Thottakkal.

Personal life
His younger brother Aathityaa directed Devil (2024), for which he composed the music.

Filmography

 * All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

As writer and producer
This is a list of films Mysskin worked for other directors.