T. J. Gnanavel

T. J. Gnanavel is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Tamil film industry.

Early life and career
Gnanavel graduated from Presidency College, Chennai. He holds a PhD in Tamil literature. Gnanavel made his debut as a dialogue writer for Raththa Sarithiram (2010) and Payanam (2011) before working as an assistant director. In 2017, he made his directorial debut with the comedy Kootathil Oruthan about an ordinary man, starring Ashok Selvan and Priya Anand, which released to average reviews. He received critical acclaim for his next film Jai Bhim (2021), which was based on a case handled by Justice K. Chandru. Gnanavel had interviewed Chandru before he handled the case while working for Ananda Vikatan.