Tamil filmmaker Lokesh Kanaragaraj, director of movies like Master, Kaithi and Maanagaram, has contracted COVID-19. He posted on Twitter about testing positive for the coronavirus. "Writing this to inform all my friends, family and well wishers that I have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been admitted in a private hospital where I'm being taken good care of. Will be back soon and stronger!" Lokesh tweeted.
The director shot to fame in 2018-19 with the popular Tamil film Kaithi, which had Karthi in the lead, with actors like Narain and Arjun Das playing supporting roles. However, Lokesh is best known for helming the Thalapathy Vijay-Vijay Sethupathy starrer Master. The film, which released on January 13, 2021, was the first big film to release in theatres, after they were shut for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In neighbouring Kerala too, the first film to release after the theatres reopened in January was Vijay’s Master.
Lokesh made his first film Kaalam, included in the anthology Aviyal, in 2016. The film was produced by director Karthick Subbaraj. He made a full length feature film next year, the action thriller Maanagaram with Sundeep Kishan, Sri, Regina Cassandra and other actors. The next film was Kaithi, an action thriller with Karthi in the lead, which got a lot of attention. It was said to be inspired by the 1976 Hollywood film Assault on Precinct 13. The film got dubbed to Telugu as Khaidi. A Hindi remake with Ajay Devgn in the lead has also been announced.
Lokesh gained even more attention when he made Master with two prominent actors in the lead. The film got a lot of positive reviews and had a successful run in theatres despite being released amid the pandemic. Last year, Lokesh also announced a film called Vikram with Kamal Haasan in the lead. It is not a sequel to the 1986 movie of the same name in which Kamal had played the lead.