It takes a Shankar to do it – this popular saying alone speaks volumes about the kind of change that Shankar has brought to Tamil cinema. Sensibility & cuteness were some things that we were used to, courtesy the Mani Rathnams, Balu Mahendras, Mahdendrans of the world but grandeur and expansiveness in presentation? Nope. Shankar was the first one to take that giant step in Tamil cinema and he has only upped the ante from the time he arrived on the Tamil cinema field with a bang in Gentleman. Though he has a fair share of critics who complain that he is more style than substance, we do feel that his ability to advocate social causes in many of his movies takes a special talent. His strength has been superior packaging. We get to know the value of someone like Shankar only when some other director tries to ape him with the help of a producer who is not afraid to just pour in the money just for the ake of it. Case in point, the recently released Kandhasamy.

From Gentleman to his latest blockbuster Sivaji – The Boss, Shankar’s movies have all made it big time at the place where it counts – Box Office, with Sivaji rewriting all known box office collections of Tamil cinema.

One of his biggest strengths is when it comes to songs and their picturizations. Ever single album of his has been a chart buster with Rahman providing some of his best work to Shankar’s films. But then other directors have gotten some good songs form ARR as well, without doing the songs any justice. So, it is in picturizing these songs where he stands miles ahead of contemporary directors and occupies that special place inhabited by only one other director in Tamil cinema – Mani Rathnam. It is still impossible to forget the hysteria and manic response the Chikku Bukku rayilu generated when it was released more than 15 years ago. And the excitement and the euphoria that the Adhiradikkaaran song caused when Sivaji – The Boss was released, is still fresh in our eyes and hearts.

One of the reasons why the songs in his movies stand out is because of the simple reason that he tries to bring before our eyes places that have never been captured in camera by a Tamil cinema director. Be it the Great Wall of China in the Adhisayam song or the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the Telephone manipol song, he has been the pioneer when it comes to introducing new filming locations for directors of Tamil cinema. This quality of him makes him our most favorite director as he routinely sends us on this wild goose hunts, trying to find out the location where a particular sequence of a song from his movie was shot.

His filming locations:
Athirapilly Falls – Chalakkudy District, Kerala, India
Bridestowe Estate Lavender Farm – Tasmania, Australia
Cinque Island – Andaman & Nicobar Islands
City of Arts & Sciences – Valencia, Spain
Colosseum – Rome, Italy
Dhom Dam/ Lake – Wai, Maharashtra, India
Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall – Bilbao, Spain
Gandhi Indian Cuisine – Las Vegas, USA
Gate of Europe – Madrid, Spain
Gingee Fort – Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu, India
Grand Canyon – Arizona, USA
Guggenheim Museum – Bilbao, Spain
Hawyley Beach – Tasmania, Australia
HMS Bounty – Sydney Harbour, Australia
Irungattukottai Race Track – Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India
Malibu Hindu Temple – Calabasas, California
Kalyani Theertham – Melkote, Karnataka, India
Kuala Lumpur Airport – Malaysia
Kuekenhof – Netherlands
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Machu Picchu, Urubamba Valley, Peru
Magarpatta City – Pune, India
Mersey Bluff Lighthouse – Devonport, Australia
Old Sydney Town – New South Wales, Australia
Petersen Automotive Museum – Los Angeles, California
Ripon Building – Chennai
Sydney Harbour Bridge – Sydney, Australia
Sydney Opera House – Sydney, Australia
Taj Mahal – Agra, India
Tamirabharani River Bridge – Ambasamudram, Tamil Nadu, India
Umaid Bhawan Palace – Jodhpur
Valley of Fire State Park – Nevada, USA

His films:
Anniyan
Boys
Enthiran
Gentleman
Indian
Jeans
Mudhalvan
Nanban
Sivaji – The Boss