Atlee’s 13-year journey in Indian cinema has been closely intertwined with some of the country’s biggest superstars, but his collaborations have also played an important role in presenting these stars in new avatars.
His association with Vijay began with Theri, a film that became an important turning point for both the actor and the filmmaker. Coming after Puli, Theri brought Vijay back into a larger-than-life mass space while also allowing him to embrace a more mature image, including playing a father. The success established Atlee as one of Tamil cinema’s most promising mass filmmakers and began a hugely successful collaboration that continued with Mersal and Bigil.
With Jawan, Atlee entered a completely new chapter — bringing his filmmaking language to Hindi cinema and collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan. The film became a major commercial milestone, crossing ₹1,100 crore worldwide according to contemporary reporting, while taking Shah Rukh Khan to some of the biggest numbers of his career.
More significantly, Jawan became a landmark in Shah Rukh Khan’s three-decade-plus career when he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for the film at the 71st National Film Awards. The significance of Jawan extended beyond its box-office success. For Shah Rukh Khan, it brought together the scale of a mass commercial entertainer with one of the country’s highest cinematic honours. For Atlee, it demonstrated that his storytelling could travel across languages and industries without losing its emotional and mass appeal.
In fact, Atlee recently recalled that Vijay encouraged him to take up Jawan when Shah Rukh Khan approached him, telling him the opportunity could change the course of his career. Atlee has since described Vijay’s support as an important part of his journey.
Now, with Raaka and Allu Arjun, Atlee is entering another new phase — one that brings together his experience in mass cinema with an even larger global canvas. After creating memorable collaborations with Vijay and Shah Rukh Khan, his association with Allu Arjun marks another meeting of two major forces of Indian cinema.
From Theri to Mersal and Bigil, from Jawan to Raaka, Atlee’s journey with superstars has grown alongside the scale of his films — evolving from a young filmmaker making his mark in Tamil cinema to a director working with some of the biggest names across Indian cinema.
