Madonne Ashwin
Madonne Ashwin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation | Film director. Screenwriter |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Known for | Mandela Maaveeran |
Madonne Ashwin is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Tamil film industry. He is known for his films Mandela and Maaveeran. He is a recipient of three National Film Awards.
Career
Madonne Ashwin initially made short films for Naalaya Iyakkunar such as Dharmam before working as a dialgoue writer for Kurangu Bommai (2017) under Nithilan Saminathan.[1][2] He made his feature film debut with the political satire film Mandela (2021).[2] He cites R. K. Laxman as an inspiration for the film as he made political cartoons without hurting anyone's sentiments.[2][3]
His next film was Maaveeran (2025), which is about a cartoonist that has supernatural powers. Ashwin revealed that the breaking the fourth wall aspect of the film was inspired by Stranger than Fiction and Ober (both 2006).[4] Lokesh Kanagaraj had given him a few inputs for the film.[5]
Filmography
As film director
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dharmam | Short film; also producer | |
| 2021 | Mandela | Directorial debut | |
| 2023 | Maaveeran | [6] | |
| TBA | Chiyaan 63 | [7] |
As writer
| Year | Title | Writer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kurangu Bommai | Dialogues | Also actor | |
| 2018 | Vella Raja | Yes | TV series |
Accolades
| Award Ceremony | Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Film Award – Special Mention (non-feature film) | 2013 | Best Director | Dharmam | Won [1] |
| 68th National Film Awards | 2022 | Best Debut Film of a Director | Mandela | Won [8] |
| Best Screenplay (Dialogue) | Won [2] | |||
| 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debut Director | Won | ||
| 67th Filmfare Awards South | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Debut Director | Won | ||
| Best Story | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| 69th Filmfare Awards South | 2024 | Best Director | Maaveeran | Nominated [9] |
References
- ^ a b "Social drama". The Hindu. 18 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Laxman's cartoons inspired 'Mandela' story, says National Award winner Madonne Ashwin". Deccan Herald.
- ^ "RK Laxman's cartoons inspired me to write Mandela: National Award-winning director Madonne Ashwin". OTTPlay.
- ^ Krishna (5 July 2023). "Madonne Ashwin on Maaveeran's Climax: The Idea Wasn't Clearly Conveyed". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Lokesh Kanagaraj gave many ideas for 'Maaveeran', reveals director Madonne Ashwin". The Times of India. 21 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "'Maaveeran' movie review: Sivakarthikeyan, Madonne Ashwin sketch a fascinating superhero film". The Hindu. 14 July 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Chiyaan 63: Vikram teams with 'Mandela' and 'Maaveeran' director for next". The Hindu. 13 December 2024. Archived from the original on 18 July 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "68th National Film Awards". The Hindu. 22 July 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards South 2024 full winners list: Nani's Dasara, Siddharth's Chithha win big". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2024.