Mysskin Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Mysskin is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, singer, producer, and composer. He is known for his work in the Tamil film industry. In 2023, he appeared in the negative role of Shanmugam in the Tamil film ‘Leo.’ 

Wiki/Biography

Mysskin was born as Shanmugha Raja ^[1]The Times of India on Monday, 20 September 1971 (age 52 years; as of 2023) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His zodiac sign is Virgo.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 9″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Parents & Siblings

There is not much information about his parents and siblings.

Wife & Children

Mysskin got separated from his wife in 2012. He has a daughter.

Career

Actor

Mysskin made his debut as an actor in 2002 with the Tamil film ‘Youth’ in which he appeared in a small role.

Later, he made a short appearance in the films ‘Kadhal Virus’ (2002) and ‘Jithan’ (2005). He appeared in a lead role for the first time in the 2010 Tamil film ‘Nandalala.’ In the film, he played the role of a mentally challenged man named Bhaskar Mani.

In 2013, he played the role of Wolf/Edward in the film ‘Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum.’ He essayed the role of Ibrahim in the film ‘Suttu Pidikka Utharavu’ (2019) starring Vikranth.

Mysskin made a cameo appearance as Pastor Doctor in the film ‘Bachelor’ in 2021. He played the role of M. N. Jeyakodi in the film ‘Maaveeran’ (2023). His performance as Shanmugam in the film ‘Leo’ (2023) received huge appreciation from the audience.

He has acted in a few more Tamil films such as  ‘Savarakkaththi’ (2018), ‘Super Deluxe’ (2019), and ‘Are You Ok Baby?’ (2023).

Filmmaker

Mysskin made his directorial debut with the Tamil film ‘Chithiram Pesuthadi’ in 2006. He also worked as a writer for the film. In 2008, he wrote and directed the film ‘Anjathe.’ The film gained recognition for its unique narrative style and Mise-en-scène (visual composition), setting a notable example for Tamil new-wave cinema.

In 2010, he worked as a writer and director for the Tamil film ‘Nandalala,’ which is loosely based on a Japanese film named ‘Kikujiro’ (1999). The film received huge appreciation from the audience as well as critics and has also won the People’s Choice Award at the Norway Film Festival. He has worked as a director, writer, and producer for the 2013 Tamil film ‘Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum’ (2013).

Mysskin directed the 2017 Tamil film ‘Thupparivaalan,’ which is inspired by the stories of Sherlock Holmes. He also worked as a writer for the film. He worked as a writer and producer for the film ‘Savarakkaththi’ (2018), directed by G. R. Adithya. He has worked as a writer and director for several Tamil films including ‘Yuddham Sei’ (2011), ‘Mugamoodi’ (2012), ‘Pisaasu’ (2014), and ‘Psycho’ (2020).

Singer & Lyricist

Mysskin wrote the lyrics of the songs “Aaahayam Aaahayam” and “Idhu Enna Pudhu Kanavo (M)” for the film ‘Chithiram Pesuthadi’ in 2006. He sang two songs titled “Kannadhasan Karaikudi” and “Acham Thavir” for the film ‘Anjathe’ in 2008. In the same year,  he sang the song “Sutta Pazhama” for the film ‘Dindigul Sarathy.’

In 2012, he worked as a lyricist and singer for the song “Bar Anthem” from the film ‘Mugamoodi.’ He wrote the lyrics of the song “Ivan Thupparivaalan” in 2017 for the film ‘Thupparivaalan.’ He also sang the song. In addition to this, Mysskin has worked as a singer and lyricist for several other Tamil films.

Controversies

A Raw with actor Vishal

In 2020, the filmmaker had a raw with actor Vishal during the shooting of the film ‘Thupparivaalan 2.’ Vishal claimed that Mysskin was wasting his money (as Vishal was the producer of the film) and not completing the shooting on time. After the raw, Mysskin left the project which was later taken over by Vishal himself, marking his directorial debut. Vishal claimed that he was sent a four-page-long demand list by Mysskin, which later went viral on the internet. ^[2]The Indian Express

 

Here are Dir #Mysskin 's conditions & demands regarding #Thupparivaalan2 @VishalKOfficial #Thupparivaalan2FL pic.twitter.com/5aALh5GPc9

— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) March 11, 2020

Trolled for making an insensitive comment

in 2018, Mysskin was heavily trolled by the netizens after he made an insensitive joke about popular actor Mammootty. While appreciating the acting skills of Mammootty, during the audio launch of the film ‘Peranb,’ Mysskin said that he would have raped Mammootty if he were a woman. ^[3]The Times of India

Awards

Won 

• Best Director Award at the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards for the film ‘Anjathe’ in 2009

• Best Actor Award at the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards for the film ‘Nandalala’ in 2011

• Best Screenplay Award at the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards for the film ‘Super Deluxe’ in 2020

• Best Writing Award at the Critics’ Choice Film Awards for the film ‘Super Deluxe’ in 2020

Nominated 

• Best Dialogue Writer Jury Award at the Vijay Awards for the film ‘Anjathe’ in 2009

• Best Story and Screenplay Writer Jury Award at the Vijay Awards for the film ‘Anjathe’ in 2009

• Best Director Jury Award at the Vijay Awards for the film ‘Anjathe’ in 2009 

• Best Debut Actor Jury Award at the Vijay Awards for the film ‘Nandalala’ in 2011

• Best Director Award at the South Indian International Movie Awards for the film ‘Psycho’ in 2021

Favourites

• Cinematographer: Mahesh Muthuswami

• Screenwriters: C. V. Sridhar, Mahendran, David Mamet, Frank Pierson

• Film: Pather Panchali (1955)

Facts/Trivia

• He changed his name from Shanmugha Raja to Mysskin after entering the film industry. He talked about this in an interview and said that when he entered the Tamil film industry, there were many stars named ‘Raja.’ Therefore, he wanted a new name to stand out in the crowd. He chose ‘Mysskin’ as his stage name, taking inspiration from the name ‘Prince Myshkin,’ who is the protagonist in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel ‘The Idiot.’

• He is an ardent reader.

• In an interview, he revealed that he started working in the film industry as an assistant to the film director Kathir, who noticed him when he was working at a bookstore and asked him to join him. He said that he worked with Kathir for almost eight months but did not get any work.

• He is known for his distinctive approach to filmmaking, incorporating detailed storyboards and realistic martial sequences, unconventional shots, diegetic elements, meticulous set construction, and deep characterization.

• His films often explore themes of compassion and redemption, particularly focusing on the struggles of the urban poor and middle class.

• In an interview, he talked about turning from a filmmaker to an actor and said that after writing the story of the film ‘Nandalala,’ he could not find an actor for the film. Therefore, he decided to play the lead role himself. While talking about it in the interview, he said,
  

  I had a good story with me, which I was not able to convert to a movie because all the actors whom I approached were reluctant to do such a subject, this went on for nearly 2 and a half years. But I could not afford to shelve this story, so I decided to take it on myself.”

• He lost almost 20kg of his body weight to work as an actor in the film ‘Nandalala.’