Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian actor, film producer and politician who prominently works in Tamil cinema. He is member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency.[2] He entered the film industry as a producer and distributor with his production studio, Red Giant Movies, and made films including Kuruvi (2008), Aadhavan (2009) and Manmadan Ambu (2010).[3] He subsequently made his debut as an actor through the romantic comedy, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012) and has since continued producing and starring in his own films.[4]
Udhayanidhi's first film as a producer with Red Giant Movies was Kuruvi (2008), starring Vijay and Trisha.[8] He also produced two films directed by K. S. Ravikumar, Aadhavan (2009) and Manmadan Ambu (2010).[9][10] He produced AR Murugadoss's science fiction film 7aum Arivu (2011), while also working as a distributor, achieving success through his four 2010 releases: Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,[11] A. L. Vijay's Madrasapattinam,[12] M. Rajesh's Boss Engira Bhaskaran[13] and Prabhu Solomon's Mynaa.[14]
Udhayanidhi at the 60th South Filmfare Awards in 2013
In 2012, he debuted as a lead actor in M. Rajesh's romantic comedy Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012), co-starring with Hansika Motwani and Santhanam. Stalin received positive reviews for his performance of an unemployed youth. Behindwoods.com noted: "Udhay's portrayal of Saravanan is neat and enjoyable. He scored well in his debut supported Santhanam well in the film", while Sify.com added: "Udhay's debut is promising and hats off to him to underplay his role".[15][16] Stalin won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance.[17] The success of Oru Kal Oru Kannadi prompted Stalin to continue acting and he appeared in Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (2014) and Nanbenda (2015), both films featuring him opposite Nayanthara.[18][19] He worked on Gethu (2016), with Amy Jackson[20] and then performed in the courtroom drama Manithan (2016), with Hansika Motwani, a remake of the Hindi film Jolly LLB.[21]
In 2017, he has worked in the comedy entertainer Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen from director Ezhil,[22] followed by Podhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam [23] and action thriller, Ippadai Vellum. Stalin has delivered a decent performance with his share of subtleness.[24] The next project was the drama Nimir (2018), a remake of Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram directed by Priyadarshan[25] then following the romantic drama, Kanne Kalaimaane.[26]
In 2020, he appeared in Mysskin's Psycho who a dive into the psyche of a serial killer.[27]
Udhayanidhi Stalin's fierce campaign across Tamil Nadu has helped the DMK party secure a major win in the assembly elections. His AIIMS Brick remark changed the course of the Tamil Nadu election campaign[28]
Udhayanidhi Stalin contested and won in the Chepauk – Thiruvallikeni Assembly Constituency in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Election.[29]
Udhayanidhi Stalin introduced a robotic sewer cleaner in his constituency of Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni for the first time in Tamil Nadu on 21 June 2021.[30]
Udhayanidhi Stalin was nominated as a member of Anna University’s Syndicate for a period of three years. The announcement was made by Speaker M. Appavu in the Assembly on September 13, 2021.[31][32]
Udhayanidhi is married to Kiruthiga in 2002 and the couple have a son and a daughter. Currently, Kiruthiga heads the lifestyle magazine Inbox 1305.[33][34] She also directed the film Vanakkam Chennai (2013) for Red Giant Movies and Kaali (2018).[35][36] Udhayanidhi and Kiruthiga are atheists.[37] His son Inban Udhayanidhi has signed for NEROCA FC football club which plays in the I-League.[38][39] He is the producer of red Giant movies.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Aadhavan | Servant | Guest Appearance |
| 2012 | Oru Kal Oru Kannadi | Saravanan | SIIMA Award for Best Male Debutant Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South Norway Tamil Film Festival Award for Best Newcomer Actor |
| 2013 | Vanakkam Chennai | Flat Tenant | Guest Appearance |
| 2014 | Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal | Kathirvelan | |
| 2015 | Nannbenda | Sathya | |
| 2016 | Gethu | Sethu | |
| Manithan | Sakthivel | ||
| 2017 | Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen | Saravanan | |
| Podhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam | Ganesh | ||
| Ippadai Vellum | Madhusoodhanan | ||
| 2018 | Nimir | Selvam | |
| 2019 | Kanne Kalaimaane | Kamala Kannan | |
| 2020 | Psycho | Gautham | |
| 2022 | Nenjuku Needhi | S. Vijayaraghavan[40] | [41] |
Untitled Magizh Thirumeni film  |
TBA | Filming [42] | |
| Maamannan |
TBA | Filming[43] |