Manoj Bharathiraja

Manoj Bharathiraja also known as Manoj K. Bharathi is a Tamil film actor who is the son of the National Award winning director P. Bharathiraja. He was born on 11th September 1976 in the city of Theni in Tamil Nadu. Born to P. Bharathiraja and Chandraleela, Manoj was sure that he wanted to enter his father’s field of work. After completing basic schooling, he was sent to the University of South Florida to undergo a course in Theatre Arts. Before starring in films, he worked as an assistant director for several years under great directors.

Even after starring in movies, Manoj continued to assist many directors. Manoj assisted his father in ‘Bommalattam' starring Nana Patekar, which was released in the year 2008. Another noted film for which he assisted was ace director Mani Ratnam's popular Tamil drama ‘Bombay’ which came out in the year 1995.

He also worked as an assistant for around two years under the famous filmmaker Shankar for his masterpiece film ‘Enthiran'. Manoj made his debut appearance in Tamil cinema alongside another debutant, Riya Sen in his father’s film, ‘Taj Mahal' which came out in the year 1999. The movie was written by R. Selvaraj and Mani Ratnam in which music was given by musical maestro A. R. Rahman. The film received mixed reviews from viewers and critiques alike. Various reviews praised Bharathiraja’s direction and debutant Riya Sen’s ability to perform in a foreign language and the unmatched musical skill of A. R. Rahman. Unfortunately, Manoj wasn’t praised for his performance and hence forth he couldn’t achieve the acting career he expected to achieve. Although he played various roles in various other movies, Manoj failed to make a career he hoped to make. After appearing in his father’s film ‘Annakodi’ in 2013, Manoj took a two-year break. In the year 2015, Manoj returned to star in Senthil Kumar's ‘Vaaimai’.

 He married actress and long-time girlfriend, Nandana in the year 2006. Manoj and Nandana have two daughters: Arthika and Madhivadhani. In 2019, Manoj worked in the film Champion, directed by “Suseenthiran.” In 2021, he played the younger version of his father, Bharathiraja, in “Eeswaran” featuring “Silambarasan.” The same year, he played in “Maanaadu,” directed by Venkat Prabhu. In 2022, he worked with Karthik Sivakumar and Aditi Shankar in “Viruman.”

In 2023, he debuted as a director with the movie Margazhi Thingal. Shyam Selvan and Rakshana played the lead pair. In 2024, Manoj worked in the web series Snakes And Ladders with Naveen Chandra and Nandha Durairaj.

On 25^th March 2025, Manoj died at his home due to a cardiac arrest.