M. Thyagarajan

Thyagarajan was originally from Aruppukkottai. He made his directorial debut with Vetri Mel Vetri (1989), which did not achieve much success. He later directed AVM Productions' 150th film Maanagara Kaaval (1991), which became a major success. However, he did not get further directorial offers and suffered in poverty. In the mid-2000s, Thyagarajan was separated from his wife, who retained sole custody of their children, while he lived alone. He was found dead near AVM Studios in early December 2021.^[3][4]