Agathiyan

Agathiyan () is an Indian film director. He is credited to be the first director of Tamil cinema to win the National Film Award for Best Direction. He was also awarded National Film Award for Best Screenplay in 1996 for the Tamil film "Kadhal Kottai".
Personal life.
He was born and brought up in Peravurani. He married Radha in 1978. His elder daughter Kani, host of Makkal TV, is married to Thiru, director of "Theeratha Vilaiyattu Pillai" and "Samar". Kani Thiru is a contestant in Vijay TV's Cook With Comali Season 2.
His second daughter Vijayalakshmi Agathiyan made her acting debut in the Tamil film "Chennai 600028" (2007) is married to Feroz, director of Pandigai movie. His younger daughter Niranjani Ahathian is a costume designer and actress who worked in Kabali and Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal is married to Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal director Desingh Periyasamy 
Career.
Agathiyan, a director in his late forties entered films a decade back and struggled as an assistant to various directors. Hailing from a agriculturist family, he spent a happy-go-lucky time in college, and when he decided to pack his bags and come to Chennai to try his luck in films as a director, he lost his family's support. Struggling with no money, he did odd jobs in film companies and became an assistant to anyone who offered him food and shelter.
He initially directed movie in 1991 and was credited as Ravi Thasan but it was unsuccessful. Anbalaya Prabhakaran, who acted in that movie and also produces small budgeted films with new directors, gave Ahahtian his second break as a director with "Madhumathi", a teenage love story with new faces. The film was a big hit. He was back to where he started, but again fate had bigger things in store for him. Sivasakthi Pandian, a film distributor turned producer, produced "Vaanmathi" with Ajith and Swathi. The film was a hit. Next came "Kadhal Kottai" from the same banner and Ahahtian became the toast of the industry. Offers poured in for films.
In late 2014, he began work on an untitled project produced by Bharathiraja featuring Santhosh Prathap, Oviya, Vijayalakshmi and Manoj Bharathiraja in the lead roles, but the film was later shelved.
He have served as jury member at 57th National Film Awards.