Sudha Kongara

Sudha Kongara is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Born in 1971 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, she trained as an assistant director under Mani Ratnam before beginning her own directorial career. She came to wider attention with the boxing drama Irudhi Suttru, released in Hindi as Saala Khadoos in 2016, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil. Her 2020 film Soorarai Pottru won five National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay. In 2024 she directed Sarfira, the Hindi remake of Soorarai Pottru, starring Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan and Paresh Rawal.

Sudha Kongara is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Tamil cinema and has also directed in Telugu and Hindi. She trained for several years as an assistant to Mani Ratnam before turning to direction, and came to national attention with the boxing drama Irudhi Suttru (2016) and the acclaimed Soorarai Pottru (2020). In 2024 she directed Sarfira, the Hindi remake of her own Soorarai Pottru, headlined by Akshay Kumar.

Sudha Kongara Prasad was born in 1971 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, into a Telugu-speaking family. She studied History and Mass Communication at Women's Christian College in Chennai. Drawn to cinema, she began her career behind the camera rather than in front of it.

She spent about seven years as an associate director under Mani Ratnam, an apprenticeship that shaped her craft, before writing and directing her own films. She has generally kept her personal life out of the public eye.

Kongara began as a screenwriter, contributing to Revathi's Mitr, My Friend (2002). She made her directorial debut with the Telugu film Andhra Andhagadu (2008), followed by the Tamil film Drohi (2010).

Her breakthrough came with the bilingual boxing drama Irudhi Suttru, released in Hindi as Saala Khadoos (2016), starring R. Madhavan and Ritika Singh. It won her the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil.

In 2020 she directed Soorarai Pottru, inspired by the story of low-cost airline founder G. R. Gopinath. The film won five awards at the 68th National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay. She later directed the Hindi remake Sarfira (2024), starring Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan and Paresh Rawal.

Sudha Kongara has not publicly disclosed her net worth. As a director and screenwriter, her earnings come from directorial fees and writing credits on her films rather than from acting or endorsements, and no verified figure has been made public.