Guru Dhanapal made his directorial debut with
Unna Nenachen Pattu Padichen (1992) starring
Karthik,
Sasikala, and
Monisha in leading roles. In the 1990s, the director made a series of film starring
Sathyaraj in the lead role, achieving box office success with
Thai Maaman (1994) after which he made
Maaman Magal (1995) and
Periya Manushan (1997). The three films were described as "routine comedy masala ventures" and were filmed in very quick schedules. In between he collaborated with Jayaram twice in
Periya Idathu Mappillai (1997) and
Raja Magal, which did not release, as well as directing a portion of
Suyamvaram (1999), which featured an ensemble cast of actors from the Tamil film industry. A further project titled
Vanthanga Jeyichanga launched in 1998 with
Sathyaraj and
Meena, failed to materialise. Likewise, he began working on
Yen Vizhiyil Nee Irunthaal featuring Karthik and
Suvaluxmi in 2000, but the film was later shelved. His final venture was the much-delayed
Sathyaraj starrer
Suyetchai MLA in 2006. ==Filmography==