CHENNAI: The French government’s prestigious Chevalier Award for this year has been conferred on renowned art director Thota Tharani. With this, Tharani joins a list of notable Indian film personalities like Sivaji Ganesan, singer Balamuralikrishna, Kamal Haasan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Kalki Koechlin who had received the honour.
Thota Tharani will be conferred the award on November 13 at the Alliance Francaise in Chennai by the French Ambassador, alongside the inauguration of Tharani’s art exhibition. Having pursued his education at the Government Fine Arts College in Chennai and at the London’s Royal College of Art, Thota Tharani displayed his interest in the arts right from his childhood.
Throughout his illustrious career, he has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, three Nandi Awards, and a Kerala State Film Award. He was also honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001.
He began his career with the Telugu film Sommokadidhi Sokokadidhi (1978). Kamal Haasan and Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s Raja Paarvai (1981) marked his Tamil debut. The veteran art director is best known for films like Nayakan, Thalapathi, Indian, Sagara Sangamam, Sivaji, Dasavatharam, Ponniyin Selvan I and II. He recently worked on Dhanush-Nagarjuna’s Kuberaa and Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu.