Shankar Shanmugam, popularly known as S. Shankar, an Indian filmmaker who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is renowned for his films that address contemporary social issues, incorporate vigilante themes, and utilize advanced technology and visual effects. Shankar made his directorial debut with the film "Gentleman" in 1993, which earned him the Filmfare Best Director Award and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director.

Shankar often collaborates with composer A. R. Rahman, and together they have worked on more than 11 films. Two of his films, "Indian" (1996) and "Mudhalvan" (1998), which tackled social and political issues, achieved commercial success and were submitted by India for consideration in the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film category, although neither received a nomination. In recognition of his contributions to the film industry, Shankar received an honorary doctorate from M. G. R. University.

One of Shankar's notable works is the psychological thriller "Anniyan" (2005), starring Vikram in three distinct characters. The film garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. Following that, Shankar collaborated with Rajinikanth on "Sivaji" (2007), which was the most expensive Indian film at the time. Shankar was paid a record salary of ₹100 million for the film. "Sivaji" went on to become one of the highest-grossing Tamil films and the highest-grossing film of that year. Shankar and Rajinikanth later joined forces again for the science-fiction film "Enthiran" (2010) and its sequel "2.0" (2018), both of which achieved tremendous success at the box office.

Before entering the film industry, Shankar completed his diploma in mechanical engineering from Central Polytechnic College and worked in a typewriting company. He initially aspired to become an actor but eventually chose to pursue a career as a director. His talent was recognized by S. A. Chandrasekhar, who saw the drama stage shows produced by Shankar and his team, and he was subsequently brought into the film industry as a screenwriter. Since then, Shankar has established himself as one of the leading directors in Indian cinema.