AR Murugadoss, who made his debut in 2001 with Ajith's Dheena, has only grown strength to strength. On the occasion of his 45th birthday, we look at how he has become the go-to MASS filmmaker 
Slideshows

Happy Birthday AR Murugadoss: Nine defining Mass moments from the filmmaker's 18-year journey

From Dheena to Darbar, AR Murugadoss has regaled not just the Tamil audience but has marked his stamp in Telugu and Hindi too. Always working with some of the biggest stars of each industry has made 'Mass' his middle name. 

Team CE
Dheena: Every mass hero needs that explosive introduction. When that one eye came on screen, theatres vibrated with chants of 'Thala' Ajith. ARM also showed even a romantic comedy scene can be MASS
Ramana: Can a college professor, wearing formal pants, full-hand shirts neatly tucked in, hair properly combed, and a soft smile on his lips be a Mass hero? Well... Vijayakanth in Ramana can. And how!
Ghajini: Remember him looking at the mirror to formulate his revenge plot? Remember him realising he has two adversaries? Remember him smiling towards the end? We do, even if Sanjay Ramasamy doesn't.
7aum Arivu: From Central Station to China and back, ARM and Suriya took us on a well... interesting ride. Be it as Bodhi Dharmar or Aravind, the mass elements were more about reclaiming our history
Thuppakki: When random coat-suit sporting soldiers, who look completely out of place, turn gunmen to bump off terrorists, you buy it despite the incredulity of it. Isn't that what Mass is all about...
Kaththi: ARM, Vijay sowed seeds for the present epidemic of farming films. The heavily-memed upside down Vijay of the teaser became a Mass moment in the film. This shows the calibre of AR Murugadoss
Spyder: A hero is only as good as the villain. And it is all about SJ Suryah in Spyder. He had all the high moments. Mahesh confidently takes a backseat, even in that epic scene with flying women.
Sarkar: We have seen nobodies taking on the system, but this time, we had influence taking on influence. This gave space for one Mass moment after the other, and Vijay aced it only like he can.
Darbar: When a director who is known for giving some of the biggest mass moments in almost 20 years meets the BIGGEST MASS SUPERSTAR, expect the unexpected indeed!

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