Karthik Subbaraj Net Worth: Karthik Subbaraj is a successful South Indian Tamil film director, screenwriter and a producer. Mr. Subbharaj hasn’t published any net worth figures which are available in the public domain, but there are some of the rumours/sources in the Tamil entertainment media and fan sites tries to estimate his wealth in the range of ₹20–25 crore (roughly $2.5–3.1 million).
A Tamil Filmibeat reportedly estimates that “overall, his net worth is said to be around ₹20–25 crore,” and that he supposedly takes “at least ₹5–10 crores” per movie in fees. Forbes India (2019) lists his annual earnings at approximately ₹13.5 crore (≈$1.6M) (Karthik Subbaraj – Forbes India Magazine), but in a true sense it cannot be construed as his real Net Worth.
Though there are several reports out there which claims to have revealed Karthik Subbaraj’s Net Worth, one such unverified online profile claims about $10 million for Subbaraj, such reports should be taken with a grain of salt as these figures remains to be unsupported by mainstream sources or it isn’t verified by Karthik Subbaraj himself.

Karthik Subbaraj Net Worth: Sources of Income Revealed
Karthik Subbaraj earns primarily come from his film direction in cinema.
Key sources include:
- Film Direction Fees: Reportedly gets paid in the range of ₹5–10 crore per film as director fees, Blockbuster projects (like Petta) must have taken higher fees.
- Screenwriting/Story: Karthik Subbaraj often believes in writing the stories himself or co-writes his films; this directly translates into additional fees or writer credits.
- Producing (Stone Bench Creations): As a Founder of Stone Bench Creations, he earns from films he produces (box-office shares, producer fees, etc.) as well.
- OTT/Digital Rights: Direct-to-streaming releases and rights sales have been lucrative. Notably, Jagame Thandhiram (2021) was sold to Netflix for approx.₹55 crore, which again directly contributes to his wealth.
- Awards and Prizes: National awards and juried prizes (e.g. for Jigarthanda) often include cash rewards as well.
- Other Ventures: Occasionally appears as judge on some TV shows and has other minor credits, but no real major brand endorsements or businesses are available in public domain.
Box Office: Major Films (Budget vs Revenue)
Subbaraj’s some of the major directorial works include a few occasional low-budget hits and some of the big-star blockbusters.
The table below highlights a few examples with available data. Exact budgets and grosses vary by source, but the table uses published estimates where possible:
Film | Year | Role | Budget (₹ Cr) | Box Office / Revenue (₹ Cr) | Notes / Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pizza | 2012 | Director | 1.5 | 8.0 | Low-budget hit (Pizza (film series) – Wikipedia) |
Jigarthanda | 2014 | Director | – | – | Critically acclaimed; strong TN collections (Jigarthanda (2014 film) – Wikipedia) |
Mercury | 2018 | Director | – | – | Glassflake thriller (dialogue-free); poor BO. |
Petta | 2019 | Director | ~160 | Blockbuster (India+TN) | Rajinikanth star vehicle (budget ~₹160Cr ([Petta Box Office Collection |
Jagame Thandhiram | 2021 | Director | – | Netflix ₹55.0 (rights sale) | Sold to Netflix for ₹55Cr. |
Mahaan | 2022 | Director | – | – | Starring Vikram (released on Amazon Prime). |
Assets and Investments
Assets:
- No public record of Subbaraj’s personal assets.
- Rumors mention his directorial fees, other sources of income, but no exact figures are available.
- Unverified reports surfaces every now and then which claims that Mr. Subbaraj owns some Cars, bungalows, etc..
Investments:
- His stake in Stone Bench Creations.
- The residuals/rights from his films.
- 2019 Forbes listing of earnings suggests he could have built significant savings, but exact investments are unknown.
Also Read: 2025 Retro Review: The Ultimate breakdown, is it Worth to Watch?
Summary
In summary, most credible indicators suggest his net worth to be a few tens of crores of rupees, not hundreds. (All figures are before tax and debt, and should be treated as estimates only.)