Allirajah Subaskaran (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur. He was born in Sri Lanka, and later migrated to England and became a British citizen. He is the founder and chairman of Lyca Mobile, a telecommunications company and its entertainment subsidiary, Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India.
Allirajah Subaskaran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 March 1972 |
| Occupations | |
| Organization(s) | Lyca Mobile, Lyca Productions |
| Spouse | Prema Subaskaran |
| Children | 3 |
Career
editAllirajah started Lycamobile in 2006. As of 2018, Lycamobile was reported to serve 16 million customers across 23 countries.[1]
In 2010, he founded the Gnanam Foundation, named for his mother, Gnanambikai Allirajah. Gnanam has partnered with Muslim Aid to build a well in Sudan, and with Children’s Hunger Relief Fund to renovate wells in Sri Lanka.[2] In 2014, the foundation donated £59,000 to Save the Children during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.[3]
The company's first production was the film Kaththi in 2014. It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release.[4]
Since November 2018, Lycatel and its founder have been embroiled in disputes relating to alleged fraud. The company was due for a tribunal hearing in March 2020 to argue against the HM Revenue and Customs. The firm estimates that it would have to pay £60m if it loses – a potential liability that has almost doubled in recent years. Lycamobile declined to say how much is at stake in two other disputes.[5]
In September 2021, he became the new owner of the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Lyca Kovai Kings, a cricket team based in Coimbatore in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament, is owned by Lyca Productions.[6][7]
Allirajah formerly served on the Advisory Council for Sri Lanka within the British Asian Trust.[8]
Personal life
editAllirajah fled Sri Lanka with his family as a teenager, and moved first to France, where he worked at his family's restaurant in Paris, and then at their corner shop. He later settled in the UK.[9]
Filmography
editAll films produced or distributed by Allirajah Subaskaran have been through Lyca Productions, the company he founded. For a complete list, see Lyca Productions.
Awards
editIn October 2011 Lycatel was ranked 36th out of 250 leading mid-market private companies in The Sunday Times.[10] Allirajah received a gold award for Best Overall Enterprise in 2010 at the Asian Achievers Award ceremony for the impact he has made on the Asian community in the UK.[11] The Asian Voice Political and Public Life awarded Allirajah in 2011 its "International Entrepreneur of the Year" award.[12]
In 2012 the English Asian Business Awards presented Allirajah with the "2011 Power Business of the Year" award, recognizing the growth of the Lycamobile business globally,[13] as well as the "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" award.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Lycamobile settles with T-Mobile, reportedly heads to AT&T". Light Reading.
- ^ "Global Officials of Dignity Award conferred on first Lankan woman". Daily Ft.
- ^ "Lyca's Gnanam Foundation supports Ebola fight". Trumpet Media.
- ^ "At Rs 543 crore, Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth's 2.0 is costlier than Deadpool and these Hollywood blockbusters - Bollywood News". timesnownews.com. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ Hughes, Solomon; Evans, Rob (2 February 2020). "Major Tory donor Lycamobile embroiled in three disputes with HMRC". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Lyca Group Chairman Allirajah Subaskaran new owner of Jaffna Kings | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Allirajah Subaskaran new proprietor of Jaffna LPL franchise". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "How Allirajah Subaskaran's Gnanam Foundation Creates Global Impact". ABC Money.
- ^ Raghunathan, Anu (11 December 2018). "This Former Immigrant From Sri Lanka Just Made India's Most Expensive Movie". Forbes. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "Top Track 250 league table". 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012.
- ^ "Asian Achievers Awards 2010 > 2010". 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ "Asian bags international entrepreneur award for 2011". The Hindu Business Line. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ "Honour for English Asian Business award winners". Asian Image. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ "Winners of 2012 Asian Business". Asian Business Awards. 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.