Thota Tharani studied mural painting at the Government College of Art and Crafts, Chennai and in 1971 went on to paint frescoes at the Banasthali Vidyapeeth in Rajasthan. Tharani’s print series like Force and Cyclone revolve around the concepts of space and movement. Tharani also attended Atelier 17 in Paris on the recommendation of his mentor, A. P. Paneerselvam. Apart from a practicing printmaking, Tharani is most well-known for his art direction in Indian cinema and especially Tamil films such as award-winning film Nayakan.