umar ar aja ▁was ▁born ▁and ▁raised ▁in ▁Chen na i , ▁T amil ▁N adu , ▁India . ▁His ▁parents ▁thought ▁he ’ d ▁pick ▁up ▁bad ▁hab its ▁if ▁he ▁stepped ▁out , ▁so ▁he ▁stayed ▁mostly ▁at ▁home . ▁He ▁lik es ▁books ▁of ▁Su j ath a , ▁Raj esh ▁K umar , ▁K ovi ▁Man ise kar an ▁& ▁Sand ily an . ▁But ▁the ▁real ▁entertain ment ▁was ▁the ▁bus ▁ride ▁from ▁his ▁home ▁in ▁Por ur ▁to ▁San th ome ▁High er ▁Second ary ▁School . ▁He ▁used ▁to ▁stand ▁next ▁to ▁the ▁driver , ▁obser ving ▁the ▁driver . ▁“ I ▁wanted ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁P TC ▁bus ▁driver ,” ▁he ▁says . ▁At ▁the ▁Class ▁XII ▁failed ▁in ▁Mathemat ics ▁subject . ▁On ▁his ▁words ▁“ If ▁I ▁didn ’ t ▁like ▁the ▁teacher , ▁I ▁wouldn ’ t ▁study .” ▁ ▁He ▁en rolled ▁for ▁a ▁Visual ▁Communic ations ▁course ▁at ▁the ▁Lo y ola ▁College , ▁Chen na i , ▁but ▁dropped ▁out ▁shortly ▁after ▁to ▁make ▁films . ▁K umar ar aja ▁c ited ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁composer ▁I la iy ara aja ' s ▁music ▁that ▁animated ▁him ▁to ▁come ▁to ▁films ▁and ▁to ▁study ▁Visual ▁Communic ations ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁place . ▁However , ▁he ▁dis cont in ued ▁his ▁studies ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 8 ▁and ▁started ▁to ▁work ▁as ▁a ▁fre el ance ▁copy writer ▁and ▁photograph er ▁for ▁a ▁while . ▁He ▁went ▁on ▁to