Guru Dhanapal (2 March 1960 – 18 April 2014) was an Indian film director, who worked in Tamil cinema, mostly with actor Sathyaraj.

Guru Dhanapal made his directorial debut with Unna Nenachen Pattu Padichen (1992) starring Karthik, Sasikala, and Monisha in leading roles.

[1] In between he collaborated with Jayaram twice in Periya Idathu Mappillai (1997) and Raja Magal, which did not release, as well as directing a portion of Suyamvaram (1999), which featured an ensemble cast of actors from the Tamil film industry.

[3] Likewise, he began working on Yen Vizhiyil Nee Irunthaal featuring Karthik and Suvaluxmi in 2000, but the film was later shelved.

[5] Guru Dhanapal died on 18 April 2014 at the age of 55 in Coimbatore after being admitted to hospital complaining of chest pains.