Gautham Menon
Encyclopedia
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an India
n film director
and producer
. Mainly working in Tamil cinema
, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu
films which are remakes of his Tamil films. Many of his films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his semi-autobiographical Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), romantic classic Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), his action-thrillers Kaakha Kaakha
(2003) and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu
(2006). Vaaranam Aayiram won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
.
father and Tamil
mother on 25 February 1973 in Kerala
. Although, born in Kerala
he grew up in Trichy. He did his schooling in Vailankanni Raj Mat. Hr., Sec School at K.K Nagar, Trichy and did his Mechanical Engineering
in Mookambigai College of Engineering
, Trichy, Tamil Nadu
.
in the batch of 1993, and his time there inspired him to make his lead characters of Minnale
and Vaaranam Aayiram, students of the same course. He claims to have been inspired by films such as Dead Poet's Society and Nayagan
and expressed his desire to his parents to change career path and become a filmmaker and consequently wrote his first film at his college hostel. His mother insisted he became an ad film maker by shooting various commercials and took an apprenticeship under filmmaker Rajiv Menon
. He went on to work as an assistant director for Minsaara Kanavu
in 1997, in which he also appeared in a cameo role.
Gautham Menon launched a Tamil romantic film O Lala in 2000 with the project eventually changing producers and title into Minnale
with Madhavan
, who was at the beginning of his career, being signed on to portray the lead role. About the making of the film, Menon revealed that he found it difficult as the team was new to the industry with only the editor of the film, Suresh Urs, being a prominent technician in the industry. Menon had come under further pressure when Madhavan had insisted that Menon narrated the story to his mentor, Mani Ratnam
, to identify if the film was a positive career move after the success of his Alaipayuthey
. Despite initial reservations, Menon did so and Ratnam was unimpressed; however Menon has cited that he thought that Madhavan "felt sorry" and later agreed to continue with the project. The film also featured Abbas
and newcomer Reemma Sen in significant roles, whilst Menon introduced Harris Jayaraj
as music composer with the film. The film was advertised as a Valentine's Day
release in 2001 and told the tale of a young man who falls in love with the girl engaged to his ex-college rival and how he manages to get married to her. Upon release it went on to become a large success commercially and won positive reviews from critics with claims that the film had a lot of " lot of verve and vigour" and that it was "technically excellent".
The success of the film led to producer Vashu Bhagnani signing him on to direct the Hindi language remake of the film, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
, which also featured Madhavan with Diya Mirza and Saif Ali Khan
added to the film. Menon was initially apprehensive but said it took "half an hour" to agree and against his intentions, the producer opted against retaining the technical crew of the original. He changed a few elements, deleted certain scenes and added some more for the version.
However in comparison, the film gained poor reviews with a critic citing that "the presentation is not absorbing" though stating that he " handled certain sequences with aplomb"; the film subsequently went on to become a below average grosser at the box office. The failure of the film left him disappointed, with Menon claiming in hindsight that the film lacked the simplicity of the original with the producer's intervention affecting proceedings. In 2011, the producer of the film approached him to remake the film with the producer's son Jackky Bhagnani
in the lead role, but Menon was uninterested with the offer.
featuring Suriya, Jyothika
and Jeevan
in the lead roles. The film portrayed the personal life of a police officer and how his life is affected by gangsters, showing a different perspective of police in comparison to other Tamil films of the time. Menon revealed that he was inspired to make the film after reading of articles on how encounter specialists shoot gangsters and how their families get threatening calls in return, and initially approached Madhavan
, Ajith Kumar
and then Vikram
for the role without success, with all three actors citing that they did not want to play a police officer. The lead actress Jyothika asked Menon to consider Suriya for the role, and he was subsequently selected after Menon saw his portrayal in Nandha
. He did a rehearsal of the script with the actors, a costume trial with Jyothika and then enrolled Suriya in a commando training school before beginning production, which he described as a "very planned shoot". The film consequently opened to very positive reviews from critics on the way to becoming another success for Menon, with critics labeling it as a "career high film". Furthermore, the film was described as for "action lovers who believe in logical storylines and deft treatment" with Menon being praised for his linear narrative screenplay.
Gautham Menon subsequently remade the film in the Telugu language for producer Venkata Raju and went on to claim that the new version was better than the previous version and that his new lead actor Venkatesh
was more convincing that Surya in the role. The film also featured actress Asin
and Saleem Baig in prominent roles and went on to earn commercial and critical acclaim with reviewers citing that "film redeems itself due to the technical excellence and masterful craft of Gautham", drawing comparisons of Menon with noted film makers Mani Ratnam
and Ram Gopal Varma
. In July 2004, Menon also agreed terms to direct and produce another version of Kaakha Kaakha in Hindi with Sunny Deol
in the lead role and revealed that the script was written five years ago with Deol in mind, but the film eventually failed to take off. Producer Vipul Shah approached him to direct the Hindi version of the film in 2010 as Force
with John Abraham
and Genelia D'Souza
, and Menon initially agreed before pulling out again. Menon and the original producer, Dhanu, also floated an idea of an English
version with a Chechnyan backdrop, though talks with a potential collaboration with Ashok Amritraj
collapsed.
Gautham Menon was then signed on to direct a venture starring Kamal Haasan
and produced by Kaja Mohideen, and initially suggested a one-line story which went on to become Pachaikili Muthucharam for the collaboration. Kamal Haasan wanted a different story and thus the investigative thriller film, Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu, was written with Jyothika, Kamalinee Mukerji, Prakash Raj
, Daniel Balaji
and Saleem Baig added to the cast. The film told another episode from a police officer's life, with an Indian cop moved to America to investigate the case of psychotic serial killers before returning to pursue the chase in India. During the shooting, the unit ran into problems after the producer had attempted suicide
and as a result, Kamal Haasan wanted to quit the project. Menon subsequently convinced him to stay on as they had taken advance payments. He has since revealed that unlike Kamal Haasan's other films, he did not take particular control of the script or production of the film. The film however had gone through change from the original script with less emphasis on the antagonists than Menon had hoped and he also revealed that scenes for songs were forced him and shot without him. The film released in August 2006 and went on to become his third successive hit film in Tamil and once again, he won rave reviews for his direction. Menon later expressed interest in remaking the film in Hindi with Amitabh Bachchan
in the lead role without the love angle, though the project fell through after discussions. He has stated his intent on making a trilogy of police episode films, with a possible third featuring Vikram
in the lead role.
by James Siegel
, featured Sarath Kumar
and Jyothika
in the lead roles and was released in February 2007. Initially the lead role was offered to Kamal Haasan
who passed the opportunity, while actors Cheran
and Madhavan
declined citing date and image problems respectively. Menon met Sarath Kumar
at an event where he cited he was looking to change his 'action' image and Menon subsequently cast him in the lead role. During production, the film ran into further casting trouble with Simran dropping out her assigned role and was replaced by Shobana after another actress, Tabu
, also rejected the role. Shobana was also duly replaced by a newcomer, Andrea Jeremiah
to portray the character of Kalyani in the film. The film was under production for over a year and coincided with the making of his previous film which was largely delayed. The film initially opened to positive reviews with a critic citing that Menon is "growing with each passing film. His style is distinctive, his vision clear, his team rallies around him and he manages to pull it off each time he attempts". However the film became a financial failure for the producer, Venu Ravichandran
and in regard to the failure of the film, Menon went on to claim that Sarath Kumar was "wrong for the film" and that he tweaked the story to fit his image; he also claimed that his father's ailing health and consequent death a week before the release had left him mentally affected.
His next release, Vaaranam Aayiram, saw him re-collaborate with Suriya, who played dual roles in the film. The film illustrates the theme of how a father often came across in his son's life as a hero and inspiration, and Menon dedicated the film to his late father who had died in 2007. The pre-production of the film, then titled Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam began in 2003, with Menon planning his a romantic film with Suriya as a follow up to their successful previous collaboration, Kaakha Kaakha
. Abhirami
was signed and then dropped due to her height before a relatively new actress at the time Asin
was selected to make her debut in Tamil films with the project.
The first schedule of the film began in January 2004 in Visakhapatanam and consequently romantic scenes with Suriya and Asin were shot for ten days and then a photo shoot with the pair. The film was subsequently stalled and was eventually relaunched with a new cast including Divya Spandana, Simran and Sameera Reddy
in 2006 with Oscar Ravichandran stepping in as producer, who opted for a change of title. Menon has described the film as "autobiographical and a very personal story and if people didn’t know, that 70% of this [the film] is from my life". The film's production process became noted for the strain and the hard work that Suriya had gone through to portray the different roles with production taking close to two years. The film released to a positive response, with critics heaping praise on Suriya's performance while claiming that the film was "just a feather in Gautam's hat" and that it was "hardly a classic". The film was made at a budget of 15 crore rupees and became a commercial success, bringing in almost 22 crore rupees worldwide. It went on to become Menon's most appreciated work till date winning five Filmfare Awards
, nine Vijay Awards
and the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
for 2008 amongst other accolades.
In 2010, Menon made a return to romantic genre after nine years with the Tamil romantic film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, starring Silambarasan and Trisha Krishnan
. The film explored the complicated relationship between a Hindu Tamil assistant director, Karthik, and a Syrian Christian Malayali girl, Jessie and their resultant emotional conflicts. The film featured music by A. R. Rahman
in his first collaboration with Menon whilst cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa
was also selected to be a part of the technical crew. Menon cited that he was "a week away from starting the film with a newcomer" before his producer insisted they looked at Silambarasan, with Menon revealing that he was unimpressed with the actor's previous work. The film was in production for close to a year and throughout the opening week of filming, promotional posters from classic Indian romantic films were released featuring the lead pair. Prior to release, the film became the first Tamil project to have a music soundtrack premiere outside of India, with a successful launch at the BAFTA in London
. Upon release, the film achieved positive reviews, with several critics giving the film "classic" status, whilst also become a commercially successful venture. Reviewers praised Menon citing that "credit for their perfect portrayal, of course, goes to Gautam Menon. This is one director who's got the pulse of today's urban youth perfectly" and that "crafted a movie that will stay in our hearts for a long, long time." The film was simultaneously released with a Telugu version, titled Ye Maaya Chesave
featuring a fresh cast of Naga Chaitanya
and debutante Samantha
in the lead roles. Like the Tamil version, the film won critical acclaim and being given "classic" status from critics. Both films also went on to become large commercial successes, and the films have received awards from award committees.
Menon had also made progress over the previous two years directing the psychological thriller Nadunisi Naaygal
featuring his assistant and debutant Veera Bahu
and Sameera Reddy
in the lead roles. Menon claimed that the film was inspired by a true event from the USA, while also claiming that a novel also helped form the story of the film. During the making, he explicitly revealed that the film was for "the multiplex audience" and would face a limited release, citing that "it will not cater to all sections of the audience". He promoted the film by presenting a chat show dubbed as Koffee with Gautham where he intereviewed Bharathiraja
and Silambarasan, both of whom had previously worked in such psychological thriller films with Sigappu Rojakkal
and Manmadhan
. The film, which was his first home production under Photon Kathaas
and did not have a background score, told the story of a victim of child abuse and the havoc he causes to women, narrating the events of a particular day. The film opened to mixed reviews with one critic citing it as "above average" but warning that "don’t go expecting a typical Gautham romantic film" and that it "is definitely not for the family audiences", while criticizing that "there are too many loopholes in the story, raising doubts about logic". In contrast another critic dubbed it as an "unimpressive show by star director Menon, as it is neither convincing nor appealing, despite having some engrossing moments".
playing the lead roles in the version given the working title of Prem Katha
. Furthermore, he has expressed that he is likely to restart his long-delayed project Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam with reports emerging that he may begin the film again with a fresh cast. Another film, a home production Thuppariyum Anand has also been announced with Menon stating that he has completed the script and handed copies to Aamir Khan
and Kamal Haasan
, in the hope that either will do the film. Menon has also agreed terms to direct a trilingual romantic film titled as Neethaane En Ponvasantham
in Tamil, Nithya
in Telugu and is yet to be titled in Hindi. While Jiiva, Nani
and Aditya Roy Kapoor play the lead roles in their respective languages.
He has also announced a crime film
film with actor Vijay, titled Yohan: Adhyayam Ondru. It is expected to go on floors from March 2012, once Ek Deewaana Tha and Neethaane En Ponvasantham/Nithya are released.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. Mainly working in Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
films which are remakes of his Tamil films. Many of his films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his semi-autobiographical Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), romantic classic Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), his action-thrillers Kaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha is a 2003 Tamil crime thriller film starring Surya, Jyothika and Jeevan in the lead roles. The film was written and directed by Gautham Menon and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj...
(2003) and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu
The soundtrack of the film consists of 5 songs, composed by Harris Jayaraj and the songs were appreciated very much as soon as the audio was launched. Behindwoods was highly pleased with the album commenting,"The album has not let down expectations. It is the usual mix by Harris...
(2006). Vaaranam Aayiram won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The following lists the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The year in the header refers to the date when the film was censored and submitted for the awards, without of regard of when the award was presented. Apart from the Silver Lotus Award "Certificate of Merit" was also given...
.
Early life and education
Gautham was born to a MalayaliMalayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
father and Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
mother on 25 February 1973 in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. Although, born in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
he grew up in Trichy. He did his schooling in Vailankanni Raj Mat. Hr., Sec School at K.K Nagar, Trichy and did his Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
in Mookambigai College of Engineering
Mookambigai College of Engineering
Mookambigai College of Engineering is an engineering institute in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It is affiliated to Anna University. The chairman of the College is S. Subramaniam and the Principal is M. G...
, Trichy, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Early work and Minnale, 2001
Gautham Menon was a student of mechanical engineering at Mookambigai College of EngineeringMookambigai College of Engineering
Mookambigai College of Engineering is an engineering institute in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It is affiliated to Anna University. The chairman of the College is S. Subramaniam and the Principal is M. G...
in the batch of 1993, and his time there inspired him to make his lead characters of Minnale
Minnale
Minnale is a 2001 Tamil film written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film featured Madhavan, Abbas and Reemma Sen, with Vivek and Nagesh also appearing in pivotal roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by debutant Harris Jayaraj, which became successful prior to release, helping the film...
and Vaaranam Aayiram, students of the same course. He claims to have been inspired by films such as Dead Poet's Society and Nayagan
Nayagan
Nayagan is a Indian film, written, directed, and co-produced by Mani Ratnam which released on 21 October 1987 coinciding with Diwali. Upon release, the film got rave reviews across India. Kamal Hassan's performance as Velu Naiker earned him a National Film Award for Best Actor. The film also...
and expressed his desire to his parents to change career path and become a filmmaker and consequently wrote his first film at his college hostel. His mother insisted he became an ad film maker by shooting various commercials and took an apprenticeship under filmmaker Rajiv Menon
Rajiv Menon
Rajiv Menon is an Indian cinematographer and film maker. He is known for directing critically acclaimed Tamil films like Minsaara Kanavu and Kandukondain Kandukondain.-Early Life:...
. He went on to work as an assistant director for Minsaara Kanavu
Minsaara Kanavu
Minsara Kanavu is a 1997 Tamil, Romance film, directed by Rajiv Menon. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by A. R. Rahman. Originally produced in Tamil, it went on to be dubbed in Telugu and in Hindi owing to its popularity....
in 1997, in which he also appeared in a cameo role.
Gautham Menon launched a Tamil romantic film O Lala in 2000 with the project eventually changing producers and title into Minnale
Minnale
Minnale is a 2001 Tamil film written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film featured Madhavan, Abbas and Reemma Sen, with Vivek and Nagesh also appearing in pivotal roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by debutant Harris Jayaraj, which became successful prior to release, helping the film...
with Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
, who was at the beginning of his career, being signed on to portray the lead role. About the making of the film, Menon revealed that he found it difficult as the team was new to the industry with only the editor of the film, Suresh Urs, being a prominent technician in the industry. Menon had come under further pressure when Madhavan had insisted that Menon narrated the story to his mentor, Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
, to identify if the film was a positive career move after the success of his Alaipayuthey
Alaipayuthey
Alaipayuthey is a 2000 Tamil romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan and Shalini, the film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R...
. Despite initial reservations, Menon did so and Ratnam was unimpressed; however Menon has cited that he thought that Madhavan "felt sorry" and later agreed to continue with the project. The film also featured Abbas
Abbas (actor)
Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...
and newcomer Reemma Sen in significant roles, whilst Menon introduced Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian film composer. He has written scores and soundtracks for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.- Early life :Harris Jayaraj hails from a pious Christian Nadar family and was born and brought up in Chennai. Harris studied at Krishnaswamy Matric School, Nungambakam. His father,...
as music composer with the film. The film was advertised as a Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
release in 2001 and told the tale of a young man who falls in love with the girl engaged to his ex-college rival and how he manages to get married to her. Upon release it went on to become a large success commercially and won positive reviews from critics with claims that the film had a lot of " lot of verve and vigour" and that it was "technically excellent".
The success of the film led to producer Vashu Bhagnani signing him on to direct the Hindi language remake of the film, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein is a 2001 Indian film directed by Gautham Menon starring Madhavan, Diya Mirza in the lead roles & Saif Ali Khan in the supporting role. It was a remake of the popular Tamil film Minnale which also starred Madhavan in the lead...
, which also featured Madhavan with Diya Mirza and Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the late former Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters: Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan....
added to the film. Menon was initially apprehensive but said it took "half an hour" to agree and against his intentions, the producer opted against retaining the technical crew of the original. He changed a few elements, deleted certain scenes and added some more for the version.
However in comparison, the film gained poor reviews with a critic citing that "the presentation is not absorbing" though stating that he " handled certain sequences with aplomb"; the film subsequently went on to become a below average grosser at the box office. The failure of the film left him disappointed, with Menon claiming in hindsight that the film lacked the simplicity of the original with the producer's intervention affecting proceedings. In 2011, the producer of the film approached him to remake the film with the producer's son Jackky Bhagnani
Jackky Bhagnani
Jackky Bhagnani is an Indian Hindi film actor. He is the son of Indian producer Vashu Bhagnani.-Early life:He studied in St.Teresa’s High School and used to accompany his father on the sets of many movies. Post schooling, He chose to acquire a Degree in Commerce from H.R...
in the lead role, but Menon was uninterested with the offer.
Police duology, 2003-2006
Menon returned in 2003 by directing the realistic police thriller Kaakha KaakhaKaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha is a 2003 Tamil crime thriller film starring Surya, Jyothika and Jeevan in the lead roles. The film was written and directed by Gautham Menon and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj...
featuring Suriya, Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan
Jyothika Sadanah-Saravanan is a former Indian film actress who predominantly appeared in Tamil films. She also acted in a few Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. She gained critical acclaim for her performances in Kushi, Perazhagan, Chandramukhi and Mozhi, winning one Filmfare and three...
and Jeevan
Jeevan
Jeevan is a Tamil film actor.-Biography:He graduated from the St. Bede's School in Chennai. One of his classmates was actor Surya Sivakumar.-Career:...
in the lead roles. The film portrayed the personal life of a police officer and how his life is affected by gangsters, showing a different perspective of police in comparison to other Tamil films of the time. Menon revealed that he was inspired to make the film after reading of articles on how encounter specialists shoot gangsters and how their families get threatening calls in return, and initially approached Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
, Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
and then Vikram
Vikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
for the role without success, with all three actors citing that they did not want to play a police officer. The lead actress Jyothika asked Menon to consider Suriya for the role, and he was subsequently selected after Menon saw his portrayal in Nandha
Nandha
The soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, son of noted composer Ilaiyaraaja, who usually scores the music for a Bala film. The soundtrack was released on 21 October 2001 at Hotel Connemara, Chennai by actor Kamal Haasan and director Bharathiraja. It features 6 tracks, out of which two were...
. He did a rehearsal of the script with the actors, a costume trial with Jyothika and then enrolled Suriya in a commando training school before beginning production, which he described as a "very planned shoot". The film consequently opened to very positive reviews from critics on the way to becoming another success for Menon, with critics labeling it as a "career high film". Furthermore, the film was described as for "action lovers who believe in logical storylines and deft treatment" with Menon being praised for his linear narrative screenplay.
Gautham Menon subsequently remade the film in the Telugu language for producer Venkata Raju and went on to claim that the new version was better than the previous version and that his new lead actor Venkatesh
Daggubati Venkatesh
Venkatesh Daggubati is an Indian film actor who stars in Tollywood films. He is the son of veteran Tollywood film producer, former MP, Dr. D. Ramanaidu. He is often credited as Victory Venkatesh in films and is one of the lead actors in Telugu Cinema. He has won seven Nandi Awards and four...
was more convincing that Surya in the role. The film also featured actress Asin
Asín
Asín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
and Saleem Baig in prominent roles and went on to earn commercial and critical acclaim with reviewers citing that "film redeems itself due to the technical excellence and masterful craft of Gautham", drawing comparisons of Menon with noted film makers Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
and Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer...
. In July 2004, Menon also agreed terms to direct and produce another version of Kaakha Kaakha in Hindi with Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
in the lead role and revealed that the script was written five years ago with Deol in mind, but the film eventually failed to take off. Producer Vipul Shah approached him to direct the Hindi version of the film in 2010 as Force
Force (film)
-Critical response:The album received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise being given to "Khwabon Khwabon". Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave 3 out of 5 stars and said "Force delivers as promised and turns out to be an impressive soundtrack...
with John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
and Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003...
, and Menon initially agreed before pulling out again. Menon and the original producer, Dhanu, also floated an idea of an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version with a Chechnyan backdrop, though talks with a potential collaboration with Ashok Amritraj
Ashok Amritraj
Ashok Amritraj is an Indian American film producer, former tour professional tennis player, and chairman of Hyde Park Entertainment.-Professional tennis:...
collapsed.
Gautham Menon was then signed on to direct a venture starring Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
and produced by Kaja Mohideen, and initially suggested a one-line story which went on to become Pachaikili Muthucharam for the collaboration. Kamal Haasan wanted a different story and thus the investigative thriller film, Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu, was written with Jyothika, Kamalinee Mukerji, Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
, Daniel Balaji
Daniel Balaji
Daniel Balaji is a film actor from south india.-Career:His first role was in the television serial Chithi, where he played a character named Daniel...
and Saleem Baig added to the cast. The film told another episode from a police officer's life, with an Indian cop moved to America to investigate the case of psychotic serial killers before returning to pursue the chase in India. During the shooting, the unit ran into problems after the producer had attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and as a result, Kamal Haasan wanted to quit the project. Menon subsequently convinced him to stay on as they had taken advance payments. He has since revealed that unlike Kamal Haasan's other films, he did not take particular control of the script or production of the film. The film however had gone through change from the original script with less emphasis on the antagonists than Menon had hoped and he also revealed that scenes for songs were forced him and shot without him. The film released in August 2006 and went on to become his third successive hit film in Tamil and once again, he won rave reviews for his direction. Menon later expressed interest in remaking the film in Hindi with Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
in the lead role without the love angle, though the project fell through after discussions. He has stated his intent on making a trilogy of police episode films, with a possible third featuring Vikram
Vikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
in the lead role.
Experimentation and success, 2007-2011
His next project, Pachaikili Muthucharam, based on the novel DerailedDerailed
Derailed is a 2005 British-American thriller film based on the novel of the same name by James Siegel. The film is directed by Mikael Håfström and stars Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Vincent Cassel, Melissa George, Addison Timlin, Giancarlo Esposito, RZA and Xzibit. This film was the first to be...
by James Siegel
James Siegel
James Siegel is an American thriller novelist. He holds a B.A. from the York College 1977, City University of New York, and lives in Long Island....
, featured Sarath Kumar
Sarath Kumar
Sarathkumar Ramanathan is an Indian journalist, film actor, politician, body builder and the current president of the South Indian Film Artistes' Association. He started his career in Tamil cinema playing negative roles, and later played minor roles in other movies. He was first chosen for the...
and Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan
Jyothika Sadanah-Saravanan is a former Indian film actress who predominantly appeared in Tamil films. She also acted in a few Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. She gained critical acclaim for her performances in Kushi, Perazhagan, Chandramukhi and Mozhi, winning one Filmfare and three...
in the lead roles and was released in February 2007. Initially the lead role was offered to Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
who passed the opportunity, while actors Cheran
Cheran (director)
Cheran is a Tamil film director from Tamil Nadu, India. He has won the Indian National Film Award thrice for Vetri Kodi Kattu , Autograph , and Thavamai Thavamirundhu . Besides he is three-time Filmfare Award winner as well....
and Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
declined citing date and image problems respectively. Menon met Sarath Kumar
Sarath Kumar
Sarathkumar Ramanathan is an Indian journalist, film actor, politician, body builder and the current president of the South Indian Film Artistes' Association. He started his career in Tamil cinema playing negative roles, and later played minor roles in other movies. He was first chosen for the...
at an event where he cited he was looking to change his 'action' image and Menon subsequently cast him in the lead role. During production, the film ran into further casting trouble with Simran dropping out her assigned role and was replaced by Shobana after another actress, Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...
, also rejected the role. Shobana was also duly replaced by a newcomer, Andrea Jeremiah
Andrea Jeremiah
Andrea Jeremiah is an Tamil playback singer, voice actor and a film and theatre actress. Beginning her career singing playback, Andrea has gone on to appear in critically acclaimed films such as Pachaikili Muthucharam and Aayirathil Oruvan, winning praise for her portrayals.-Career:Andrea was born...
to portray the character of Kalyani in the film. The film was under production for over a year and coincided with the making of his previous film which was largely delayed. The film initially opened to positive reviews with a critic citing that Menon is "growing with each passing film. His style is distinctive, his vision clear, his team rallies around him and he manages to pull it off each time he attempts". However the film became a financial failure for the producer, Venu Ravichandran
Venu Ravichandran
Venu Ravichandran is an Indian film producer and distributor in Chennai, India. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Aascar Films.-Career:...
and in regard to the failure of the film, Menon went on to claim that Sarath Kumar was "wrong for the film" and that he tweaked the story to fit his image; he also claimed that his father's ailing health and consequent death a week before the release had left him mentally affected.
His next release, Vaaranam Aayiram, saw him re-collaborate with Suriya, who played dual roles in the film. The film illustrates the theme of how a father often came across in his son's life as a hero and inspiration, and Menon dedicated the film to his late father who had died in 2007. The pre-production of the film, then titled Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam began in 2003, with Menon planning his a romantic film with Suriya as a follow up to their successful previous collaboration, Kaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha
Kaakha Kaakha is a 2003 Tamil crime thriller film starring Surya, Jyothika and Jeevan in the lead roles. The film was written and directed by Gautham Menon and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj...
. Abhirami
Abhirami (actress)
Abhirami is an Indian film actress, who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.- Career :...
was signed and then dropped due to her height before a relatively new actress at the time Asin
Asín
Asín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
was selected to make her debut in Tamil films with the project.
The first schedule of the film began in January 2004 in Visakhapatanam and consequently romantic scenes with Suriya and Asin were shot for ten days and then a photo shoot with the pair. The film was subsequently stalled and was eventually relaunched with a new cast including Divya Spandana, Simran and Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
in 2006 with Oscar Ravichandran stepping in as producer, who opted for a change of title. Menon has described the film as "autobiographical and a very personal story and if people didn’t know, that 70% of this [the film] is from my life". The film's production process became noted for the strain and the hard work that Suriya had gone through to portray the different roles with production taking close to two years. The film released to a positive response, with critics heaping praise on Suriya's performance while claiming that the film was "just a feather in Gautam's hat" and that it was "hardly a classic". The film was made at a budget of 15 crore rupees and became a commercial success, bringing in almost 22 crore rupees worldwide. It went on to become Menon's most appreciated work till date winning five Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
, nine Vijay Awards
Vijay Awards
The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has given annually since 2006. The awards are decided by a jury, consisting of noted filmmakers, critics and technicians, while winners in a separate category named "Favourite awards"...
and the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The following lists the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The year in the header refers to the date when the film was censored and submitted for the awards, without of regard of when the award was presented. Apart from the Silver Lotus Award "Certificate of Merit" was also given...
for 2008 amongst other accolades.
In 2010, Menon made a return to romantic genre after nine years with the Tamil romantic film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, starring Silambarasan and Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan is an Indian film actress and model, who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, but has also appeared in Hindi language films. She was noticed after winning several beauty pageants like the Miss Madras contest , which marked her entry into filmdom...
. The film explored the complicated relationship between a Hindu Tamil assistant director, Karthik, and a Syrian Christian Malayali girl, Jessie and their resultant emotional conflicts. The film featured music by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
in his first collaboration with Menon whilst cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa
Manoj Paramahamsa
- Biography :He was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Educated at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu at Chennai, he received his early training from the cinematographer S. Saravanan. Manoj started his career by assisting in films such as Pammal K...
was also selected to be a part of the technical crew. Menon cited that he was "a week away from starting the film with a newcomer" before his producer insisted they looked at Silambarasan, with Menon revealing that he was unimpressed with the actor's previous work. The film was in production for close to a year and throughout the opening week of filming, promotional posters from classic Indian romantic films were released featuring the lead pair. Prior to release, the film became the first Tamil project to have a music soundtrack premiere outside of India, with a successful launch at the BAFTA in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Upon release, the film achieved positive reviews, with several critics giving the film "classic" status, whilst also become a commercially successful venture. Reviewers praised Menon citing that "credit for their perfect portrayal, of course, goes to Gautam Menon. This is one director who's got the pulse of today's urban youth perfectly" and that "crafted a movie that will stay in our hearts for a long, long time." The film was simultaneously released with a Telugu version, titled Ye Maaya Chesave
Ye Maaya Chesave
Ye Maaya Chesave is a 2010 Telugu-language romantic drama written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles. It was produced by Manjula Ghattamaneni under the banner Indira Productions, and features a very successful music soundtrack...
featuring a fresh cast of Naga Chaitanya
Naga Chaitanya
Naga Chaitanya is an Indian film actor who has appeared in Telugu films. He made his debut in the 2009 college film, Josh His second film, Gautham Menon's Ye Maaya Chesave became a commercial as well as critical success, with his portrayal of a love-torn film director winning him critical acclaim...
and debutante Samantha
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian film actress and model who appears in Telugu and Tamil films. Born to Malayali and Telugu parents, Samantha was brought up in Chennai and pursued a career in modeling during her late teens...
in the lead roles. Like the Tamil version, the film won critical acclaim and being given "classic" status from critics. Both films also went on to become large commercial successes, and the films have received awards from award committees.
Menon had also made progress over the previous two years directing the psychological thriller Nadunisi Naaygal
Nadunisi Naaygal
Nadunisi Naaygal is a 2011 Tamil psychological thriller film written and directed by Gautham Menon that stars Sameera Reddy, Veera Bahu and Deva in lead roles, with Swapna Abraham, Ashwin Kakumanu and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in other pivotal roles. The film notably does not feature any kind of film...
featuring his assistant and debutant Veera Bahu
Veera Bahu
Veera is an Indian film actor. Closely associated with director Gautham Menon, Veera has worked previously as Menon's Assistant in the film Vaaranam Aayiram, and has been involved with the production teams of Vettaiyadu Vilayadu , Pachaikili Muthucharam and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa...
and Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
in the lead roles. Menon claimed that the film was inspired by a true event from the USA, while also claiming that a novel also helped form the story of the film. During the making, he explicitly revealed that the film was for "the multiplex audience" and would face a limited release, citing that "it will not cater to all sections of the audience". He promoted the film by presenting a chat show dubbed as Koffee with Gautham where he intereviewed Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja
P. Bharathiraja , is a critically acclaimed South Indian filmmaker.He displayed a story-teller's potential from an early age. Bharathiraja is known for his realistic and sensitive portrayal of village-life in his movies....
and Silambarasan, both of whom had previously worked in such psychological thriller films with Sigappu Rojakkal
Sigappu Rojakkal
Sigappu Rojakkal is a 1978 Tamil thriller film starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi. Directed by Bharathiraja,music by Ilayaraja and cinematography by P.S.Nivas...
and Manmadhan
Manmadhan
Manmadhan is a 2004 blockbuster Indian Tamil thriller film written and Directed by A.J. Murugan, STR plays the lead title role. The film has Jyothika enacting the lead female role, Goundamani, Sindhu Tolani, Atul Kulkarni and Santhanam playing supporting roles and guest appearances by Mandira...
. The film, which was his first home production under Photon Kathaas
Photon Kathaas
Photon Kathaas is an Indian film production company led by director Gautham Menon. It was established in 2010 by Menon along with Venky Somasundaram and Reshma Ghatala, who since work as the co-promoters...
and did not have a background score, told the story of a victim of child abuse and the havoc he causes to women, narrating the events of a particular day. The film opened to mixed reviews with one critic citing it as "above average" but warning that "don’t go expecting a typical Gautham romantic film" and that it "is definitely not for the family audiences", while criticizing that "there are too many loopholes in the story, raising doubts about logic". In contrast another critic dubbed it as an "unimpressive show by star director Menon, as it is neither convincing nor appealing, despite having some engrossing moments".
Future ventures, 2011-present
Since July 2010, Menon has been involved in pre-production work on the Hindi language remake of his film, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, with delays still forcing the film to postpone its first schedule. Workshops and rehearsals for the film were held in early 2011 with Prateik Babbar and Amy JacksonAmy Jackson
Amy Louise Jackson is a British model and film actress. Before starting her acting career, Jackson won the Miss Teen World competition in 2008 and went on to win Miss Liverpool in 2010 and was hotly tipped to be Miss England in 2010 but lost out to Jessica Linley...
playing the lead roles in the version given the working title of Prem Katha
Prem Katha
Ek Deewana Tha is the title of an upcoming Bollywood romantic drama film, written and directed by Gautham Menon, featuring Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson, in her Bollywood debut, in the lead roles...
. Furthermore, he has expressed that he is likely to restart his long-delayed project Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam with reports emerging that he may begin the film again with a fresh cast. Another film, a home production Thuppariyum Anand has also been announced with Menon stating that he has completed the script and handed copies to Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan
Aamir Hussain Khan is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema....
and Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
, in the hope that either will do the film. Menon has also agreed terms to direct a trilingual romantic film titled as Neethaane En Ponvasantham
Neethaane En Ponvasantham
Neethaane En Ponvasantham is a forthcoming Tamil romantic drama film written directed by Gautham Menon, featuring Jiiva and Samantha in the lead roles. The venture is produced by Kumar and Jayaram of RS Infotainment and will have music composed by A. R. Rahman with cinematography by M. S....
in Tamil, Nithya
Nithya (film)
Nithya is a forthcoming Telugu romantic film written directed by Gautham Menon, featuring Nani and Samantha in the lead roles. The venture is produced by Kumar and Jayaram of RS Infotainment and will have music composed by A. R. Rahman with cinematography by M. S. Prabhu...
in Telugu and is yet to be titled in Hindi. While Jiiva, Nani
Nani (actor)
Nani is an Indian film actor who mainly stars in Telugu films. After his education, he became an assistant director, he worked with Seenu Vylta and Bapu garu before working as a RJ for World Space Satellite in Hyderabad. He got an opportunity to act in an advertisement when he was offered the film...
and Aditya Roy Kapoor play the lead roles in their respective languages.
He has also announced a crime film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
film with actor Vijay, titled Yohan: Adhyayam Ondru. It is expected to go on floors from March 2012, once Ek Deewaana Tha and Neethaane En Ponvasantham/Nithya are released.
As a director
| Year | Title | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Minnale Minnale Minnale is a 2001 Tamil film written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film featured Madhavan, Abbas and Reemma Sen, with Vivek and Nagesh also appearing in pivotal roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by debutant Harris Jayaraj, which became successful prior to release, helping the film... |
Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore... |
|
| Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein is a 2001 Indian film directed by Gautham Menon starring Madhavan, Diya Mirza in the lead roles & Saif Ali Khan in the supporting role. It was a remake of the popular Tamil film Minnale which also starred Madhavan in the lead... |
Hindi Hindi Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi... |
||
| 2003 | Kaakha Kaakha Kaakha Kaakha Kaakha Kaakha is a 2003 Tamil crime thriller film starring Surya, Jyothika and Jeevan in the lead roles. The film was written and directed by Gautham Menon and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj... |
Tamil | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director - Tamil |
| 2004 | Gharshana Gharshana -References:*http://subsplanet.com/gharshana-2004-telugu-movie-subtitle.html*http://movies.sulekha.com/telugu/gharshana/pictures/6.htm*http://www.bollywhat-forum.com/index.php?topic=13692.0... |
Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
|
| 2006 | Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu | Tamil | |
| 2007 | Pachaikili Muthucharam | Tamil | |
| 2008 | Vaaranam Aayiram | Tamil | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil The following lists the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The year in the header refers to the date when the film was censored and submitted for the awards, without of regard of when the award was presented. Apart from the Silver Lotus Award "Certificate of Merit" was also given... Vijay Award for Favourite Director Vijay Award for Favourite Director The Vijay Award for Favorite Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-Winners and nominations:*2006 K. S. Ravikumar-Varalaru*2007 Prabhu Deva - Pokkiri... Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director - Tamil |
| 2010 | Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa | Tamil | Nominated—Vijay Award for Best Director Vijay Award for Best Director The Vijay for Best Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:*2007 Vetrimaaran - Polladhavan... Nominated—Vijay Award for Favourite Director Vijay Award for Favourite Director The Vijay Award for Favorite Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-Winners and nominations:*2006 K. S. Ravikumar-Varalaru*2007 Prabhu Deva - Pokkiri... Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil |
| 2010 | Ye Maaya Chesave Ye Maaya Chesave Ye Maaya Chesave is a 2010 Telugu-language romantic drama written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles. It was produced by Manjula Ghattamaneni under the banner Indira Productions, and features a very successful music soundtrack... |
Telugu | Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer The Nandi Award for Best Screenplay Writer winners:... Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu |
| 2011 | Nadunisi Naaygal Nadunisi Naaygal Nadunisi Naaygal is a 2011 Tamil psychological thriller film written and directed by Gautham Menon that stars Sameera Reddy, Veera Bahu and Deva in lead roles, with Swapna Abraham, Ashwin Kakumanu and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in other pivotal roles. The film notably does not feature any kind of film... |
Tamil | |
| 2012 | Ek Deewana Tha | Hindi | Post-production |
| 2012 | Neethaane En Ponvasantham Neethaane En Ponvasantham Neethaane En Ponvasantham is a forthcoming Tamil romantic drama film written directed by Gautham Menon, featuring Jiiva and Samantha in the lead roles. The venture is produced by Kumar and Jayaram of RS Infotainment and will have music composed by A. R. Rahman with cinematography by M. S.... |
Tamil | Filming |
| 2012 | Nithya Nithya (film) Nithya is a forthcoming Telugu romantic film written directed by Gautham Menon, featuring Nani and Samantha in the lead roles. The venture is produced by Kumar and Jayaram of RS Infotainment and will have music composed by A. R. Rahman with cinematography by M. S. Prabhu... |
Telugu | Filming |