108-863: Gautham Vasudev Menon (born 25 February 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, film producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films that were either simultaneously shot with or remakes of his own Tamil films. He has won two National Film Awards , three Nandi Awards and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award . Many of his films have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, most notably his romantic films Minnale (2001), Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), his cop action thrillers Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006), Yennai Arindhaal (2015) and his gangster drama Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022). His 2008 Tamil film, Vaaranam Aayiram won
216-429: A Chechnyan backdrop, though talks with a potential collaboration with Ashok Amritraj collapsed. In 2018, Menon revealed that he had plans of making a sequel to Kaakha Kaakha with Suriya. He 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
324-561: A portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam , a neighbourhood in Chennai , and Hollywood . The first Tamil silent film , Keechaka Vadham , was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film , Kalidas , a multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara . Tamil cinema has been noted for its advanced narratives and diverse films, with several productions in
432-956: A town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras , called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors. Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain . In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as " drama films ", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai ) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as
540-404: 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. Menon subsequently remade the film in
648-500: A cameo role. Menon launched a Tamil romance film O Lala in 2000 with the project eventually changing producers and titles into Minnale (2001) 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 an experienced technician. Menon came under further pressure when Madhavan insisted that
756-411: 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". Throughout the film-making process, Menon improvised the script to pay homage to his late father by adding a family angle to the initial romantic script, with Suriya eventually playing dual roles. The film's production process became noted for
864-447: A cult following amongst young Hindi-speaking audiences. In 2011, the producer of the film approached him to remake Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein with the producer's son Jackky Bhagnani in the lead role, but Menon was uninterested with the offer. Later on in 2001, it was reported that he was working on a film tentatively titled Iru Vizhi Unadhu , though the project did not develop into production. Gautham Menon returned in 2003 by directing
972-481: A cult status. The story starts with narration by Madhav "Maddy" Shastri. Maddy is the son of a music shop owner Deendayal Shastri, who hopes that Maddy will someday take over his shop. Instead, Maddy is a total brat, not serious about studies, and notorious in his college. In contrast to him is his arch-rival Rajeev "Sam" Samra, a model student with whom Maddy is at constant loggerheads. The animosity goes so far that Maddy even tries to frame Sam. Sam challenges Maddy to
1080-596: A decent market. Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in South East Asia . Since Chandralekha , Muthu was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja ) and grossed a record $ 1.6 million in 1998. In 2010, Enthiran grossed a record $ 4 million in North America. Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across
1188-464: A different story and thus the investigative thriller film Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006), was written with Jyothika, Kamalinee Mukherjee , Prakash Raj , Daniel Balaji and Salim 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
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#17327945716701296-531: A few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre , the Electric Theatre, which still stands. It was a favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was shut down after a few years. This building is now part of a post office complex on Anna Salai ( Mount Road ). The Lyric Theatre was also built in
1404-420: A grand exhibition was organised in Madras . Its major attraction was the screening of short films accompanied by sound. A British company imported a Crone megaphone , made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disc containing prerecorded sound was linked, and both were run in unison, producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no synched dialogue . Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu ,
1512-463: A movie that will stay in our hearts for a long, long time." Soon after the Tamil version began shoot, Menon decided to begin a Telugu version titled Ye Maaya Chesave (2010) and release it simultaneously, with featuring a fresh cast of Naga Chaitanya and debutante Samantha . Like the Tamil version, the film won critical acclaim and was given "classic" status from critics, as it went on to become among
1620-448: 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
1728-403: A one-on-one fight, to which Maddy happily agrees. But the fight gets interrupted by the professors. Later at Sam's graduation party, Maddy again tries to challenge Sam, but this time, Sam denies it and lets him go. Sam graduates and leaves the college but promises Maddy that one day he will complete what was started (i.e., the fight). Three years later, Maddy is working as a software instructor at
1836-638: A permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam . Swamikannu Vincent, who had built one of the first cinema halls of South India in Coimbatore , introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to
1944-566: A popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city. Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar , decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon 's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916. The man who truly laid
2052-610: A private company. His attitude has mellowed a lot but not changed. On his trip to Delhi, he sees a girl dancing in the rain with some kids. He only gets a glimpse of her and is smitten by her beauty, calling her "my kinda girl." Later, he and his college cronies attend a former classmate's wedding, where, by luck, Maddy spots the girl again and learns that her name is Reena Malhotra. He is deeply attracted to her and tries to learn more about her but in vain. However, destiny makes them meet again when he sees her in Mumbai. Soon he learns that Reena
2160-620: 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 Aascar Ravichandran stepping in as producer, who opted for
2268-740: A secondary hub for Hindi cinema , other South Indian film industries, as well as for Sri Lankan cinema . Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films established a global presence, enjoying strong box office collections among Tamil-speaking audiences in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , and Singapore . Tamil films are also distributed throughout the Middle East , Oceania , Europe , North America , parts of Africa , and Japan . The industry also inspired independent filmmaking among Tamil diaspora populations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and
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#17327945716702376-460: A standard deviation of ±10 lakh tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with Chandralekha . They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the Tamil diaspora . They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania. Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It
2484-586: A studio, the first in south India, was set up in Madras at 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk. He called it the India Film Company. Rangavadivelu, an actor from Suguna Vilasa Sabha, a theatre company then, was hired to train the actors. Thirty-five days later, the first feature film made in south India, The Extermination of Keechakan / Keechakavatham , based on an episode from the Mahabharata , was released produced and directed by R. Nataraja, who established
2592-704: A successful photographer , took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court . With this equipment, he screened the short films Pearl Fish and Raja's Casket in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Naidu travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar ) and Sri Lanka , and when he had gathered enough money, he put up
2700-515: 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 Vasudev Menon. This is one director who's got the pulse of today's urban youth perfectly" and that "crafted
2808-456: A web series titled Queen based on the life of political leader Jayalalithaa , which features Ramya Krishnan in the lead role. The series is released on MX Player . Menon also still aspires to complete his proposed multilingual film titled Ondraaga , which would be a spiritual sequel to Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa . Menon has stated that he is largely inspired by the "depth and aesthetics" that are created by American films. He usually makes
2916-795: Is a Tamilian . Although born in Kerala, he grew up in Anna Nagar , Chennai . Menon did his schooling at the Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School . He then earned a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mookambigai College of Engineering , Pudukkottai . Menon's time at university inspired him to write the lead roles of Minnale , Vaaranam Aayiram , Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa , Neethaane En Ponvasantham and Enai Noki Paayum Thota who were students in
3024-406: Is a list of films that Gautham Vasudev Menon acted for other directors. This is a list of films that Gautham Vasudev Menon worked for other directors for various roles. Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language , the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu . It is nicknamed Kollywood ,
3132-668: Is decided. Maddy and his friends go beat up Rajiv, but Maddy lets Rajeev go back to Reena and admits to his friends that they all committed a grave mistake and suggests they forget about her. However, Reena later realises that she actually started falling in love with Maddy, despite his deception to her. Finally, Rajeev confronts Reena and asks her whether she loves him or Maddy. In the meantime, Maddy decides to go to San Francisco, California, taking an offer made to him by his current employer, which initially he had declined, in order to ease his aching heart off his memories with Reena. When Rajeev realizes that Reena still loves Maddy, he takes her to
3240-418: Is definitely entertaining and enjoyable.″ The moderate performance of the film left the director 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
3348-767: Is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). Chennai's film composers have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across
Gautham Vasudev Menon - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-488: Is losing creative control. Though his films are perceived as targeting mainly urban audiences, Menon feels they can be enjoyed by anyone. According to The Hindu ' s Udhav Naig, Menon's films are "regulated by a matrix of strong middle-class values", and also have biographical elements which, according to Menon, are inspired by his own life. Menon prefers to write the climax of his films only after filming has significantly progressed, stating that though he has an idea about
3564-461: Is not absorbing" though stating that Menon "handled certain sequences with aplomb"; the film subsequently became a below-average box office performer. 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. Several years after release, the film later gained popularity through screenings on television and subsequently developed
3672-475: Is set to get engaged to Rajeev, a childhood friend of hers living in the USA. Maddy also learns that Reena doesn't know what Rajeev looks like now and that he is coming to India next week to meet her. Maddy, now heads over heels in love with Reena, is disheartened at the thought of losing his love. Upon being persuaded by his father and friends, Maddy decides to pretend to be Rajeev and tell Reena his true identity when
3780-745: The Central Board of Film Certification alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category. There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain viz producer, distributor and exhibitor. The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as: There are three popular approaches to transfer of distribution rights via distribution contracts: There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts: Film studios in Chennai are bound by legislation, such as
3888-412: The Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night. The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during
3996-660: The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil . Menon produces films through his film production company named Photon Kathaas. His production Thanga Meengal (2013) won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Gautham was born on 25 February 1973 in Ottapalam , a town in the Palakkad district of Kerala to Vasudeva Menon and Uma.his father is a Malayali and his mother
4104-512: The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2008 amongst other accolades. Post-release of the film, Menon had a public fallout with his regular music composer Harris Jayaraj and announced that they would no longer work together, though they later returned in 2015 for Yennai Arindhaal . In late 2008, during the making of Vaaranam Aayiram , he had signed on with Sivaji Productions to direct Ajith Kumar and Sameera Reddy in an action film titled Surangani . Menon later pulled out of
4212-403: The Tamil -language only. This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was Unakkum Enakkum . The original title had been Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum , a half-English and a half-Tamil title. In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by
4320-690: The West . M. Edwards first screened a selection of silent films at the Victoria Public Hall in Madras in 1897 during the British Raj . The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for
4428-491: The film projector and silent films from the Frenchman Du Pont and set up a business as film exhibitor . Soon, he tied up with Pathé , a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors . This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency . In later years, he produced talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore . To celebrate the event of King George V 's visit in 1909,
Gautham Vasudev Menon - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-494: The initialism RHTDM , is a 2001 Indian Hindi -language romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon , starring R. Madhavan , Saif Ali Khan and Dia Mirza in the lead roles. The film is a remake of the director's own Tamil film Minnale (released in the same year), which also starred Madhavan in his reprised role. This is Dia Mirza's debut film as well as Tamil actor, Madhavan's official Bollywood debut film after having an uncredited appearance in
4644-560: The 1990s and early 2000s cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Such films include Roja (1992), Indian (1996), Pokkiri (2007), Enthiran (2010). Tamil cinema has since produced some of the most commercially successful actors, directors and films of Indian cinema. By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Madras (now Chennai), then became
4752-735: The Cinematography Film Rules of 1948, the Cinematography Act of 1952, and the Copyright Act of 1957. In Tamil Nadu , cinema ticket prices are regulated by the government . Single screen theatres may charge a maximum of ₹ 50, while theatres with more than three screens may charge a maximum of ₹ 120 per ticket. Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein ( transl. To Reside In Your Heart ), also known by
4860-467: The Hindi language remake of the film with Rajshri Productions, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein , which also featured Madhavan. An early title for the film was Koi Mil Gaya , before the team finalised Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein . The former title was used by Rakesh Roshan for his 2003 film . Though Richa Pallod was initially considered for the leading female role, Dia Mirza and Saif Ali Khan were added to
4968-448: The Hindi language remake of the film, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), starring Madhavan alongside Dia Mirza and Saif Ali Khan . Menon was initially apprehensive but said it eventually took "half an hour" to agree, but 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. A critic felt that "the presentation
5076-514: The India Film Company Limited. Despite a century of increasing box office takings, Tamil cinema remains informal. Nevertheless, there are few exceptions like Modern Theatres, Gemini Studios , AVM and Sri Thenandal Films that survived beyond 100 productions. In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in
5184-617: The Mount Road area. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, Western classical music concerts, and ballroom dances . Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction. Swamikannu Vincent , a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli , became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade , near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought
5292-456: The Tamil commercial cinema space" while also "the most engaging of the three [police films]". Reviewer Udhav Naig of The Hindu added that "Gautham wins as he has reconfigured, albeit not radically, the basic contours of a Tamil cop", and that he "has consistently improved on the character sketch in the last three films." The film also performed well at the box office and gave Menon his first commercially successful Tamil film in five years. Soon after
5400-641: The Telugu language as Gharshana (2004) starring Venkatesh in Suriya's role. The film also featured actress Asin and Salim 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
5508-439: The airport. Rajeev and Maddy spot each other. Maddy thinks that Rajeev has come to rebuke him once more. Reena and Maddy confess their feelings to each other. Rajeev is heartbroken but feigns his old attitude towards Maddy, saying that "we can never be friends" and wishing them well. Reena and Maddy unite once again. The success of the Tamil film Minnale led to producer Vashu Bhagnani signing Gautham Vasudev Menon on to direct
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#17327945716705616-485: The anthology film, X , helping partially direct a script written by Thiagarajan Kumararaja before opting out and being replaced by Nalan Kumarasamy . He also began production work on a big-budgeted venture titled Dhruva Natchathiram , signing up an ensemble cast including Suriya , Trisha and Arun Vijay , with a series of posters issued and an official launch event being held. However, in October 2013, Suriya left
5724-462: The characters in his films by sport identical haircuts and urban casual wear and by speaking in English. His films are also known for their strong depiction of female characters, in contrast to other contemporary Tamil films which, according to journalist Sudhish Kamath , are "hero-worshipping star vehicles where the heroine is just a mere prop". Kamath also notes that several defining traits of Menon's films include liberal doses of English and restraint,
5832-471: The climax, it always changes when the film starts shooting. He also names his films after classic Tamil phrases and lines from Tamil film songs such as Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada being named after the namesake song from Mannathi Mannan (1960) and Yennai Arindhaal being named after the song "Unnai Arindhaal" from Vettaikkaran (1964). Menon dislikes watching dubbed versions of his own films, and claims his scripts have "a universal theme", citing this as
5940-425: The commitment citing that the producers were not willing to let him take his own time with scripting. In 2010, Menon made a return to romantic genre after 2 years with the Tamil romantic film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), starring Silambarasan and Trisha . Originally planned as a Jessie with Mahesh Babu in the lead role, the actor's refusal prompted Menon to make the Tamil version first. The film explored
6048-402: The complicated relationship between a Hindu Tamil assistant director, Karthik, and a 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
6156-556: The constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways. By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the Entertainment Tax Act 1939 . In 1916,
6264-576: The early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The Tamil -language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the Cholas . They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal
6372-428: The film citing Menon's lack of progress in developing the script and the film was subsequently dropped. Later in early 2015, Menon restarted pre-production for the project with Vikram and Nayantara , but again was forced to postpone the film citing financial restraints. Following Suriya's withdrawal from Dhruva Natchathiram , Menon moved on to begin a romantic thriller film with Silambarasan and Pallavi Subhash in
6480-421: The film opened to unanimously below average reviews, with critics noting the story "got lost in translation", and became a box office failure. Post-release, Menon admitted that he "got the casting wrong", and subsequently other Hindi films he had pre-planned were dropped. During the period, Menon also began pre-production work on the first film of an action-adventure series of films titled Yohan starring Vijay in
6588-406: 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 interviewed Bharathiraja and Silambarasan, both of whom had previously worked in such psychological thriller films with Sigappu Rojakkal and Manmadhan . The film, which
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#17327945716706696-454: The film's story was narrated to the actor's mentor, Mani Ratnam , to identify if the film was a positive career move. Despite initial reservations, Menon did so and Ratnam was unimpressed; however, Menon has since 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
6804-541: 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. The team shot for the film in South Africa and shot scenes at Durban Beach and in Drakensberg, with production executive Raakesh Maharaj arranging
6912-457: 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. 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 producer Vashu Bhagnani to sign him on to direct
7020-497: The first Tamil film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film , the feat was repeated by Kanchivaram in 2007. Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh , Maharashtra , Gujarat and New Delhi . In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have
7128-492: The foundations of Tamil cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with The Faithful Wife / Dharmapathini (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC
7236-583: The globe, such as Mani Ratnam 's Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Vasanthabalan 's Veyyil (2006) and Ameer Sultan 's Paruthiveeran (2007). Kanchivaram (2009) was selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language on eight occasions, next only to Hindi. Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987)
7344-423: 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-language version with
7452-516: The lead role from November 2013. The film developed under the title Sattendru Maarathu Vaanilai and was shot for thirty days, before the film was put on hold as a result of Menon getting an offer from producer A. M. Rathnam to begin a film starring Ajith Kumar . Consequently, in April 2014, he began filming for Yennai Arindhaal (2015), the third instalment in his franchise of police films. He described Ajith's character Sathyadev as an "extension" of
7560-421: 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
7668-479: The lead roles, but the film failed to progress. Menon had also made progress over the previous two years directing the psychological thriller Nadunisi Naaygal (2011) featuring his assistant and debutant Veera Bahu and Sameera Reddy . Menon claimed that the film was inspired by a true event from the US, while also claiming that a novel also helped form the story of the film. During the making, he explicitly revealed that
7776-521: The love angle, though the project fell through after discussions. In 2012, he re-began negotiations with producers to make a Hindi version of the film with Shahrukh Khan in the lead role. He had stated his intent on making a trilogy of police episode films, with a possible third featuring Vikram in the lead role, before completing it in 2015 with Ajith Kumar in Yennai Arindhaal . His next project, Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007), based on
7884-461: The marriage. Maddy is shocked to see that Rajeev is no one but Sam, his college rival. Sam is even more infuriated to learn his impostor is actually his old rival in college, whom he hates. Rajeev believes that Maddy got involved with Reena solely because of their rivalry. Maddy tries to talk to Reena and tell her the truth sincerely, but she is still not convinced of him. After his repeated attempts to talk to Reena fail, Rajeev and Reena's wedding date
7992-439: The most profitable Telugu films of 2010. In 2016, he revealed that he had scripted a spin-off film from Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa titled Ondraga , where the character of Karthik's life would be followed eight years after the happenings of the previous film. He next began research and pre-production work on a 1920s period spy thriller titled Thuppariyum Anand in early 2010, with both Ajith Kumar and then Suriya considered for
8100-474: The novel Derailed by James Siegel , featured Sarath Kumar and Jyothika 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
8208-470: The original script with less emphasis on the antagonists than Menon had hoped and he also revealed that scenes for songs were forced in 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
8316-498: The presentation "not absorbing" though stating that the director " handled certain sequences with aplomb". A critic from The Hindu wrote it "is not a bad bargain at the end of a long day" and "there are parts where you would actually enjoy the courting game between a game hero and a gorgeous heroine" with "fine one-liners and good gestures", before adding "a part does not a whole make". Ranjita Das of Rediff.com wrote ″Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein may not have any star attraction. But it
8424-427: The protagonists from Kaakha Kaakha and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu , while Trisha , Anushka Shetty , Arun Vijay and Parvathy Nair were also selected to portray supporting roles. The film saw him collaborate again with music composer Harris Jayaraj , for the first time since their spat in 2008, while writers Shridhar Raghavan and Thiagarajan Kumararaja were both also involved in the screen-writing process. Focussing on
8532-545: The realistic police thriller Kaakha Kaakha (2003) starring Suriya , Jyothika and Jeevan . 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 articles on how to encounter specialists who shoot gangsters and how their families get threatening calls in return, and initially approached Madhavan , Ajith Kumar and then Vikram for
8640-456: The reason he chose to film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya in Telugu as Ye Maaya Chesave , rather than dub. Menon also makes cameo appearances in the films he directs. Menon's films notably feature voiceovers, either from the view of the protagonist or the antagonist. Uthara Menon is his sister and she has worked on his films following Yennai Arindhaal (2015). This is a list of films that Gautham Vasudev Menon produced for other directors. This
8748-519: The release of the film, Menon began pre-production work on a television series featuring Parthiban in the lead role of a detective, but did not carry through with the idea after he failed to find financiers. Menon returned to Bollywood with the Hindi remake of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa , titled Ekk Deewana Tha (2012), with Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson . Unlike the South Indian versions,
8856-526: The release, he began work on a sequel to the film and expressed his interest in approaching Ajith again to work together in the future. Menon also worked as a singer in Radha Mohan 's film Uppu Karuvaadu (2015). After Yennai Arindhaal , Menon resumed work on his film with Silambarasan under the new title of Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada , with Manjima Mohan joining the cast to replace Pallavi Sharda. A Telugu version with Naga Chaitanya and Manjima
8964-490: 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 held 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
9072-459: The same course. During the period, he was inspired by films such as Dead Poets Society (1989) and Nayakan (1987) and expressed his desire to his parents to change his career path and become a filmmaker. His mother insisted that he become an ad filmmaker by shooting various commercials and he took an apprenticeship under filmmaker Rajiv Menon . He went on to work as an assistant director for Minsara Kanavu (1997), in which he also appeared in
9180-520: The shoot began during February 2016. Menon also has several proposed directorial projects in production. He began producing and directing the spy thriller Dhruva Natchathiram in late 2016 with Vikram leading an ensemble cast. Despite regular schedules throughout 2017, the film has been put on hold as Menon looks to raise funds. He has agreed terms to make an anthology film for Netflix , and another film titled Joshua: Adhiyayam Ondru for Vels Film International featuring Varun . He has also completed
9288-410: 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, the actor did not take particular control of the script or production of the film. The film however had gone through change from
9396-583: The silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. Srinivasa Kalyanam (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram . Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935. The main impacts of
9504-489: The song "Chup Tum Raho" in Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi. The film revolves around the love story of Madhav “Maddy” Shastri (Madhavan) and Reena Malhotra (Mirza). The latter is set to get engaged to Rajeev “Sam” Samra (Khan), who is a young man settled in the US and Maddy's former college rival. The film though did not perform well at box office during its release, achieved popularity through reruns on TV and achieved
9612-418: The state from 3 July 2017. The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017. Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It was reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores. Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 1.1 crore tickets with
9720-415: The story of a police officer's professional and personal life from the ages of thirteen to thirty-eight with the backdrop of tackling an organ-trafficking gang, Yennai Arindhaal opened to mixed to positive reviews in February 2015. Critics from The Hindu wrote it "leaves you feeling like having gone back to a well-known play you have enjoyed a few times over", and that it is "a much-needed intervention in
9828-422: The story, raising doubts about logic". In contrast another critic dubbed it as an "unimpressive show by director Menon, as it is neither convincing nor appealing, despite having some engrossing moments". A group of protesters held a protest outside Gautham's house on reason for misusing a goddess's name in his film and also showing explicit sex and violent scenes, claiming that it was against Tamil culture. Soon after
9936-636: The strain and the hard work that Suriya had gone through to portray the different roles with production taking nearly two years. The film was 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 "a classic". The film was made at a budget of 150 million rupees and became a commercial success, bringing in almost 220 million rupees worldwide. It went on to become Menon's most appreciated work till date winning five Filmfare Awards , nine Vijay Awards and
10044-476: The team began its shoot in September 2007 and continued for thirty days but was later delayed and eventually shelved. In 2011, he revealed that the film was dropped because he felt the actors "needed to be trained", and would consider restarting the project at a later stage. His next release, Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), saw him re-collaborate with Suriya , who played dual roles in the film. The film illustrates
10152-439: 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 died in 2007. The pre-production of the film, then titled Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam began in 2003, with Menon planning it as 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
10260-603: The time is right. He shows his love for Reena, and they spend a good time together in those five days. Reena, who previously liked him only as a friend, falls in love with him too. Everything goes well, and Maddy decides to reveal his identity when Reena confesses her love to him. Unfortunately, before he can do so, the real Rajeev comes back, and Reena is shocked to learn about Maddy's deception. She decides to call off her relationship with Maddy, who tries to convince Reena about his true intentions, but she refuses to talk to him. Frustrated, Maddy decides to threaten Rajeev to back off from
10368-405: The title role. However, after a year of pre-production, the director shelved the film citing differences of opinion about the project. Menon's next releases were the romantic films Neethaane En Ponvasantham (2012) in Tamil and Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu (2012) in Telugu, both co-produced by Photon Kathaas . Jiiva and Nani played the lead roles in each version respectively, while Samantha
10476-412: The trap every seasoned filmmaker dreads -- of repeating his own mandatory formula" though noting that the film has its "sparkling moments". The response of the film prompted a legal tussle to ensue between Menon and the film's producer Elred Kumar , prompting the director to release an emotionally charged letter attempting to clear his name of any financial wrongdoing. Menon was then briefly associated with
10584-446: The unit's stay in the country. The score and songs were composed by Harris Jayaraj , with lyrics written by Sameer . The last three tracks were bonus tracks and did not feature in the film. The tune of the track "Dil Ko Tumse" was later reused by Harris in Tamil film Kaakha Kaakha (2003) as "Ondra Renda". All tracks are written by Sameer In comparison to Minnale (2001), the film gained mixed reviews. Taran Adarsh called
10692-530: The villains being "a seriously dangerous threat", his male protagonists being a "picture of grace and dignity" who are yet fallible, who love their fathers and are trying hard to be good men, who respect women and accept them for who they are. The majority of Menon's police films feature a woman, typically the male lead's wife or lover, being fridged . Menon stated that distributors and financiers often lay several limitations and constraints on his films, that such actions only drift his thoughts and make him feel like he
10800-515: The world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature Madras Tamil , a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in Chennai . Keechaka Vadham (1918) was the first silent film made in South India . Kalidas (1931) was the first Tamil talkie film made in 1931. Kalava (1932) was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil. Nandanar (1935) was the first film for American film director Ellis R. Dungan . Balayogini released in 1937
10908-407: 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. In mid-2007, Menon announced and began work on a youth-centric film titled Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikaalam featuring Trisha and an ensemble of newcomers. Set in the backdrop of Chennai's booming IT industry,
11016-437: Was common in both films. Ilaiyaraaja was chosen as music composer for the film, which told the story of three stages in the life of a couple. A third Hindi version Assi Nabbe Poorey Sau , was also shot simultaneously with Aditya Roy Kapoor playing the lead role, though the failure of Ek Deewana Tha saw production ultimately halted. The films both opened to average reviews and collections, with critics noting Menon "falls into
11124-436: Was considered to be first children's film of South India. It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. In 1991, Marupakkam directed by K.S. Sethu Madhavan , became
11232-469: 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
11340-699: Was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo , Rangoon and Singapore . The Ways of Vishnu / Vishnu Leela , which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. The silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among
11448-549: Was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list. Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Tamil Nadu . For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday). The Government of Tamil Nadu made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from
11556-423: 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, V. Ravichandran and in regard to the failure of the film, Menon went on to claim that Sarath Kumar
11664-448: Was simultaneously shot under the title Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo , with Menon revealing that he hoped to finance the Tamil version through the salary he received from the Telugu film's producers. The film developed slowly and was further delayed after Silambarasan refused to shoot for the film following a salary dispute during mid-2016. Menon also has Enai Noki Paayum Thota , a drama featuring Dhanush and Megha Akash in production, with
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