Gautham Menon

Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian 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 Tamil films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his action-thrillers Kaakha Kaakha and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. His semi-autobiographical film Vaaranam Aayiram which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil also won him a Filmfare Award nomination for the Best Director.
Gautham Menon was an ad film maker, shooting various commercials after an apprenticeship under filmmaker Rajiv Menon. He worked as an assistant director for Minsaara Kanavu, in which he also appeared in a cameo role. He soon started his own ad agency "Photon Kathaas" which is now a film production company.pool
He made his directorial debut in 2001 with the Tamil romantic film Minnale with R. Madhavan, Abbas and Reema Sen playing the lead roles. Menon received the chance to remake the film in Bollywood, retaining Madhavan as in the lead role, while having Diya Mirza playing the female lead role. The remake was titled Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein.
Menon returned to Tamil cinema in 2003 with the action thriller Kaakha Kaakha, starring Surya Sivakumar, Jyothika Saravanan and Jeevan. Menon got offers from various quarters to remake the film which he did in Telugu with Daggubati Venkatesh in the lead. After that, Menon made the investigative thriller film Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu starring Kamal Hassan. During the shooting, the unit faced a lot of problems due to the producer's suicide attempt.[1] However, after release, the movie emerged as one of the top box office grossers of 2006. Menon played a cameo dancing at the back in the song, Manjal Veiyil. Menon's next project, Pachaikili Muthucharam, based on the movie/novel Derailed, with Sarath Kumar and Jyothika Saravanan, was released in 2007.
His next release, the critically acclaimed, Vaaranam Aayiram with Surya Sivakumar, Simran Bagga, Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana got released in late 2008. It received 5 Filmfare Awards and the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2008. In 2010, the Tamil romantic film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, starring Silambarasan Rajendar and Trisha Krishnan emerged a successful venture. It was filmed simultaneously with the Telugu version, titled Ye Maaya Chesave having Naga Chaitanya and debutante Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the leading actors. In the same year, Menon also conceived and directed the video for the song, Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam, the theme song for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010. Menon's latest release is the psychological thriller Nadunisi Naaygal, starring Sameera Reddy, which opened up to mixed reviews. The film was noted for not featuring any kind of film score.
Menon, notably, has appeared in cameo appearances in most of his own films. In all but two films Menon made "signature appearances", usually playing insignificant characters or just briefly appearing in the background. His first cameo appearance, however, was in Rajiv Menon's Minsaara Kanavu, during his apprenticeship under the film's director.
FilmographyAs Director
Year Title Language Cameo Notes
2001 Minnale
Tamil Flower deliverer
2001 Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
Hindi IT lecturer Remake of Minnale

2003 Kaakha Kaakha
Tamil Senior police officer
2004 Gharshana
Telugu
Remake of Kaakha Kaakha

2006 Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu
Tamil Dancer in the song "Manjal Veiyil"
2007 Pachaikili Muthucharam
Tamil Passenger in the song "Kadhal Konjam"
2008 Vaaranam Aayiram
Tamil The masked man Winner, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
Winner, Vijay Award for Favourite Director
Nominated, Filmfare Best Tamil Director Award

2010 Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa
Tamil As himself on the shooting spot
Ye Maaya Chesave
Telugu
2011 Nadunisi Naaygal
Tamil



Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer in Tamil Nadu, India. Many of his films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his action-thrillers Kaaka Kaaka, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and Vaaranam Aayiram.

Education
Gautham Menon was born to Keralite father and Tamil mother. He did Mechanical Engineering in Mookambikai College of Engineering in Trichy, Tamil Nadu.

Film career
He was an ad film maker, shooting various commercials after a good apprenticeship under noted filmmaker Rajiv Menon. He worked as an assistant director for Minsaara Kanavu.He also played a cameo role in the film. He started his own ad agency "Photon Factory" before moving to cinema which is now recognized as a film production company.

His first film was Minnale in Tamil with R. Madhavan, Abbas and Reema Sen playing the lead roles. The film was a huge hit because of its young and peppy story, brilliant comic timing from the acclaimed comedian Vivek and also because of some new lilting music from debutante music director, Harris Jeyaraj.

Gautham immediately received the chance to remake the film in Bollywood. He did so, retaining Madhavan as in the lead role, this time having Diya Mirza playing the female lead role. Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein however did not have much success in the Hindi film industry.

Gautham returned to Tamil cinema in 2003 with Kaaka Kaaka, starring Surya Sivakumar, Jyothika Saravanan and Jeevan. Gautham, himself, appeared in a cameo role as a senior police officer. With R. D. Rajashekar on the camera, Anthony in editing and again with Harris Jeyaraj handling the music, the film was a box-office record breaker.

Gautham again got offers from various quarters to remake the film. This time he remade the film in Telugu with Venkatesh in the lead. But the facts reveal that some of the scenes were as is replicated from the English movie Se7en.

After that, Gautham had the opportunity to make another action/adventure thriller film with Kamal Hassan in a pivotal role. Thus, he started Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu. The unit faced a lot of problems due to the producer's suicide attempt[1]. However they overcame all that and the film was released in August 2006. The director plays a cameo dancing at the back in the song, Manjal Veiyil. The film came to be the biggest grosser of 2006.

Gautham's Pachaikili Muthucharam with Sarath Kumar and Jyothika Saravanan in 2007 was a critical acclaim but bombed at the box office. His next release, Vaaranam Aayiram with Surya Sivakumar, Simran Bagga, Sameera Reddy and Divya got released on November 14, 2008.It is claimed as biggest hit of 2008. It has received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2008.

His next directorial ventures will be Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikalam with Trisha, Satish along with newcomers, and Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya again with Trisha along with Silambarasan.

Gautham's response to Harris Split "The decision not to work together was not mine.Hope everyone got that".

Following the commence Ajith Kumar’s Aegan in late December 2007, reports indicated that Ajith Kumar will act in a film produced by Sivaji Productions directed by Gautham Menon. later it was Dropped.

And now producer Dhayanidhi Alagiri of Cloud nine Productions who before produced Vaaranam Aayiram, for Gautham informed that Ajith's 50th film will be direct by Gautham menon.

www.facebook.com/.../Gautham-Menon/104077716295575

Dear Gowtham Menon, your VTV is one the best love stories ever told. It is in
fact that the first love always faces many obstacles and in most relationships
it ends in separation. That is reality. Sir,I have seen this movie many times
and still wanting more. I liked every frame of it and the music and songs are
simply superb. CONGRATULATIONS!Sir.

Gautham Menon at a Chennai do
November 17, 2010 | By TNN
Love songs, it seems, have endless appeal and charm. That perhaps explains why hundreds gathered inside a store at a crowded shopping mall recently. It was the occasion of the release of A R Rahman collector's edition pack of his tracks from Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. And the music-mad crowd that had gathered went crazy on seeing their favourite singers ? Karthik , Naresh Iyer , Chinmayi and Blaaze ? in person. What's more, when the creator of the film ? Gautham Menon ?

Amy Jackson in VTV's Hindi version
April 19, 2011 | By V Lakshmi and TNN
She's just one film old, but actress Amy Jackson surely has the charm and appeal of a seasoned actress. She was in Chennai recently to attend the audio launch function of Deiva Thiirumagan, directed by Vijay, who gave Amy her big break in Madrassapattinam. TOI caught up with the actress... Did you come to Chennai just to attend the audio launch of Deiva Thiirumagan....? Yes. I was abroad and when Vijay told me about the audio launch function, I just had to...
NEWS-INTERVIEWS
Jackky Bhagnani in RHTDM remake?
April 19, 2011 | By Subhash K Jha
Since the relative box-office success of FALTU, Vashu Bhagnani has been very eager to keep the ball rolling for his son. He has now decided to produce the remake of his musical romance Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001) with Jackky Bhagnani in it. For the remake of the film directed by Gautham Menon, which marked Madhavan's debut in Bollywood, the producer is very keen to have the original director back on-board. As for casting his son in the lead,...

Kanden'a music launch
December 11, 2010 | By MANIGANDAN K R I and TNN
The audio launch of Kanden, the audio rights of which have been procured by director Gautham Menon's label, was a pleasant affair and one that had everything to do with music and not with boring speeches. The evening started off with invocation by Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam and was soon followed by a series of pleasant melodies from the eighties and nineties. The songs were rendered by several singers including Krish, Priya Himesh, Suchi and Haricharan. After a few hits, the label was launched by Harris and Yuvan Shankar Raja . Then, the songs of Kanden were performed live on stage with the music director of the film, Vijay Ebenezer, accompanying the singers on the piano.