Gautam Menon Biography

Personal Life & Career

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.

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

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 beside played a cameo role in the film. He began 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 beside 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 film Se7en.

After that, Gautham had the opportunity to make another action/adventure thriller film with Kamal Hassan in a pivotal role. Thus, he began Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu. The unit faced a lot of problems due to the producer's suicide attempt. 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.