Gautham Vasudev Menon: Half of the stories made in Malayalam cinema will never get made in Tamil

Filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon is half Malayali, but grew up in Tamil Nadu and has largely worked in Tamil cinema. As an actor, he’s done a handful of Malayalam films and, most recently, worked on his debut directorial in the industry, with Mammootty in the lead – Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse. The investigative thriller in which Mammootty plays an ex-cop turned private detective is set to release in theatres on January 23, 2025.

Also read: Mammootty’s Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse is not getting a wide release; Here’s why 

In a conversation with Galatta Plus as part of the promotions of Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse, Gautham was asked if there was anything from the Malayalam film industry that he’d like to bring back and implement in Tamil cinema. “They won’t let me work here, if I say that,” was his immediate response. Even though he was then given the option to skip the question, the filmmaker chose to address it.

Gautham Vasudev Menon: I'd bring everything from Malayalam cinema to Kollywood

He says, “If I had a choice, I’d bring everything here, starting with stories; half of those stories will never get made in Tamil cinema. They might get made here as remakes saying that the original was good. But if you were to narrate the same story as an original, no way will they say yes to something like this or any of the other recent films I have seen. None of the heroes here will pick such scripts.”

Also read: Gautham Vasudev Menon on Mammootty's Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse: 'I hope to make 3 more Dominic films if this works' 

The issue, reckons the filmmaker, is that most heroes only want to talk about big-budget in the Rs 100 crore and above range, without even knowing the script. Gautham says that, instead, the focus should be on doing 10 films of Rs 10 crore each, which will be Rs 100 crore in a year, like how they do in Kerala. “Budgets do not have to be so big; it depends on the content. There is no need to spend so much money on a film,” he says.