PremiumHappy Birthday Gautham Menon: Here are the director’s five iconic films you can stream now
Gautham Menon, known for his distinct treatment of his films, has predominantly churned out romantic and action films, which have gone on to achieve classic status.
Last Updated: 10.30 AM, Feb 25, 2024
Filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon is celebrating his birthday on Sunday (February 25). While the filmmaker-turned-actor, is currently awaiting the release of his directorial Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha, which is set to release on March 1 , Gautham Menon has also etched a solid filmography in his acting career. The actor, who was last seen in Leo, is part of Vetrimaaran's duology Viduthalai.
The filmmaker, who is known for his distinct treatment to his films, has predominantly churned out romantic and action films, which have gone to achieve classic status. On that note, and for the occasion of his birthday, here is a list of five films that Gautham Menon has directed that you can stream them right now.
Kaakha Kaakha – Prime Video
Kaakha Kaakha is 2003 action thriller film which stars Suriya as a cop, along with Jyothika in a lead role. A film, that uniquely mixes romance and action, Kaakha Kaakha is about a revenge of a cop who is on a hunt to finish off those who killed his wife to get back at him. The film opened to positive reception upon release and redefined Suriya's career. The film's music is scored by Harris Jayaraj, a regular collaborator of Gautham Menon. Tracks like Uyirin Uyire, Ennai Konjam, Ondra Renda, were chartbusters.
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu - SunNXT
In Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, Gautham Menon teamed up with his inspiration, Kamal Haasan. Yet another cop story. Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu revolves around DCP Raghavan, who tries to track down two serial killers. The film also stars Jyothika, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Prakash Raj, Daniel Balaji, and Salim Baig in prominent roles. While the film was re-released recently to packed theatres, a section of fans had prominently called out the film for its homophobic content and had questioned the makers why the scene was not edited out.
Vaaranam Aayiram – ZEE5
For Vaaranam Aayiram, Gautham Menon once again teamed up with Suriya, but this time for a coming-of-age romance drama. The film starred Suriya in dual roles as father and son and is said to be inspired from the filmmaker's life and his relationship with his father. The film bagged the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 2008. Also starring Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana, Vaaranam Aayiram is about a military officer who hears the death of his father. On his way back home, he recollects the moments with his father, while also tracking down his romantic relationships. The film's music was scored by Harris Jayaraj.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa – Disney+ Hotstar
With Silambarasan and Trisha playing the lead roles, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is a romantic drama which went on to become a box office success and achieve cult status for Tamil romantic films. The film was also shot in Telugu with Samantha and Naga Chaitanya playing the lead roles. Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is about Karthik and Jessie, who hail from different linguistic and religious backgrounds, but fall in love after much complexities. AR Rahman scored the music. In May 2020, Gautham Menon helmed a short film Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn, as a sequel to the film, with Trisha and Silambarasan reprising their roles.
Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu Part 1: The Kindling- Prime Video
Silambarasan and Gautham Menon once again paired up for Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu, a 2022 action gangster drama. The film had script written by Jeyamohan and revolves around a rural boy who leaves Thoothukudi to Mumbai for a living. However, circumstances force him to join the underworld as he rises to become one of the powerful gangsters in the city. The film is expected to have a sequel. Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu also stars Siddhi Idnani, Radhika Sarathkumar, Neeraj Madhav and Siddique, among others.