Saravanan Sivakumar, known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He is best known for his work in Tamil cinema, where he is one of the highest paid actors. Among his awards include three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, two Edison Awards, a Cinema Express Award, a CineMAA Award and a Vijay Award. Based on the earnings of Indian celebrities, Suriya has been included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list six times.
Kandaen is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Mugil, and produced by TCS. It stars Shanthnoo Bhagyaraj and Rashmi Gautam in lead along with Santhanam, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Vijayakumar in pivotal roles. The film, which was launched in May 2010, created curiosity after noted film-maker Gautham Vasudev Menon's newly launched audio label selected the film's soundtrack to be its first release. It was released on 20 May 2011 to average reviews from critics and was performed averagely at the box office, but Shanthnu's and Santhanam's comedy was appreciated. The film was dubbed and released in Telugu as Balapam Patti Bhama Odilo in 2016.
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian film composer from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is best known for his melodies. He composes soundtracks predominantly for Tamil films, while also having composed for a few films in Telugu and two films in Hindi.
Kaakha Kaakha, titled The Police in the UK, is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. It stars Suriya and Jyothika, with Jeevan playing the main negative role. The film featured music composed by Harris Jayaraj and cinematography by R. D. Rajasekhar. The film released on 1 August 2003 to highly positive reviews and was considered a comeback film for producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu. Owing to the success, the film has been remade in several languages.
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films that either simultaneously shot with or remakes of his own Tamil films. Many of his films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his romantic films Minnale (2001), Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), and his action thrillers Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006), and Yennai Arindhaal (2015). Vaaranam Aayiram won 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.
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Jyothika, and Kamalinee Mukherjee in prominent roles, while Prakash Raj, Daniel Balaji, and Salim Baig played supporting roles. The music was composed by Harris Jayaraj with cinematography being handled by Ravi Varman and editing done by Anthony. The film is also one of the first Indian films to be made using Super 35.
Vaaranam Aayiram is a 2008 Indian Tamil musical romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by Venu Ravichandran of Aascar Films. The film stars Suriya in dual lead roles as father and son, with Simran, Divya Spandana, and Sameera Reddy in lead roles, the latter in her Tamil debut. The film features music composed by Harris Jayaraj, making Vaaranam Aayiram his final project with Menon before the formal break-up of their partnership, until they worked together again in Yennai Arindhaal (2015). Cinematography for the film has been handled by R. Rathnavelu and editing done by Anthony Gonsalvez.
Llewellyn Anthony Gonsalvez is an Indian film editor from Tamil Nadu. He was introduced to cinema through film director Gautham Vasudev Menon by the film Kaakha Kaakha. He continued this collaboration with Gautham by Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, Pachaikili Muthucharam, Vaaranam Aayiram, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, Neethaane En Ponvasantham, Yennai Arindhaal and Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada. Following the success of these films, director Shankar has collaborated with him through Enthiran. He has worked in over two-hundred Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. He had a release in Kannada language, which was the simultaneously produced version of the Tamil film Vana Yuddham, which he edited. He is the editor for India's most expensive feature film 2.0.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, featuring Silambarasan and Trisha in the lead roles. Jointly produced Elred Kumar, Jayaraman, VTV Ganesh and P. Madan under the banner Escape Artists Motion Pictures and RS Infotainment, the film was distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies. The story was simultaneously shot in Telugu as Ye Maaya Chesave, starring Naga Chaitanya and Samantha, however, with a different cast and climax.
Nadunisi Naaygal is a 2011 Tamil-language psychological thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon that stars Veera, Sameera Reddy and Deva, 4 Rottweiler dogs, with Swapna Abraham and Ashwin in other pivotal roles. The film notably has no score, instead featuring sounds designed by Renganaath Ravee. Produced by Photon Kathaas Productions and R. S. Infotainment, Nadunissi Naaygal released on 18 February 2011, simultaneously dubbed and released in Telugu as Erra Gulabilu. The title Nadunisi Naaygal is taken from the title of a poem of Sundara Ramasamy.
Veppam (transl. Heat) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language crime action film written and directed by newcomer Anjana Ali Khan, starring Nani, Nithya Menen, Karthik Kumar, and Bindu Madhavi. The story narrates events from the slum areas of Chennai, showcasing characters and their struggles. The film, jointly produced by Gautham Vasudev Menon's Photon Kathaas and R. S. Infotainment, had been in production for over one year. The film released on 29 July 2011, while a dubbed Telugu version, titled Sega, released simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh. Veppam received mixed reviews.
Neethaane En Ponvasantham is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co written, co produced and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, starring Jiiva and Samantha. This film is a shot simultaneously in Telugu, Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu. The film is based on a story written by Reshma Ghatala, who produced the film alongside Elred Kumar, Venkat Somasundaram and Menon. The cinematography was handled by M. S. Prabhu and Om Prakash. The film's background score and soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja which went on to become a chartbuster, and the soundtrack album sold a record 8.5 million units through various platforms on its release.
Magizh Thirumeni is an Indian film director who has worked on Tamil language films. After working as an assistant to directors Selvaraghavan and Gautham Vasudev Menon, he directed four Tamil films, including the action thrillers Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), Meaghamann (2014), and Thadam (2019).
Elred Kumar Santhanam is an Indian film producer he was born at Thangachi madam village. He completed his post-graduation in engineering at Anna University(Guindy). He is a prominent businessman in Chennai, who has made Tamil films under his production house, RS Infotainment. He made his directorial debut with the 2012 romantic thriller Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal (2012).
Yennai Arindhaal is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, and produced by A. M. Rathnam. The film stars Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Arun Vijay and revolves around a former police officer who tries to protect a young woman from a vengeful criminal linked to his past. The film co-stars Anikha, Parvathy Nair, Vivek, Ashish Vidyarthi, Suman and Avinash.
Escape Artists Motion Pictures is an Indian film production studio established by producers Madan and James. Formed in 2010, it has since gone on to produce several Tamil language films. They have also acted as distributors for several Tamil films since 2010.
RS Infotainment is an Indian film production and distribution company headed by Elred Kumar. The studio has produced films made in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
Avishek Karthik is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. Closely associated with director Gautham Vasudev Menon, Karthik has worked previously as Menon's assistant in the films Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007) and Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), before making a breakthrough as an actor through the director's experimental thriller Nadunisi Naaygal (2011).
Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. Produced by Ishari K. Ganesh of Vels Film International, the film stars Varun, Krishna and Raahei, with music composed by Karthik. The film narrates the tale of a bodyguard who has to look after and protect a high-profile woman who comes to Chennai from London. The film was expected to have a theatrical release in late 2020, but production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Nalini Sriram is an Indian fashion costume designer and entrepreneur. She is considered one of the early pioneers of fashion designing for South Indian films.
