Gautham Menon

Gautham Menon, widely known as GVM, is a director, writer, producer and actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He is best loved for romances such as Vaaranam Aayiram and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa and for the police story Kaakha Kaakha. He has won two National Film Awards, one of them Best Feature Film in Tamil for Vaaranam Aayiram. He made his name with the love story Minnale (2001), then turned to police thrillers with Kaakha Kaakha (2003) and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006). Vaaranam Aayiram (2008) and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) won over critics and audiences alike. He went back to the cop genre with Yennai Arindhaal (2015) and told a gangster tale in Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022). He later directed Dhruva Nakshathram (2023) and Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha (2024). Alongside directing, he became a regular face on screen in Viduthalai: Part I (2023), Leo (2023), Viduthalai: Part II (2024), Dragon (2025) and Jana Nayagan (2026). Menon has also made Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam versions of his own Tamil stories and has acted in Malayalam and Telugu films. Through his company Photon Kathaas he produced Thanga Meenkal (2013), which also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. His other honours include three Nandi Awards, among them Best Screenplay Writer in 2010 for Ye Maaya Chesave, and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.