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GVM 25-years
The visionary film director who gave us Kollywood classics such as Kaakha Kaakha, Minnale and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya, Gautham Vasudev Menon (GVM) is marking 25 years in Indian cinema in Malaysia with his concert Ondra Rendra 25 Years of GVM.
The event is set to take place on Oct 10 at the Arch Galeries, Kuala Lumpur, as announced on Aug 28 during a special press conference at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, the official hospitality partner.
The concert sets itself apart from others as it promises to be an immersive live entertainment experience that will take you into the world of GVM, elevated by iconic music, which is a pivotal part of his stories.
GVM’s musical legacy
Joining GVM’s musical legacy is a line-up of artistes, including Karthik, Shruti Haasan, Sathya Prakash, Saindhavi, Paal Dabba, Blaaze, Hari Priya and Krish, who have been voices of his stories.
Along with the film director, the musical universe that defined the millennium will be brought to life via live performances, storytelling, conversations and unforgettable moments from his journey.
A distinctive storyteller, his unassuming entry into Kollywood with Minnale made him the one to look for in 2001. Partnering up with household names such as R. Madhavan and newcomer Reema Sen, the movie achieved cult status.
It also marked the debut of music composer Harris Jayaraj, whose soundtrack became a massive pop culture phenomenon, and who would later go on to form the GVM-Harris combo that defined the musical identity of the 2000s urban Tamil youth.
Contribution to Tamil cinema
Later in 2003, GVM reinvented himself with Kaakha Kaakha – a movie that explores a love story between a husband and wife within the premises of a gritty cop thriller.
Among his contributions to the Tamil film industry is writing modern and progressive female leads who are deeply passionate (Hemanika, Yennai Arindhaal) and morally grey (Jessie, Vinnaithandi Varuvaayaa).
These women are not reduced to singular roles, which are normally eye-candies, but they are pivotal chess pieces who grow with the stories he wrote.
Another notable one is the humanisation of his characters — one such character is Surya (played by Suriya) from Vaaranam Aayiram, which broke the “mass hero” trope by presenting a vulnerable protagonist who experiences heartbreak, weeps and shows moments of weakness.
His characters, male and female alike, are complicatedly human and relatable, although in an idealised form. He has also normalised the use of Tanglish (Tamil-English) to reflect the urban, educated youth of Chennai.
Initially, it was criticised by purists, but his urban realism became a trend as his movies were venerated by the targeted audience – college students and urban professionals who use Tamil, English and a little bit of both in their daily lives.
As such, music and GVM’s movies are one and the same; his montage-driven musical storytelling style, through collaborations with high-profile composers such as A.R. Rahman and Harris Jeyaraj, has been the soundtrack to many Tamil people.
Ondra Rendra 25 Years of GVM
Organised by MyEvents International and Radaan Mediaworks, Ondra Rendra 25 Years of GVM is about to transport us back to when we first fell in love with Rajesh (Minnale), Jessie or Meghna (Vaaranam Aayiram). Ticket prices range from RM328 to RM1,288. Get them at ticket2U!
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