Gautham Menon interview: How ‘Dhruva Natchathiram’ pushed him to the very edge, and why he’s stronger for it

In an exclusive interview, the filmmaker looks back at the gruelling but gratifying experience of finally bringing the action-thriller to screens, what acting in the likes of ‘Leo’ and ‘Viduthalai’ have taught him, and why he cannot wait to make a full-fledged romance again

It is a little unnerving that Gautham Menon appears so calm when we meet him at his charming Besant Nagar office. Around us, several bookshelves teem with novels by authors like James Patterson, Lee Child and Robert Ludlum; no doubt, some of them have served as heady inspiration for his many successful cop thrillers.

Nobody would guess that the filmmaker has been fighting an uphill battle to see his latest film — Dhruva Natchathiram with actor Vikram in the lead role — see the light of day. But then again, after years of being trapped in production hiatus, the film has finally locked a release date of November 24, so Gautham can afford to break into a wry smile.

“Weird thoughts do come and go. I have definitely wondered about running away from it all. These last six months of trying to release the film have truly pushed me to my limits. But every time I’ve faced a brick wall, thankfully, I have decided to go ahead and figure out how to break it.”

“After 22 years, if I’m still around, and if there’s a decent buzz around a film of mine, I must have done something right,” he muses, settling into an easy and long-winded conversation with us.

Excerpts from the interview:

GVM: I’ve acted in 10 films this year?! Okay, I swear I hadn’t realised that until you told me just now. Umm...

GVM: Ideally, I think I’m done with acting. Though I have had a few really bad experiences, I’m very thankful for my acting stint as it helped me sort out things financially. If calls come from filmmakers like Vetri or Lokesh, then I might consider it again.