V. A. Shrikumar Menon
V. A. Shrikumar Menon | |
---|---|
Born |
V. A. Shrikumar Menon Puthur, Palakkad, India[1] |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation | Ad Film director |
Years active | 1993 – present |
Spouse(s) | Sharmila [1] |
Children | Lakshmi [1] |
V A Shrikumar Menon is an Indian Ad film director.[2][3] He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Push Integrated Communications, an integrated communications company that provides a gamut of services including business consulting, branding, advertisement, corporate events, public relations, and so on. As an ad film director, he has directed more than 400 films for various brands.[1] He is set to direct India's biggest ever motion picture Randamoozham based on Jnanpith award winner MT Vasudevan Nair’s novel Randamoozham.[4][3]
Personal life
V A Shrikumar Menon was born into a well-off family at Puthur, Palakkad in Kerala. He married his college junior, Sharmila.[1]
Career
In 1993 Shrikumar ventured into the field of entrepreneurship by starting an advertising agency, Colours of the World. But within one year, a big client of him got into trouble with the law and he was left with debts running to the tune of crores of rupees. It took him nearly 13 years to get out of it. Shrikumar's meeting with Ramesh Kalyanaraman, executive director, Kalyan Jewellers, to sponsor a programme at the Devi temple in Puthur, was a turning point. With Ramesh Kalyanaraman's father T.S. Kalyanaraman, also the chairman and managing director of Kalyan Jewellers’ support, Shrikumar got back to advertising.
Shrikumar Menon started Push Integrated Communications Pvt Ltd in the year 2000. Choosing Mammootty as the Kalyan brand ambassador for a campaign about the (BIS) mark in gold jewellery, Shrikumar made the BIS hallmark focus of several other brands within a few years.[5] When the brand began making its mark outside Kerala, Shrikumar shot ads with Prabhu in Tamil Nadu, Akkineni Nagarjuna in Andhra Pradesh and Shiva Rajkumar in Karnataka.[6][7] The ads about price tag featuring Cochin Haneefa and the ‘Trust’ campaign “Vishwasam Athalle Ellam” series, which was chosen the TV Campaign of the Year at the Retail Jeweller India Awards 2012, got him noticed. Messages against malpractice in purchase of gold were addressed across all markets in the South through regional ambassadors. The one in Malayalam featured Dileep. When it came to focusing on products, the brand chose Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and recently Sonam Kapoor.[8][9][10]
Directing ads for Manappuram Finance and Kalyan Jewellers made Shrikumar Popular. He created advertisements with Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Manju Warrier and many other popular actors. It was the first time that four South Indian actors – Nagarjuna, Shivarajkumar, Prabhu and Dileep – came together for one television commercial shot in four languages, with Mr.Bachchan as the common factor in all the four. The ad shot for Manappuram Finance was made in 12 languages with eight brand ambassadors – Mohanlal, Akshay Kumar, Vikram, Daggubati Venkatesh, Puneeth Rajkumar, Uttam Mohanty, Mithun Chakraborthy and Sachin Khedekar.[11] Of the lot, four were shot by Director Priyadarsan and the rest by Shrikumar Menon. He has also worked with Priyadarsan for the promotional video of the Kerala IPL team, Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
Shrikumar Menon has worked with Sachin Tendulkar for Prime Meridian, a Luxury property developer based in Kochi.[12]
His clients include Wrangler Jeans, Sobha Ltd., Nilgiris 1905, Prime Meridian, Meriiboy, Kalanikethan, A 1, Kaleeswari Refineries, AVT, Annapoorna, Amrita institutions, Kalyan Developers, Cellcom, Eazi Pens and Trinity Eye Care among others.
Feature Films
Shrikumar Menon is set to direct India's biggest ever motion picture Randamoozham, starring Mohanlal in the lead as Bhima, based on MT Vasudevan Nair’s novel Randamoozham.[3] According to an official announcement[13][14] on 17 April 2017, Dr B. R. Shetty, UAE based billionaire businessman and philanthropist is investing Rs. 1000 crore (USD 150 million)[15] to produce India’s biggest ever motion picture, ‘The Mahabharata’, setting a rare record in the Indian film industry. 'The Mahabharata' will be produced in two parts and is scheduled to go on floor by September 2018 for a release in early 2020. The second part of the film will be released within 90 days of the first part. The film will be shot primarily in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu and will be dubbed into major Indian languages and leading foreign languages.
Shrikumar Menon has also announced another film which also stars Mohanlal in the lead role, titled 'Odiyan'.[16][2] According to him, the Odiyans are the first gangsters in Kerala. He says that the movie is set against the backdrop of the community and their myths. The movie which has actress Manju Warrier in the female lead is scripted by National Film Award for Best Screenplay winner Harikrishnan. Prakash Raj will play a powerful antagonist in the film.[17][18] Produced by Aashirvad Cinemas, Odiyan is expected to release in 2018.[19]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "In the big league".
- 1 2 "Odiyan will be the finest film in Mohanlal’s acting career: VA Shrikumar Menon".
- 1 2 3 "Mohanlal will be Bheema in ‘Mahabharatha’".
- ↑ "1,000 Crores For India's Priciest Film. Funded By Indian In Middle East".
- ↑ "Kalyan Jewellers chalks out Rs. 1,000-cr expansion plans".
- ↑ "Nagarjuna is brand ambassador for Kalyan Jewellers".
- ↑ "Nagarjuna opens Kalyan Jewellers showroom today".
- ↑ "Sushmita Sen, Kalyan's brand ambassador".
- ↑ "Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Prabhu, Manju Warrier Inaugurate Jewellery Showrooms in Kerala".
- ↑ "Sonam Kapoor replaces Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the new face of Kalyan Jewellers".
- ↑ "Manappuram Finance to spend Rs. 100 cr on ad campaign".
- ↑ "Property developer Prime Meridian ropes in Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador".
- ↑ "'Randamoozham': India to produce its most expensive film ever".
- ↑ "Mahabharata epic set to become India's most expensive movie ever".
- ↑ "India's Most Expensive Film, 'The Mahabharata', Is Being Produced By A UAE Businessman".
- ↑ "Odiyan will be a landmark in Mohanlal’s illustrious career".
- ↑ "Odiyan: Mohanlal To Share Screen Space With Prakash Raj After 20 Years".
- ↑ "Odiyan: Mohanlal to team up with Manju Warrier for Odiyan".
- ↑ "Most expensive Malayalam film 'Odiyan' to tell untold story".