V. A. Shrikumar Menon
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V. A. Shrikumar is an Indian ad film,
feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
director and
businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...
. He has directed more than 400 commercials for various brands. He is the chairman and managing director of Push Integrated Communications, a marketing company. He directed his debut feature film ''
Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
'' in 2018. Despite mixed reviews, it was a major commercial success at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing
Malayalam films Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
of all time. Before the arrival of K.G.F: Chapter 2, Odiyan was the holder of the first day's highest box office opener in Kerala, by collecting more than 7 crores.


Family

V. A. Shrikumar was born in Puthur,
Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...
in Kerala, India. He studied
bachelor of commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...
(B.Com.) from
Government Victoria College, Palakkad The Government Victoria College in Palakkad is an institution of higher learning in the Malabar region of Kerala. It is affiliated to the Calicut University and provides undergraduate and postgraduate education in science, arts and commerce su ...
and
master of commerce A Master of Commerce (MCom or M Com) is a postgraduate degree designed to provide knowledge in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. Like the undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce, the degree is mainly offered ...
(M.Com.) from
NSS College, Ottapalam N.S.S College, Ottapalam is an institute of higher education in Ottapalam, India. The college was founded in 1961. It was funded by donations and was consecrated by Swami Vishadanandha, President of Sree Ramakrishna Ashram, Palappuram, and was ...
. He married his college junior Sharmila. They have a daughter, Lakshmi Shrikumar, born in 1995.


Career


Advertisement

In 1993 Shrikumar ventured into the field of entrepreneurship by starting an
advertising agency An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generall ...
, 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 Kalyan Jewellers is an Indian multinational jewellery company, headquartered in Thrissur, Kerala. It was founded in 1993 by T. S. Kalyanaraman. As of July 2024, Kalyan Jewellers operates 277 showrooms across India and the Middle East. Histor ...
, to sponsor a programme at the Devi temple in Puthur, was a turning point. With Ramesh Kalyanaraman's father
T.S. Kalyanaraman T. S. Kalyanaraman (born 23 April 1947) is an Indian businessman and the managing director of Kalyan Jewellers and Kalyan Developers. Kalyan Group is the holding company of Kalyan Jewellers. Early life Kalyanaraman was born in Thrissur, i ...
, also the chairman and managing director of
Kalyan Jewellers Kalyan Jewellers is an Indian multinational jewellery company, headquartered in Thrissur, Kerala. It was founded in 1993 by T. S. Kalyanaraman. As of July 2024, Kalyan Jewellers operates 277 showrooms across India and the Middle East. Histor ...
’ support, Shrikumar got back to advertising. Shrikumar started Push Integrated Communications Pvt Ltd in the year 2000. Mammootty was the Kalyan Jewellers brand ambassador for a campaign about the (BIS) mark in gold jewellery, Shrikumar made the
BIS hallmark The BIS Hallmark is a hallmarking system for gold as well as silver jewellery sold in India, certifying the purity of the metal. It certifies that the piece of jewellery conforms to a set of standards laid by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the n ...
focus of several other brands within a few years. When the brand began making its mark outside
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, Shrikumar shot ads with
Prabhu ''Prabhu'' means ''master'' or ''prince'' in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. Surname Prabhu is a surname among Gaud saraswat Brahmins, saraswat Brahmins and other Brahmins across the Ko ...
in Tamil Nadu,
Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna (Sanskrit: नागार्जुन, ''Nāgārjuna''; ) was an Indian monk and Mahayana, Mahāyāna Buddhist Philosophy, philosopher of the Madhyamaka (Centrism, Middle Way) school. He is widely considered one of the most importa ...
in Andhra Pradesh and
Shiva Rajkumar Dr.Shiva Rajkumar (born Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy; 12 July 1962) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Ka ...
in Karnataka. The ads about price tag featuring
Cochin Haneefa Cochin Haneefa (22 April 1951 – 2 February 2010) was an Indian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malay ...
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 Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, comedian and entrepreneur who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has also acted in Tamil, Hindi, and Kannada films. He has ...
. When it came to focusing on products, the brand chose
Sushmita Sen Sushmita Sen (; born 19 November 1975) is an Indian actress and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss Universe 1994, becoming the first Indian people, Indian woman to win the title. Sen has since predominantly worked in Hindi films, ...
,
Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popu ...
Bachchan and recently
Sonam Kapoor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja (; born 9 June 1985) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Sonam Kapoor, several awards, including a National Film Awards, National Film Award and a Filmf ...
. Directing ads for
Manappuram Finance Manappuram Finance Ltd is an Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) based in Valapad, Thrissur, Kerala. Manappuram has over 4190+ branches across 25 states. History The company was founded in 1949 by late V. C. Padmanabhan in Thrissur dis ...
and
Kalyan Jewellers Kalyan Jewellers is an Indian multinational jewellery company, headquartered in Thrissur, Kerala. It was founded in 1993 by T. S. Kalyanaraman. As of July 2024, Kalyan Jewellers operates 277 showrooms across India and the Middle East. Histor ...
made Shrikumar popular. He created advertisements with
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...
,
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
,
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
,
Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popu ...
Bachchan,
Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978/1979) is an Indian actress, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. She is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Kerala State Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards South. Warrier made her actin ...
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 Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
,
Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
, Vikram,
Daggubati Venkatesh Daggubati Venkatesh (born 13 December 1960) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work predominantly in Telugu cinema. Venkatesh has a prolific career spanning over 37 years and is known for portraying a variety of characters. He ...
,
Puneeth Rajkumar Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), affectionately known as Appu (by his fans, after his first lead role in the movie Appu (2002 film), ''Appu''), was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter a ...
,
Uttam Mohanty Uttam Mohanty (23 December 1958 – 27 February 2025) was an Indian film and television actor who had to his credit more than 135 Odia films and acted in 30 Bengali films and in a Hindi film '' Naya Zaher''. Early life Mohanty was born and b ...
,
Mithun Chakraborthy Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and politician who predominantly works in Hindi and Bengali cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done ...
and
Sachin Khedekar Sachin Khedekar (born 14 May 1965) is an Indian actor and director known for his work in Hindi, Marathi and Telugu films. His well-known films include '' Kaksparsh'', '' Astitva'' and Shyam Benegal's '' Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgot ...
. Of the lot, four were shot by Director Priyadarsan and the rest by Shrikumar. He has also worked with Priyadarsan for the promotional video of the Kerala IPL team,
Kochi Tuskers Kerala Kochi Tuskers Kerala is a now defunct franchise cricket team that played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) representing the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. The team was one of two new franchises added to the IPL for the 2011 season, alongside ...
. Shrikumar has worked with
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, and is the holder of several world reco ...
for Prime Meridian, a luxury property developer based in Kochi. His clients include
Wrangler Jeans Wrangler is an American manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items, particularly workwear. The brand is owned by Kontoor Brands Inc., which also owns Lee. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, in the United States, w ...
,
Sobha Ltd. Sobha Limited (formerly Sobha Developers Limited) is a multinational real estate developer with its headquarters in Dubai, UAE and a corporate office in Bangalore, India History Sobha Realty is an international luxury developer. Established i ...
,
Nilgiris 1905 Nilgiri's is an Indian supermarket chain. It is also one of the oldest supermarket chains in India with origins dating back to 1905 and hence its products are sold under the brand name of "Nilgiri's 1905". It also has a store brand, and produces ...
,
Malayala Manorama '' Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1888, and currently has a rea ...
, 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

In 2017, it was announced that would be directing the film adaptation of
M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...
's novel ''
Randamoozham ''Randamoozham'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language mythological drama novel by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, widely credited as his masterpiece. First serialized in ''Kalakaumudi Weekly'', it won the Vayalar Award for the best literary work in Mala ...
'', which is based on the Indian epic
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
, starring
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
in the lead role of
Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...
. The film was to be produced by
B. R. Shetty Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, (born 1 August 1942) commonly known as B.R. Shetty, is an Indian-born businessman and former billionaire, the founder and acquirer of a number of companies based in the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi ...
on a budget of 10 billion (US$150 million), making it the costliest film ever made in India. Made in two parts and to be shot in multiple languages including English, filming was planned to start by September 2018 for a release in early 2020. However, due to the creative differences, Shrikumar and M. T. Vasudevan Nair parted ways. In 2017, he announced that his directorial debut would be ''
Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
'' starring Mohanlal. Odiyans are a
legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
in Kerala folklore, who can assume animal form by
shapeshifting In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...
. It was scripted by Harikrishnan and produced by
Aashirvad Cinemas Aashirvad Cinemas is an Indian film production company based in Kochi, Kerala. It was established in 1999 by Antony Perumbavoor, since then, it has produced over 30 Malayalam films, starring Mohanlal. Since 2009, the company co-operates with th ...
, released in 2018. Despite mixed reviews, it was a major commercial success at the box office which was to be one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. Before the arrival of K.G.F: Chapter 2, Odiyan was the holder of the first day's highest box office opener in Kerala for more than 3 years, by collecting more than 7 crores. In January 2018, Push Integrated Communications joined with Aeon Infrastructure to launch Push Aeon Consortium, a consortium joining newly formed Push Motion Picture Company and Aeon Entertainment. Together, they aims at investing 1 billion in production and distribution of films in four
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n languages in 2018. The consortium also aims at building multiplex theatres in selected cities.


Filmography

* ''
Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
'' (2018) * ''The Comrade'' (upcoming) * ''Mahabharatham'' (upcoming) * ''Mission konkan'' (upcoming)


In the media


Odiyan backlash

Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
was a much awaited movie by
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
fans. The movie had a huge hype with the with
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
having a makeover for the movie. But the hype didn't translate into success for the movie, which did not live up to the expectations of the audience. With this, many on social media came out against director Sreekumar Menon. What he said in a way that created a lot of hype before the film was released became a troll on social media. With this, he came on the scene saying that there was an organized attack on
Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
and that he was trying to destroy the film by making fake IDs.


V A Shrikumar and Manju Warrier

The controversy between actress
Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978/1979) is an Indian actress, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. She is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Kerala State Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards South. Warrier made her actin ...
and Shrikumar Menon happened in late 2019. Manju, who has been out of cinema for 14 years, made her acting debut in 2013 with VA Shrikumar Menon, who ran an advertising agency called Push Integrated Communications Pvt. Manju also starred in several commercials made by him. But when
Odiyan ''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan and is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are m ...
did not gain the acceptance of the audience, Shrikumar came up with the allegation that Manju did not stand by him.
Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978/1979) is an Indian actress, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. She is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Kerala State Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards South. Warrier made her actin ...
said that she was facing threats from Shrikumar and that he was using the letterhead and documents she had signed for official purposes without her knowledge or consent and was spreading slanderous propaganda against her on social media. A complaint was lodged against Shrikumar. Following Manju's complaint, a raid was carried out on Shrikumar's house in Palakkad. Director Shrikumar Menon was then arrested but released on bail soon.


M T Vasudevan and Shrikumar

In 2014,
M.T.Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was one of the mast ...
and Shrikumar signed an agreement to make
Randamoozham ''Randamoozham'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language mythological drama novel by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, widely credited as his masterpiece. First serialized in ''Kalakaumudi Weekly'', it won the Vayalar Award for the best literary work in Mala ...
. The agreement was to complete the film within three years. However, Sreekumar Menon had approached the MT court seeking an injunction restraining him from making the movie as the it did not materialize even after the deadline. The Supreme Court ruled that the script should be returned to MT himself and Shrikumar Menon's advance of Rs 1.25 crore should be returned.


Controversy

A junior actress accused Sreekumar Menon for sexually abusing he


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shrikumar, V. A. Malayalam film directors Film directors from Palakkad district Living people People from Palakkad district 1963 births