Tamil director to set up Rs 100-cr film fund

CHENNAI: Well-known Tamil film director Gautham Menon is ready to don a new hat. This time, the director is gearing up to launch a Rs 100-crore fund for South Indian films, even as he gives finishing touches to his Simbu-Trisha-starrer Vinnaythaandi Varuvayaa (VV).

While funds to finance movie productions, buy rights and some even dedicated to film promotion are becoming easily available in Bollywood, the first-of-its-kind fund, conceptualised by Menon, will be available to an industry, where corporates have not yet been able to plant their feet firmly.

Investors in the Rs 100-crore fund will include people ���passionate��� about films, but not necessarily part of the industry. Menon is set to enact the dual roles of a creative head and executive producer. The fund will have around 10 venture capitalists as investors, including the Menon-promoted production company Photon Factory.

���We are speaking to many people and have begun work on getting it registered. We want to get it rolling by November,��� Mr Menon told ET adding, ���A lot of people asked me if they could partner us in the films we make, which is how the idea of launching such a fund with investments from non-industry people came about.���

Incidentally, VV is being produced by Madan, Ganesh and V Jayaraman from Photon Factory and Elred Kumar, a businessman passionate about the film industry.

Of the 30 films planned over the next five years, five will be directed by Menon himself. ���We could fund some films entirely, but ideally we would like to partner with other producers for co-production,��� the director of films such as Minnale, Kaaka Kaaka and Vettaiyadu Vilayadu, said.