Happy Birthday P Vasu: Why Rajinikanth, Khushbu, Sathyaraj, Prabhu swear by this maverick filmmaker
In a career spanning over four decades, filmmaker-actor P Vasu has dabbled in various genres and is one of the most successful filmmakers in South Indian cinema. Here are some of his most fruitful collaborations in Tamil
It is but natural that some stars have favourites. And a very important director of the stars is P Vasu. His projects with Rajinikanth, Khushbu, Sathyaraj, and Prabhu are landmarks in Tamil cinema
Over the past three decades, Vasu has been a filmmaker whose success with Rajinikanth grew multifold with every collaboration.
Panakkaran: A remake of the Amitabh film, Laawaris, Vasu incorporated a slight change in climax that highlighted his trademark sentimentality. It was an all-round Rajini that we saw in this film.
Mannan: A classic adaptation of the Taming of the Shrew, Mannan might not have aged well, but there is no doubt about the success of the film. Once again, an all-round Rajini, in top form
Uzhaippali: A spiritual template to Arunachalam, Uzhaippali saw Rajini fighting against capitalism. The twist? Rajini is a capitalist but avoids it like how he avoids gravity during his stunts
Chandramukhi: The Vasu-Rajini combo peaked with this remake of Manichitrathazhu. Vasu made the remake his own to tweak certain scenes to accommodate the Superstar. And lakalakalaka was immortalised
Kuselan: Yet another Malayalam remake. Once again, a lot of tweaks to accommodate the Superstar, but it backfired. But, the film scored on emotion, and Rajini's nuanced performance won acclaim
Be it as a nonsensical comedian, a no-nonsense cop, a wronged youth, or a simpleton, this combination of Sathyaraj and Vasu delivered the goods, every single time
Velai Kidachuduchu: A bonafide blockbuster, Sathyaraj-Vasu's first collaboration, a revenge drama, was remade into multiple languages, becoming a success everywhere
Walter Vetrivel: One of the most memorable cop outings for Sathyaraj was this film that didn't give space for the entertainer. But, the serious actor in Sathyaraj took centrestage, and how!
Nadigan: This film will surely find itself in any list of best Tamil comedies. Be it Sathyaraj, the ever-dependable Goundamani, or the amazingly versatile Manorama, Nadigan had everything going for it
Rickshaw Mama: It is a known fact that Sathyaraj adores MGR. So does P Vasu. And a beautiful film, modelled after the iconic Rickshawkaaran, saw Sathyaraj score high in this family drama
Malabar Police: Who else would have thought Sathyaraj could be a Malayali cop but Vasu? His scenes with Goundamani still makes us laugh. A neat thriller wrapped up inside a dramedy
The success of this combination lies in the remake value of almost every collaboration. The universality of their films speaks volumes about their comfort levels and creative exchanges
En Thangachi Padichava: This was P Vasu's first solo-directed Tamil film. And marked the start of a fruitful collaboration. This saw a Bollywood remake starring none other than Amitabh Bachchan
Chinna Thambi: It is still perplexing how they managed to sell the story of an innocent simpleton who didn't know what thaali was. Without a doubt, an ICONIC film
Senthamizh Paatu: The Prabhu-Vasu combo has delivered superhit songs, and the culmination of this collaboration was in this film that saw MSV and Ilaiyaraaja compose together.
Suyamvaram: A Guiness record attempt. Multiple filmmakers. Biggest multi-starrer in Tamil cinema. An example of exemplary unity. And guess who directed the Prabhu portions?
Every artist needs an inspiration, a muse, and it is safe to assume Kushboo was portrayed at her best in Vasu's films. Most of the films mentioned above feature Khushbu, and she aces every role
Amma Vandhaachu: The same film sees as her as a bubbly, vibrant salesperson and a sober telephone operator. As a girlfriend, as a mother, Khushbu makes us invested in this emotional drama
Purusha Lakshanam: Not a Vasu directorial, but written by him, this KS Ravikumar film saw Khushbu become gold standard in Tamil wives. The moment she asked for Thaali varam, Khushbu was immortalised
Pathini: A very unlikely film from this combo saw Khushbu take on the role of a conflicted woman. It is unfortunate that the film didn't get its due. Khushbu won a special mention at the State Awards
