KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Gautham Vasudev Menon took about 4,000 fans on a nostalgic journey through his 25 years in cinema on Saturday night, in a first-of-its-kind, café-style concert built around storytelling and the enduring songs from his films.

Rather than simply handing the stage to his singers, the filmmaker stayed at the centre of it for almost the entire three-hour show at The Arch Galeries, narrating the stories behind the music as it was performed.

He set the tone from the start, opening with a line from Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. It was a fitting choice for a director who has spent his career carving out a storytelling style that is distinctly his own.

The evening’s title, Ondra Renda — 25 Years of GVM, comes from a song in his 2003 film Kaakha Kaakha. That film featured prominently alongside Minnale, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, Vaaranam Aayiram, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa and Neethaane En Ponvasantham, as Karthik, Saindhavi, Blaaze, Krish, Haripriya, Sathya Prakash and Adithya RK took turns at the microphone.

Behind them, scenes from each film played on the screens, so that every song arrived with the characters and moments fans had come to remember.

Shruti Haasan’s appearance was brief, but she electrified the hall with “Adiyae Kolluthey”. Paal Dabba then shifted the energy entirely with “His Name Is John”, from Gautham’s still-unreleased Dhruva Natchathiram.

Gautham, popularly known as GVM, was not content to only narrate. He sang a number of songs from his own films and paid tribute to the figures who shaped him, among them composer Ilaiyaraaja and filmmaker Mani Ratnam.

Between performances, he gave the audience a rare look at how he works, recalling his collaborations with Ilaiyaraaja, Harris Jayaraj and AR Rahman.

There was a local touch too. Gautham referenced Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s rendition of “Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat” at the BRICS summit in India last month, before turning to a Hindi song that ranks among his own favourites.

He brought the night to a close with a reflection on the place art holds in people’s lives.

“Medicine, engineering, all that is important for the human race. But poetry, art, music – this is what we live for. And I truly believe that music and lyrics can change the world,” he said.

The celebrations did not stay on stage. A video from the concert has since gone viral on social media, showing director Lingusamy dancing energetically to “Ava Enna Enna Thedi Vantha Anjala” from Vaaranam Aayiram. J

Joining him were Radikaa Sarathkumar, chairperson and managing director of Radaan Mediaworks, and her husband, actor R. Sarathkumar.

The concert was organised by My Events International Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Chennai-based Radaan Mediaworks India Limited, with the concept created by Oru Oorile Oru Film House. 

The two companies have formed a strategic collaboration aimed at bringing more Indian cinema and entertainment projects to Malaysia, including live events, celebrity appearances and film-related programmes.

Under the arrangement, My Events International will provide local market knowledge and event execution, while Radaan contributes its experience in Indian television, cinema and media production.