Vaaranam Aayiram

Vaaranam Aayiram (transl. A Thousand Elephants) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by V. Ravichandran of Aascar Films. The film stars Suriya in the main dual lead role as father and son alongside Simran, Sameera Reddy (in her Tamil debut) and Ramya. The film features music composed by Harris Jayaraj, making Vaaranam Aayiram his last project with Menon before the formal break-up of their partnership, until they worked together again in Yennai Arindhaal (2015). The cinematography for the film was handled by R. Rathnavelu and the editing was done by Anthony.

The film illustrates Suriya, an Indian Army Major who learns about his father Krishnan's death when he is on a rescue mission. He then starts reminiscing about the bond he shared with Krishnan and the stories related to him. The storyline was inspired by Menon's life, when he heard the news about his father's death back in 2007, also serving as a tribute to him. Filmed across India and the United States, Vaaranam Aayiram had been under production since November 2006 and was completed in August 2008. The film was theatrically released on 14 November 2008, after multiple postponements, and opened to critical acclaim, with praise for Suriya's dual role performance and Harris Jayaraj's soundtrack. Further, the film also became a commercial success, eventually becoming the biggest hit in Suriya's career at that time. It won a number of awards, including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The film has attained cult status over time.