GV Films is an Indianfilm production anddistribution company headed byIshari K. Ganesh. The firm had been a leading production studio in the Tamil film industry in the 1990s and had been founded byG. Venkateswaran as Sujatha Films in 1986.^[1][2]

Sujatha Films was set up in 1986 byG. Venkateswaran, a chartered accountant, as a film production and distribution company. Operating as a family production house, Venkateswaran's brotherMani Ratnam also often assisted on the production work of films that he directed for the studio.^[3] Sujatha Films became GV Films as it became the first publicly listed company from the Indian media industry in 1989.^[4]

The early films by the studio saw frequent collaborations with Mani Ratnam andVisu, as well as with composerA. R. Rahman. Films includingAnjali andThalapathi were among the studio's most notable films.^[5][6]

GV Films producedSuhasini Maniratnam's first filmIndira (1995) featuringAnu Hasan andArvind Swamy in the lead roles. The film did not perform well at the box office, prompting GV Films to stop production and prioritise distribution ventures.^[7] However, some distribution ventures includingAalavandhan (2001) andBaba (2002) were also expensive failures.^[8][9]

GV Films made a return to production in the early 2000s, first working on the making ofThamizhan (2002) directed by debutantMajith. The film featuredVijay andPriyanka Chopra in her first acting role. Further films that the studio worked on includedVasanth'sYai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke! (2002) andK. Bhagyaraj'sChokka Thangam (2003) withVijayakanth. All three films did not perform well commercially.^[10] Subsequently, Venkateswaran came under pressure from film financiers. In April 2003, Venkateswaran committed suicide at his residence in Chennai.^[11][12]

Following Venkateswaran's death, the studio continued to produce media content under the same name. Notably, actressManisha Koirala was briefly a board member as the studio attempted to make a comeback through Hindi film content and 3D television serials.^[13] The studio launched a big budget Hindi film directed byMahesh Manjrekar starringSanjay Dutt in late 2005, though it was later stalled.^[14]Kasthuri Shankar also worked with the studio and assisted on the oversight of the production ofUrchagam (2007).^[15] The studio returned to prioritising distribution ventures and instead chose to make small budget films such asKaivantha Kalai (2006) andThirudi (2006).^[16] In 2015, GV Films held a ceremony in Mumbai to mark 25 years since its founding.^[17]

In 1993, GV Films worked on bringingMichael Jackson to India for two live concerts to be held in Bombay and Madras on 8 and 10 December in aid of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. The event was later cancelled prompting the studio to suffer heavy losses and begin litigation.^[18][19][20]

In 2000, GV Films paid $43.6 million to acquire about 8,000 international titles from a seller's offshore investment company Pinewood Films. This included the masters for non-exclusive internet, DVD and theatrical rights. The deal was considered the biggest catalogue buyout by an Indian company.^[21] During the same period, GV Films entered into a joint venture with UK internet portal Asian Online.^[22]

As of 2020, the group of companies is headed byIshari K. Ganesh.^[23]

as Sujatha Films

as GV Films

In addition to the production of films since 2010, GV Films has also been involved in distributing films of other production houses across certain regions.

• Aalavandhan (2001)
• Baba (2002)
• Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006)
• Vallavan (2006)
• Thaamirabharani (2007)
• Sivaji (2007)

• Mayavi (Jaya TV)

• Film distributors of India
• Film production companies based in Chennai
• Indian film studios
• 1989 establishments in Tamil Nadu
• Indian companies established in 1989
• Mass media companies established in 1989

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• Short description matches Wikidata
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• Use Indian English from January 2023
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