# P. Vasu (பி. வாசு)
**P. Vasu** (பி. வாசு) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and occasional actor who has worked mainly in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) and also in Kannada and [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema) since the early 1980s. In his own words he is Vasudevan, son of Peethambaram of the Nedumpal Mootheredath house in Iringalakkuda, Thrissur district, Kerala, and a Malayali by origin[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627). He is best known for the 1990s run of commercial hits with Prabhu, Sathyaraj, Vijayakanth and [Rajinikanth](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajinikanth), and above all for *Chandramukhi* (2005), the Rajinikanth horror-comedy that became one of the longest-running Tamil films in a single theater[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) • [2](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-up-stories/article2251324.ece).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vasudevan, son of Peethambaram (Nedumpal Mootheredath house, Iringalakkuda, Thrissur); databases give Vasudevan Peethambaram/Peethambharam[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) • [3](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/3751/p-vasu) |
| Birth date | 1954 per one biography; 1955 per TamilMDb (disputed)[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu) • [3](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/3751/p-vasu) |
| Output | About 65 films across Tamil, Kannada and Telugu over 40 years, by his own count[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) |
| Career landmark | *Chandramukhi* (2005) with Rajinikanth; 804-day run reported by The Hindu, 1,000 days at Shanthi Theatre, Chennai, per the director[2](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-up-stories/article2251324.ece) • [1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) |
| Signature remake chain | Malayalam *Manichitrathazhu* remade by him as Kannada *Apthamitra* (2004) and Tamil *Chandramukhi* (2005)[5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html) |
| Recent work | *Chandramukhi 2* (September 2023) with Raghava Lawrence; *Ayyappacharitham* reported in production in 2024[6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452) • [1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) |
## Early life and family background
Vasu comes from a film-family background on his father's side. His father worked in the industry as a makeup artist for M. G. R. and N. T. R., became president of the makeup union in [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu), and later produced films in Telugu and Tamil[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu). The family home, Nedumpal Mootheredath, is in Iringalakkuda in Thrissur district, Kerala[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
His birth year is reported differently by the two biographical databases that give a date: one entertainment biography states 15 September 1954 in Kerala, while TamilMDb lists 15 September 1955[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu) • [3](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/3751/p-vasu).
## Career beginnings
Vasu entered films as an assistant to the director [C. V. Sridhar](https://www.edgepedia.org/c-v-sridhar), working on Sridhar's 1977 film *Nanban* starring M. G. R.[6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452). His first directing credit came jointly with Santhana Bharathi, under the combined name Bharathi Vasu, on *Paneer Pushpangal* (1981); in the director's own account he was 25 at the time and the film launched [Shanthi Krishna](https://www.edgepedia.org/shanthi-krishna) at age 14[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) • [6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452). The partnership continued with *Madhumalar*, *Mella Pesungal* and *Neethiyin Nizhal*[6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452).
**Solo directing.** The two parted professionally in 1982, the year Vasu married his cousin Shanthi[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627). His first film alone was *En Thangachi Padhichava* with Prabhu in the lead; sources date it to 1987 or 1988, and it was a superhit[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) • [6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452) • [5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html). He then directed films with Prabhu, Sathyaraj, Karthik, Vijayakanth, and Rajinikanth[5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html).
## The 1990s hit streak
Vasu's commercial peak came in the first half of the 1990s. The run of hits included *Panakkaran* (1990), *Nadigan* (1990), *Chinna Thambi* (1991), *[Mannan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mannan-film)* (1992), *[Walter Vetrivel](https://www.edgepedia.org/walter-vetrivel)* (1993) and *[Sethupathi IPS](https://www.edgepedia.org/sethupathi-ips)* (1994)[7](https://lycaproductions.in/p-vasu-from-a-makeup-mans-son-to-tamil-cinemas-legendary-director/). *Panakkaran* was his first film with Rajinikanth, followed by *Mannan*[6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452). *Chinna Thambi*, with Prabhu and Kushboo, ran 500 days at a theater in Thrissur, in the director's telling[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
The streak earned him state and industry recognition: awards for Best Screenplay and Dialogues for *Nadigan*, Best Director for *Chinna Thambi*, Best Screenplay and Story for *Walter Vetrivel*, and a Filmfare Award for Best Direction[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu). In *Walter Vetrivel* he cast [Sathyaraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/sathyaraj) as a police officer, and in *Nadigan* he recast Sathyaraj as a full-time comedian[5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html).
The mid-1990s brought the opposite result: one biography records that all his directorial films in that stretch flopped with poor audience response[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu).
## Chandramukhi and the Rajinikanth films
*Chandramukhi* (2005) grew out of a remake chain that began with the Malayalam thriller *Manichitrathazhu*. Vasu first adapted it into Kannada as *[Apthamitra](https://www.edgepedia.org/apthamitra)* (2004), then into Tamil as *Chandramukhi*; the Hindu Tamil profile describes each version as a distinct reinvention rather than a straight copy[5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html). Rajinikanth, having seen *Apthamitra*, insisted that Vasu direct the Tamil version; Shivaji Productions, the company of the actor Prabhu, took on the production, and Vasu changed some climax scenes[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
The film's theatrical run is the most disputed number in his career. [The Hindu](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hindu) reported an 804-day run, described as a first-film record for [South India](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-india)[2](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-up-stories/article2251324.ece); an industry profile says it ran for over 800 days[7](https://lycaproductions.in/p-vasu-from-a-makeup-mans-son-to-tamil-cinemas-legendary-director/); and the director states it ran 1,000 days at Shanthi Theatre on Mount Road, Chennai, with successful remakes and dubs reaching Telugu audiences, Japan, China and Arab countries[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627). All accounts agree the run was exceptionally long; they differ on the exact figure. *Chandramukhi* also marked Rajinikanth's comeback after the failures of *Baba* and the shelved *Jaggu Bhai*[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
A sequel had a long gestation. Vasu had already spoken of one around 2007, saying it would be called *Paneer Pushpam* and release in 2010[2](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-up-stories/article2251324.ece). He narrated a sequel story to Rajinikanth in 2008, but the project was delayed by Rajinikanth's daughter's wedding, the shooting of *Endhiran*, and Rajinikanth's illness; the story written for Rajinikanth instead became *Apthamitra 2* in Kannada with Vishnuvardhan[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
## By the numbers
The director himself states about 65 films across Tamil, Kannada and Telugu over 40 years[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627). He has also acted in 22 films, including Malayalam ones such as *Ee Parakkum Thalika* and *Thandavam*[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
Run-length figures serve as the main commercial metrics: *Chinna Thambi* at 500 days in a single Thrissur theater[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627), *Chandramukhi* at 804 days or more[2](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-up-stories/article2251324.ece), and the Kannada *Shivalinga* at 100 days in 83 theaters[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
## Directorial style
Vasu's training under C. V. Sridhar shows in his grounding in family-sentiment masala films, the genre label his work carries in biographical accounts[4](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu). His most distinctive commercial formula is the horror-remake: taking a successful thriller, in the *Manichitrathazhu* lineage, and rebuilding it for a new star and language[5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html). Tamil cinema journalism also credits him with small trend-setting visual touches, such as dressing villains' henchmen in white vetti-and-shirt in fight scenes[5](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html). [Ananda Vikatan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ananda-vikatan)'s 2020 profile framed his longevity as a senior director who has delivered superhits for nearly 40 years with updated stories[8](https://cinema.vikatan.com/kollywood/exclusive-interview-with-director-p-vasu).
## Since 2023
*Chandramukhi 2*, starring [Raghava Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/raghava-lawrence) alongside Vadivelu, Kangana Ranaut and Radhika, was set for release on 28 September 2023[6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452). In an interview given about eight months after its release, Vasu said his next film's subject was *Ayyappacharitham*, then in production[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627).
## Writing, producing and acting
Beyond directing, Vasu writes: TamilMDb credits him as writer as well as director on *Shivalinga* (2017) and lists *Mannan* (1992) as writer-director, alongside directing credits for *Malabar Police* (1999), *Paramasivan* (2006) and a 2023 film[3](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/3751/p-vasu). His acting appearances, 22 by his own count, include *Vallaarasu*, *Sundara Travels*, *Seenu*, *Tenkasi Pattinam* and *Dasavatharam*[1](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627) • [6](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452).
## References
1. ["അന്ന് ഞാൻ പ്രഭുവിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു..." – P. Vasu interview, Mathrubhumi](https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/interview/director-p-vasu-interview-172a7627)
2. ["Making up stories", The Hindu MetroPlus](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/making-up-stories/article2251324.ece)
3. [P. Vasu, TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/3751/p-vasu)
4. [Tamil Director P Vasu Biography, Nettv4u](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/tamil/director/p-vasu)
5. ["'கதைகளின் மேக்கப்மேன்' பி.வாசு", Hindu Tamil Thisai](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/578885-happy-birthd-day-p-vasu.html)
6. ["P. Vasu Birthday: என்றென்றும் சின்னதம்பி!", ABP Live Tamil](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/rajini-super-hit-movie-director-p-vasu-celebrate-his-68th-birthday-140452)
7. ["P. Vasu: From a Makeup Man's Son to Tamil Cinema's Legendary Director", Lyca Productions](https://lycaproductions.in/p-vasu-from-a-makeup-mans-son-to-tamil-cinemas-legendary-director/)
8. [Exclusive interview with director P. Vasu, Ananda Vikatan Cinema](https://cinema.vikatan.com/kollywood/exclusive-interview-with-director-p-vasu)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Indian and South Asian film directors › Tamil cinema directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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