Gautham Menon's lover boys - be it Suriya, Naga Chaitanya or Nani - are a treat to watch. The fine director has played a stellar role in convincing the audience that this or that is how love stories should be told. 'Ye Maya Chesave' and 'Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu' come to mind.

But how was the director himself trying to impress his girlfriend at times? "Old Hindi film songs played a big part in my growing up. I grew up hearing and singing them. I would send couplets from such songs to impress my girlfriend in school," Menon tells an English-language daily.

His next film is with Vikram, titled 'Dhruva Natchathiram' (Tamil). It's currently in the making. Though the lead character of John played by Vikram is a middle-aged person, 'Chiyaan' will have beautiful romance sequences with Ritu Varma of 'Pelli Choopulu' and 'Keshava' fame.