Minnale

Minnale
Tamil	மின்னலே
Directed by	Gautham Vasudev Menon
Produced by	Murali Manohar
Written by	"Dhinanthorum" Nagarajan (dialogues)
Story by	Gautham Vasudev Menon Vipul Shah
Starring	Madhavan Abbas Reemma Sen Nagesh Vivek
Music by	Harris Jayaraj
Cinematography	R. D. Rajasekhar
Edited by	Suresh Urs
Production company	Cee (I) Tv Entertainment
Release date	18 February 2001
Running time	171 mins
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Minnale (English: Lightning) is a 2001 Tamil romance film written and directed by Gautham Menon. The film featured Madhavan, Abbas and Reemma Sen, with Vivek and Nagesh also appearing in pivotal roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by newcomer Harris Jayaraj, which became very successful prior to release, helping the film at the box office. Marketed as a Valentine's Day release, Minnale opened to positive reviews from critics and enjoyed significant commercial success.

The movie opens in an engineering college in Ooty with a narration of the characters by Rajesh Shivkumar (R. Madhavan). Rajiv Samuel (Abbas) is a computer engineering student and is one of the top students in the college, whereas Rajesh (R. Madhavan) is a mechanical engineering student who is the bad guy of the college. A mutual problem between the two groups led by both Rajiv and Rajesh puts both of them at loggerheads and they pull pranks on each other to get the other in trouble. It culminates into a fist fight but is soon broken up by one of their Teacher and the security of the college. In the fight, Rajesh punches Rajiv in the face, which is against the rule, and They graduate from the college soon and promise to not see each other ever again. Rajiv goes abroad for job, while Rajesh stays back in India saying that he does not want to leave his motherland.

A few years later, Rajesh becomes responsible and settles in an IT job that involves teaching software classes for newcomers and interns. Rajesh lives with his librarian grandfather Subrahmanyam aka Subbuni (Nagesh), who means the world to him; he even turns down a very lucrative job assignment in Singapore to be with his grandfather. Rajesh, on a trip to a friend’s wedding in Bangalore, comes across Reena (Reema Sen) and is smitten by her beauty but does not get to meet her. To his pleasant surprise, he sees her again in Chennai, but is again unable to meet her.