K. Balachander

Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian film maker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of unconventional themes and hard-hitting contemporary subject matter. Balachander's films are well known for their portrayal of women as bold personalities and central characters. Popularly referred to as Iyakkunar Sigaram (lit. "Director Paramount"),^[1][2] his films are usually centred on unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He started his film career in 1964 as a screenwriter and graduated to a director with Neerkumizhi (1965).

K. Balachander
President Pratibha Patil presenting Dadasaheb Phalke Award to K. Balachander
Born	Kailasam Balachander (1930-07-09)9 July 1930 Nannilam, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	23 December 2014(2014-12-23) (aged 84) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s)	Playwright, film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor
Years active	1964–2014
Spouse	Rajam ​ (m. 1956⁠–⁠2014)​
Children	3, including Bala Kailasam
Awards	Kalaimamani Padma Shri Dadasaheb Phalke Award ANR National Award

In a career that spanned 50 years, he had contributed to nearly 100 feature films either as a screenwriter or director, thus becoming one of the most prolific filmmakers in the country.^[3] Known among his colleagues as a tough task master,^[4] he was credited with having nurtured numerous actors, notably Nagesh, Sujatha, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Jaya Prada, Sridevi, Jayasudha, Saritha, Renuka, Nassar, Prakash Raj, Ramesh Aravind and Vivek.

In his film career, Balachander had won nine National Film Awards and 13 Filmfare Awards. He was honored with the Padma Shri (1987), India's fourth highest civilian award, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema.

He also made films under his production house, Kavithalaya Productions. Apart from Tamil, he made films in other languages such as Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. Towards the tail end of his career, he directed a few TV serials and made a few film appearances as well.

Early life and background

K. Balachander was born in brahmin family^[5] in 1930 ^[6][7] at Nannilam in the Tanjore district (now Tiruvarur district), India.^[8][9] Balachander stated that, "From my eighth year I've been seeing cinema"^[2] and recalls that his earliest interest towards cinema grew after watching films of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, then the Superstar of Tamil cinema.^[2] At the age of twelve he was drawn to theatre and drama,^[2] which eventually helped him develop an interest in acting, writing and directing amateur plays.^[8][10] His obsession towards theatre continued even while doing his graduation (in Zoology) at the Annamalai University, as he regularly took part in stage plays.^[2] After completing his graduation in 1949, he started his career as a school teacher in Muthupet, Tiruvarur district. In 1950, he moved to Madras (now Chennai) and joined the Accountant General's office as an apprentice clerk,^[11] and during this time he joined "United Amateur Artistes", an amateur drama company.^[2] Soon he formed his own troupe and it was during this time he came to prominence as an amateur playwright with Major Chandrakanth, written in English. As the scope of English was highly limited in Madras, he re-wrote the play in Tamil, which ultimately became a "sensation" among the people. Balachander's acting troupe consisted of people from the Tamil film industry such as Major Sundarrajan, Nagesh, Srikanth and Sowcar Janaki.^[8] Sunderrajan appeared in over 900 films, Nagesh in over 1,000, Sreekanth in more than 200 films, and Sowkar Janaki appeared in more than 350 films. Other plays written by Balachander include Server Sundaram (Waiter Sundaram), Neerkumizhi (Water Bubble), Mezhuguvarthi (Candle), Naanal (Tall Grass) and Navagraham (Nine Planets).^[2] All these produced and directed by him, were received well by the critics.^[8]

Career

Entry into films: 1960s

Balachander while working in the Accountant General's office, was offered to write the dialogues for the film Dheiva Thaai (1964 ) by its lead actor M. G. Ramachandran.^{[2][12][13][14]} Balachander was initially reluctant, as he was more theatre-oriented, but on the insistence of his friends he decided to work on the film.^[2] By this time he was promoted as a superintendent in his office.^[2] Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar acquired the rights of his play Server Sundaram, and decided to make a film based on it. The film dealt with the story of a waiting staff at a restaurant had Nagesh playing the lead. The film was directed by the renowned duo directors, Krishnan–Panju.^[15] It won a lot of accolades including the Certificate of Merit for the third Best Feature Film in Tamil and Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Film.^[15] During this time another play written and directed by him - Major Chandrakanth was adapted into a film in Hindi as Oonche Log.^[16] The film won a National Film Award. Balachander then made his directional debut through Neerkumizhi (1965) which in turn was based on his own play.^[15] The film's cast consisted of actors who were a part of Balachander's regular troupe.^[15] His following efforts included Naanal, Major Chandrakanth and Ethir Neechal, all based on his own plays.^[17] Major Chandrakanth was already filmed in Hindi as Oonche Log the previous year. The Tamil version Major Chandrakanth (1966 film) had Jayalalithaa playing the lead heroine role.^[15] In 1967 he made Bama Vijayam, a full-length comedy family drama film. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film was highly successful and remade in Telugu by Balachander himself. The success of both the versions prompted a Hindi remake titled Teen Bahuraniyan, produced by Gemini pictures. In 1969, Balachander made Iru Kodugal, a family drama starring Gemini Ganesan, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.^{[citation needed]}

1970s

During the 1970s, Balachander turned indie, making realist movies revolving around family and social issues.^[2] In 1971 he made four films.^[2]

In 1973, he made Arangetram, which dealt with poverty and prostitution.^[2] The film centred on the eldest daughter of a conservative Brahmin household who becomes a prostitute to settle her siblings and support her family.^[2] It was ahead of its time in Tamil cinema mainly because of the controversial theme.^[18][19] The film also had Kamal Haasan playing his first major role as an adult actor. The actor would go on to act in 35 films under Balachander.^[20] He made his directorial debut in Hindi films with the film Aaina starring Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna in 1977, which was remake of Arangetram.^{[citation needed]}

The same year, he made Sollathaan Ninaikkiren, based on a novel by Manian. The following year he made Naan Avanillai.^[21] He made the film on the insistence of Gemini Ganesan, who also produced and enacted the lead role.^[22] It is based on the Marathi play To Mee Navhech, revolved around a man who deceives and marries five women performing nine roles.^[22] The film met with commercial failure. However, Gemini Ganesan was adjudged the Best Tamil Actor at the following year's Filmfare Awards ceremony.^[22] Following that, Balachander's made Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974),^[23] his second female-centric film after Arangetram that dealt with the story of a working woman who hails from a middle-class family.^[24] Inspired by the 1960 Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara,^[25] it explored the emotions of a young woman who happens to be the sole earner for her family.^[24] He decided to cast an actress who worked as a child actress till then, as his film heroine with the film Mondru Moodichu and gave break to Sridevi.^[26] The film Aboorva Raagangal was an original story about an inter-generational romance involving two families. It marked the acting debut of Rajinikanth, who would go on to establish himself as a leading actor.^[27] It won critical acclaim in spite of its controversial theme; it won three National Film Awards including the award for the "Best Feature Film in Tamil".^{[citation needed]}

During this period he made films mostly with Kamal Haasan as the lead actor. In 1976, he made three films: Manmadha Leelai, Anthuleni Katha and Moondru Mudichu. Manmadha Leelai explores the life of a womaniser, played by Kamal Haasan, who gets himself involved in affairs with women.^[28] Often considered ahead of its time, it achieved cult status and is considered a "trendsetter" in Tamil cinema.^[28] Anthuleni Katha, a Telugu remake of Aval Oru Thodar Kathai had Jaya Prada in her first starring role. received equal acclaim in Andhra Pradesh as in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Avargal (1977) follows the life of a divorcée as she traverses relationships in reverse, from divorce, to marriage, to falling in love. Varumayin Niram Sigappu (1980) was a drama that charts the travails and conflict of being unemployed in a bombastic and harsh city. 47 Natkal (1981) traces the adversities of a newlywed Indian woman living with an scurrilous, expatriate husband in a Parisian suburb. The film was a launchpad for its lead actor Chiranjeevi.^{[citation needed]}

Bollywood success and Tamil film career 1981-99

Balachander re-entered the Hindi film industry after Aaina through Ek Duuje Ke Liye in 1981. He gave Rati Agnihotri her debut Hindi film with Ek Duje Ke Liye.^[29] The project was a remake of his own Telugu film Maro Charitra had Kamal Haasan repeating his role as a lead actor. The film marked the Bollywood debut of various artists including Kamal Haasan, Madhavi and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. Like the original, Ek Duuje Ke Liye emerged as a major box-office success and earned critical acclaim. Balachander received the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay, apart from two other nominations – for Best Director and Best Story.^[30] The song "Tere Meere Beach Mein" became so popular, eventually winning a Filmfare Award for Anand Bakshi and a National Film Award for Balasubrahmanyam.^{[citation needed]}

He made Sindhu Bhairavi (1985), which is about the intellectual collision and subsequent romance between a lofty Carnatic musician and his ardent critic. He has worked with a variety of music directors like V.Kumar, M.S.Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraja, Maragathamani, V. S. Narasimhan and A.R.Rahman. The actors who were regular in his films in the period 1963 to 1990 were Gemini Ganeshan, Sowcar Janaki, Nagesh, Jayanthi, Sujatha, Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan.^{[citation needed]}

Later years

In 1998, he planned a film titled Thillana Thillana featuring Prashanth, Karthik, Meena and Simran , but the venture failed to develop.^[31] His later films include Parthale Paravasam (2001) and Poi (2006).^[32]

Television career

The period starting from the late 1980s till the late 1990s saw Balachander venturing into Television and making a number of Television series including Kai Alavu Manasu, Rail Sneham,^[33] Ramany vs Ramany(a.k.a. Ramani vs Ramani),^[33] Oru Koodai Paasam,^[33] Kadhal Pagadai,^[34] Premi,^[33] Jannal,^[34] Kasalavu Nesam, and Anni.^[35] Like his earlier films, most of his serials focussed on women, and portrayed them as strong personalities.^[35] Kasalvu Nesam was one of his comedy hits, starring Venu Aravind. In 2003, he made Sahana, that touted to be the sequel of his 1985 film Sindhu Bairavi.^[35] On venturing into Television, he noted "This medium helps to reach out to the public. That's why I am into making serials".^[35] In 2009, Balachander returned to theatre after a 40-year hiatus through the play Pournami, which had Renuka playing the lead role.^[36]

Personal life

In 1956, Balachander married Rajam while he was working at the Accountant General's Office.^[3] The couple had two sons named Kailasam and Prasanna and a daughter Pushpa Kandaswamy, who is the chairwoman of their production house Kavithalaya Productions.^[37][38] Kailasam was an entrepreneur while Prasanna, a Chartered Accountant, is the managing director and CEO of a leading investment bank in India. Balachander's elder son, Bala Kailasam, died on 15 August 2014 after contracting pneumonia, at the age of 54. He was the head of the television production company Minbinbangal, and delivered memorable series in Tamil includes, Balachandarin Chinnathirai, Kaialavu Manasu, Rail Sneham, and Marma Desam.^[39]

Death

Following a neurosurgery in November 2014, Balachander was admitted to Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on 15 December.^[40] Reports suggested that he was suffering from fever and from a urinary tract infection, but was recovering well.^[41] However, on 23 December 2014 he died due to complications from the urinary infection and other age-related ailments.^{[42][16][43][44]} He was cremated with full state honours the next day.^{[citation needed]}

Style, critique and public perception

Balachander is revered as one of the best directors India has ever produced. His ideas were original and his subjects were complex ideas expressed via art. He is also known for introducing new faces to the film industry. He has introduced over 100 actors in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages. Balachander had long associations with some senior artists in the South Indian film industry like Gemini Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Nagesh and Muthuraman. Even though he was not the one to discover them, he played a prominent role in shaping their careers.

Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, two leading film actors in Tamil cinema, are often referred to as products of Balachander who has paired with each of them or worked with them as a trio in several films during the 1970s.^[45] Rajinikanth was chosen by Balachander to play a key supporting character in Apoorva Raagangal (1975) after noting that "there was something special about him". Sridevi, Srividhya, Jayapradha, Jayasudha, Jayachithra, Sujatha, Saritha were notable heroines that were introduced by Balachander. Nassar, Delhi Ganesh, Charlie, Madan Bob were some of the notable supporting actors introduced by him. After working in a few Kannada films, Prakash Raj was relaunched as an actor in Tamil cinema through his debut Duet (1995) and had also performed in some of Balachander's soap opera productions in the 1990s.^[46] Through Manathil Uruthi Vendum, Balachander launched Vivek as an actor, who initially worked with him as his assistant writer, and later went on to become a leading comedy actor. He also launched A.R. Rahman in the film Roja which was his production.

When the old era was dominated by commercial action films, Balachander directed socially themed films with women as protagonists usually centred on unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He portrayed women as headstrong, intelligent and independent people.^[47] Balachander revealed that many of his messages from his films, he has drawn inspiration from poet Subramaniya Bharathi whom he had admired since his childhood.^[48] Screenwriter Gopu (of Gopu-Babu) said that he used to begin his script from the ending and then construct the plot.^[49]

Filmography

Main article: K. Balachander filmography

Awards and nomination

See also: List of awards and nominations received by K. Balachander

Documentary

A documentary is getting ready about him. Ravisubramaniyan is selected by Kavidalaya for making documentary, to be released on 9 July 2020, the 90th birthday of the veteran Indian filmmaker.^[50]

Notes

1. Srinivasan, Pavithra (2 May 2011). "The Very Best of K Balachander". Rediff.com. from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
2. Ramachandran 2012, chpt. 6 (Madras).
3. S. Srinivasan (11 July 2011). "K. Balachander: The Middle-Class Maestro". from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013. Five decades of adamant, uncompromising movie making and K. Balachander is still in no mood to draw the curtain
4. Warrier, Shobha (13 May 2000). . Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
5. "K Balachander's 2nd death anniversary: Remembering the revolutionary filmmaker". India Today. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
6. "K Balachander gets Dadasaheb Phalke award". Rediff.com. 29 April 2011. from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
7. "Dadasaheb Phalke for K Balachander". from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
8. "The KB school". The Hindu. 6 May 2011. from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
9. [K. Balachander the director who created history]. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
10. . dinakaran. 9 March 2000. Archived from the original on 9 March 2000.
11. Kamath, Sudhish (21 January 2009). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
12. . Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
13. [MGR invited Balachander to film industry]. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
14. . Chennai Online. 29 June 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2003.
15. Randor Guy (2 May 2011). "The KB school". The Hindu. from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
16. Yogesh Pawar (24 December 2014). "Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth's guru K Balachander passes away". Daily News and Analysis. from the original on 27 December 2014.
17. Sreeram, Aruna (8 July 2004). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
18. Kamath, Sudhish (1 December 2001). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
19. [Revolutionary subject: Arangetram created sensation]. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
20. Subhash K. Jha (25 May 2001). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
21. S.R. Ashok Kumar (2 May 2007). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
22. "ஜெமினிகணேசன் சொந்தமாக தயாரித்த ஒரே படம்: "நான் அவனில்லை" தோல்வி". Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 19 March 2010. from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
23. [Balachander's another different kind of subject - Aval Oru Thodarkathai]. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
24. Velayutham 2008, p. 38.
25. Deep Focus 1998, p. 87.
26. "K Balachander changed my life forever: Sridevi". The Times of India. from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
27. [Rajinikanth got introduced with Apoorva Ragangal]. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
28. V Lakshmi (8 July 2012). . The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
29. . Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
30. "rediff.com, Movies: The Jayasudha interview". Rediff.com. 13 May 2000. from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
31. . Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
32. "K. Balachander". www.outlookindia.com. 19 November 2001. from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
33. . The Hindu. 9 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
34. Rangarajan, Malathi (31 December 2001). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
35. Sundaram, Lakshmi (12 March 2003). "From Sindhu Bhairavi to Sahana". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 September 2013. K. Balachandar always tries to be different. This time, he has come up with yet another innovative idea... of making a teleserial "Sahana" that is a sequel to his popular film, "Sindhu Bhairavi"
36. S.R. Ashok Kumar (17 April 2009). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
37. G. Prasad (5 July 2008). . The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
38. . dinakaran. 18 January 2000. Archived from the original on 18 January 2000.
39. "K Balachander's son passes away". The Times of India. from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
40. Daniel, Thimmayya (15 December 2014). "Rajini and Kamal's Mentor K Balachander in Critical Condition". The New Indian Express. from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
41. "Filmmaker K Balachander Hospitalised". NDTV. 16 December 2014. from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
42. Prakash Upadhyaya (24 December 2014). "K Balachander Death: Stars Pay Last Respects to Legendary Director". International Business Times. from the original on 26 December 2014.
43. Janani Sampath (23 December 2014). "K Balachander, veteran Tamil film director, dies at 84". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
44. "Legendary Director Balachander is no more". 25cineframes.com. from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
45. "Obituary: K. Balachander". The Hindu. from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
46. Khajane, Muralidhara (24 December 2014). "K. Balachander left a mark on Kannada cinema" – via www.thehindu.com.
47. Kolappan, B. (23 December 2014). "He took Tamil cinema beyond hero-centric creations". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
48. "K. Balachander on Bharathiyar". The Hindu. 10 December 2012. from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
49. Naig, Udhav (25 December 2014). "KB would always build stories from the climax". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
50. கோடம்பாக்கம் சந்திப்பு, கவிதாலயாவின் தேர்வு, இந்து தமிழ் திசை, 28 பிப்ரவரி 2020

Bibliography

• Ramachandran, Naman (2012). Rajnikant: The Definitive Biography. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-81-8475-796-5.
• Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's other Film Industry. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-203-93037-3.
• Deep Focus: A Film Quarterly. Deep Focus. 1998.

External links

• K. Balachander at IMDb