K. Balachander

K. Balachander (born 9 July 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. Balachander is known for his distinct film-making style. The south Indian film industry knows him as a master of unconventional themes and hard-hitting subject matters of contemporary time. His films analyse unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He has directed nearly 80 films and has worked in 100 more either as director or writer. In his career, he has mainly contributed to Tamil film industry and is credited with having introduced hundreds of actors and technicians in Tamil cinema including Kamal Hassan, Rajinikanth, Prakash Raj and Vivek. He owns a production house named Kavithalaya Productions. Besides Tamil cinema, he has worked as a writer and director for films in Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada languages and occasionally worked as an actor and in television as well.

Balachander has won 9 National Film Awards and 12 Filmfare Awards South. He was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 1987 and is a recipient of the ANR National Award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh. In 2010, Balachander was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema for his contribution to arts. He holds an Honourary doctorate. He is popularly referred to as Iyakkunar Sikaram ((lit.) The Top Director) in Kollywood.

Early life
K. Balachander was born on 9 July 1930 to brahmin parents Saraswati and Dhandapani at Nannilam in the then Tanjore district (now Tiruvarur District), India. He completed his B.Sc., (Zoology) in 1949 at Annamalai University. While working in the Accountant General’s office as a superintendent in the 1960s, he came to prominence as an amateur playwright with his dynamic work like Major Chandrakanth, Server Sundaram, Neerkumizhi, Mezhuguvarthi, Naanal and Navagraham. The plays, which were produced and directed by him, were an instant success and enjoyed popular and critical acclaim. His films always carried a message for society, with his personal directorial touch.

Career
K. Balachander is known among actors as a tough taskmaster. He was able to extract from these actors some of their finest acting performances for his films. Before his work in Indian cinema, he was a school teacher in Muthupet, Tiruvarur District, and a playwright.

M. G. Ramachandran asked him to write dialogues for the film Dheiva Thaai. His films include Tamil productions such as Apoorva Raagangal (1975), which deals with a father-son relationship and inter-generational romance that culminates in a complex quandary. Avargal (1977), which follows the life of a divorcée as she traverses relationships in reverse, from divorce, to marriage, to falling in love. Varumayin Niram Sigappu (1980), a drama that charts the travails and conflict of being unemployed in a bombastic and harsh city. 47 Natkal (1981), which traces the adversities of a newly-wed Indian woman living with an scurrilous, expatriate husband in a Parisian suburb, and Sindhu Bhairavi (1985), about the intellectual collision and subsequent romance between a lofty Carnatic musician and his ardent critic. Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981, Hindi), about cross-cultural romance in India, for which he received two Filmfare nominations: direction and best story.

His Telugu films Maro Charithra and Rudraveena are considered among to be among the greatest Telugu-language films without which Telugu cinema would be incomplete.. He directed the story about a breadwinner taking care of her family in several languages: the Tamil film Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974), the Telugu film Anthuleni Katha (1976), and produced the Kannada film Benkiyalli Aralida Hoovu (1983).

His later films include Parthale Paravasam (2001) and Poi (2006). He is credited with discovering new talent in acting, direction, and other technical areas, many of whom have made a mark in their fields. Rajnikanth, a discovery of Balachandar's, and Kamal Hassan, whom he moulded into a great actor, prove this.

His serials Kai Alavu Manasu, Rayil Sneham, Kadhal Pagadai, Premi, Jannal, Anni and others have been successful. "This medium helps to reach out to the public. That's why I am into making serials," says Balachandar. He strongly feels that the three medium of entertainment &mdash; theatre, cinema, and television are bound to co-exist. One cannot destroy the other and the public will see what it wants.

After nearly 40 years, and as a homage to his friend Nagesh, Balachander recently returned (and was "reborn" as he claims) to theatre through the play Pournami. Starring Renuka and Poovilangu Mohan, among others, the story is about a homemaker whose husband gets caught in Pakistan under the suspicion of being a terrorist.

Personal life
Balachander is married to Rajam. The couple has three children: two sons, Kailasam and Prasanna, and one daughter Pushpa Kandaswamy, chief executive officer, Kavithalaya Productions.

Television serials

 * Rayil Sneham (Doordarshan)
 * Marmadesam (Sun TV)
 * Kasalavu Nesam (Sun TV/Raj TV)
 * Premi (Sun TV)
 * Kadhal Pagadai (Sun TV)
 * Kai Alavu Manasu (Sun TV/ Raj TV)
 * Sahana (Jaya TV)
 * Shanthi Nilayam (Jaya TV)
 * Anni (Jaya TV)
 * Engirrundho Vandhaal (Jaya TV)
 * Nilavai pidippom (Raj TV)
 * Jannal-1 (Raj TV)
 * Jannal-2 (Raj TV)
 * Kadhal ondru Vangivandhean (Sun TV)
 * Comedy Colony (Jaya TV)
 * Chhoti Si Asha (Hindi) (Sony Entertainment Television)

Film artists associated with K. Balachander
K. Balachander is 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. The following refers to a limited number of film personnel who were either discovered by him or enacted their first major role in a film directed by him.