K. Balachander

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
K Balachandar
)

K. Balachandar
British India
Died23 December 2014(2014-12-23) (aged 84)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s)Playwright, Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter, Actor
Years active1964–2015
Spouse
Rajam
​
(m. 1956)​
Children3, including Bala Kailasam
Awards

Kailasam Balachandar (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian filmmaker 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).

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 9 National Film Awards, 11 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, five Nandi 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,

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 Tamil 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

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

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

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 receiving Dada Sahab Phalke Award from president Pratibha Patil

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, Saritha, Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan.[citation needed]

Later years

In 1998, he planned a film titled Thillana Thillana featuring

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,

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.

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.

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.

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. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ramachandran 2012, chpt. 6 (Madras).
  3. ^ a b S. Srinivasan (11 July 2011). "K. Balachander: The Middle-Class Maestro". Archived 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). "I hated every minute of it". 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. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Dadasaheb Phalke for K Balachander". Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d "The KB school". The Hindu. 6 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  9. ^ "வரலாறு படைத்த டைரக்டர் கே.பாலசந்தர்" [K. Balachander the director who created history]. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Cine Biography: Director K. Balachander". dinakaran. 9 March 2000. Archived from the original on 9 March 2000.
  11. ^ Kamath, Sudhish (21 January 2009). "When directors wore the pants". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  12. ^ ""பால்கே" விருது பெற்ற பாலச்சந்தருக்கு நடிகர்கள் வாழ்த்து". Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  13. ^ "திரை உலகுக்கு வாருங்கள்: பாலசந்தருக்கு எம்.ஜி.ஆர். அழைப்பு" [MGR invited Balachander to film industry]. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Balachander - the maverick and the master". Chennai Online. 29 June 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2003.
  15. ^ a b c d e Randor Guy (2 May 2011). "The KB school". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  16. ^ a b Yogesh Pawar (24 December 2014). "Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth's guru K Balachander passes away". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014.
  17. ^ Sreeram, Aruna (8 July 2004). "Thank God! I gave up acting". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  18. ^ Kamath, Sudhish (1 December 2001). "Realistic film-making". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  19. ^ "புரட்சிகரமான கதை -வசனம்: பரபரப்பை உண்டாக்கிய 'அரங்கேற்றம்'" [Revolutionary subject: Arangetram created sensation]. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  20. ^ Subhash K. Jha (25 May 2001). "Artiste with endless dreams". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  21. ^ S.R. Ashok Kumar (2 May 2007). "An entertaining remake of a classic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  22. ^ a b c "ஜெமினிகணேசன் சொந்தமாக தயாரித்த ஒரே படம்: "நான் அவனில்லை" தோல்வி". Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  23. ^ "பாலசந்தரின் மற்றொரு புதுமைப்படைப்பு- 'அவள் ஒரு தொடர்கதை'" [Balachander's another different kind of subject - Aval Oru Thodarkathai]. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  24. ^ a b Velayutham 2008, p. 38.
  25. ^ Deep Focus 1998, p. 87.
  26. ^ "K Balachander changed my life forever: Sridevi". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  27. ^ "'அபூர்வ ராகங்கள்' படத்தில் ரஜினிகாந்த் அறிமுகம்" [Rajinikanth got introduced with Apoorva Ragangal]. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  28. ^ a b V Lakshmi (8 July 2012). "New twist to old tales". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  29. ^ "K Balachander discovered me for Hindi cinema: Rati Agnihotri". Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  30. ^ "rediff.com, Movies: The Jayasudha interview". Rediff.com. 13 May 2000. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  31. ^ "Gokul's Home Page". Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  32. ^ "K. Balachander". www.outlookindia.com. 19 November 2001. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  33. ^ a b c d "Release of K. Balachander's DVDs". The Hindu. 9 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  34. ^ a b Rangarajan, Malathi (31 December 2001). "The drive to be different". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  35. ^ a b c d 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). "My First Break". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  37. ^ G. Prasad (5 July 2008). "Joint ventures as future option". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  38. ^ "Cine Biography: Director K.Balachander (part 2)". dinakaran. 18 January 2000. Archived from the original on 18 January 2000.
  39. ^ "K Balachander's son passes away". The Times of India. Archived 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. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  41. ^ "Filmmaker K Balachander Hospitalised". NDTV. 16 December 2014. Archived 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. Archived 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. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  45. ^ "Obituary: K. Balachander". The Hindu. Archived 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. Archived 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

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=K._Balachander&oldid=1217377316"