K. Balachandar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kailasam Balachandar 9 July 1930 |
| Died | 23 December 2014 (aged 84) |
| Occupation(s) | Playwright, Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter, Actor |
| Years active | 1964–2015 |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse |
Rajam (m. 1956) |
| Children | 3, including Bala Kailasam |
| Awards | Full list |
| Honours | |
Kailasam Balachandar (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian playwright, film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor 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, 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ramachandran 2012, chpt. 6 (Madras).
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.