Bala is an
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n
film directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
,
screenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and
producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, working in
Tamil cinemaTamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
. Bala is frequently credited with having "revolutionized Tamil cinema", through his realistic, dark and disturbing films that have garnered high critical acclaim. He has received several awards and recognition for his work, including the National Film Award for
Best DirectorThe National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
for his fourth feature film
Naan KadavulNaan Kadavul is a 2009 Indian Tamil film co-written and directed by Bala, based on the Tamil novel Yezhaam Ulagam by Jayamohan who also penned the dialogues for the film. The film stars Arya and Pooja in the lead roles...
(2009).
Background
Bala was born on 11 July 1966 in
PeriyakulamPeriyakulam is a town and a Municipality in Theni district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Periyakulam is located at . It has an average elevation of 282 metres . It is located at the foothills of the Western Ghats bordering the neighbouring state of Kerala. It is one of...
,
Theni districtTheni District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in South India. The city of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into two natural divisions: The hilly areas constituted by parts of the three taluks Periyakulam, Uthamapalayam and Andipatti with thick vegetation and...
,
Tamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
,
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He studied
Tamil LiteratureTamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...
at
The American CollegeThe American College, often referred to as American College, is one of the oldest colleges present in India. It is located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, south of India. It was founded in 1881 by American Christian missionaries.The college is situated in Madurai, the second largest city in Tamil Nadu...
in
MaduraiMadurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
. He admitted, that, as a youngster, he was not interested in studies and had dropped in his college days and was considered by many as he won't come up in life. At certain point he determined to prove himself to the society. After a struggling period he came to
ChennaiChennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and entered the film industry.
Film career
He started his film career as an
assistant directorThe role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
to National Film Award–winning director and cinematographer
Balu MahendraBalanathan "Balu" Mahendran is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, and cinematographer widely regarded as part of the first in a wave of directors and screenwriters from the Chennai film industry who revitalised Tamil cinema...
, where a close friendship between the two grew.
Bala is known for his later success. He made his directorial debut with
SethuSethu is a 1999 Tamil romantic tragedy film directed by debutant Bala. The film stars Vikram and Abitha in the lead roles with Sivakumar and Sriman in other pivotal roles...
in 1999, that gave a break to Vikram, the film's lead actor, who was also struggling in the Tamil film industry for almost a decade without a hit and recognition. More than 60 distributors saw the film and hesistated to screen it because of its tragic ending. But after multiple preview shows, the film was released on a low profile without any advertisement. But after the first days the film started running to packed houses just through 'word of mouth'. The film was said to have initiated a 'new wave' as it received raving reviews and became a huge hit. Its stupendous success led to remakes in Kannada (
Huchcha), Telugu (
SeshuSeshu is a 2002 Indian Telugu film starring Dr. Rajasekhar in the lead role, directed by his wife Jeevitha Rajasekhar. It is a remake of the 1999 Tamil film Sethu, directed by Bala, starring Vikram as the protagonist. The film, starring Kaveri, Jyoti Lakshmi, Ganesh and Nassar in supporting roles,...
) and Hindi (
Tere NaamTere Naam is an Indian Hindi film. The film was directed by Satish Kaushik and released on 15 August 2003. The film stars Salman Khan and Bhoomika Chawla in leading roles. It is a remake of the 1999 Tamil film Sethu....
) languages.
Bala's next film was
NandhaThe soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, son of noted composer Ilaiyaraaja, who usually scores the music for a Bala film. The soundtrack was released on 21 October 2001 at Hotel Connemara, Chennai by actor Kamal Haasan and director Bharathiraja. It features 6 tracks, out of which two were...
which gave a career boost to Suriya. His third film
PithamaganPithamagan is a 2003 Tamil feature drama film directed by Bala. The film stars Vikram, Surya, Laila, Sangeetha, and Simran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilayaraaja....
broke all the sentiments which were prevailing in
Tamil cinemaTamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
. In 2009 he released
Naan KadavulNaan Kadavul is a 2009 Indian Tamil film co-written and directed by Bala, based on the Tamil novel Yezhaam Ulagam by Jayamohan who also penned the dialogues for the film. The film stars Arya and Pooja in the lead roles...
in Tamil featuring
AryaArya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
and
Pooja UmashankarPooja Gauthami Umashankar is an actress of Kannadiga Lingayat origin who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhala and Amateur films...
for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Director. In 2011, his fifth directorial
Avan IvanAvan Ivan is a 2011 Tamil comedy-drama film written and directed by Bala, who with this project directs his fifth feature film. The film stars Vishal Krishna, Arya, Janani Iyer and Madhu Shalini in the lead roles. The film, produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram's AGS Entertainment, features music by...
, considered his first comedy film, released, starring
Vishal KrishnaVishal Krishna is an Indian film actor who has appeared in primarily Tamil cinema. Often starring in his home productions, Vishal became an actor after a stint as an assistant director in films....
and
AryaArya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
. While the film opened to mixed reviews by critics, the lead actors gained critical acclaim for their performances, particularly Vishal.
As director
| Year | Film | Cast | Notes |
| 1999 |
Sethu Sethu is a 1999 Tamil romantic tragedy film directed by debutant Bala. The film stars Vikram and Abitha in the lead roles with Sivakumar and Sriman in other pivotal roles...
|
Vikram Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
, Abitha, SivakumarSivakumar is a Tamil cinema actor who has portrayed a wide range of character roles onscreen. Sivakumar was introduced in the Tamil movie Kaakum karangal which was produced by AVM Productions....
|
National Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil The following lists the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The year in the header refers to the date when the film was censored and submitted for the awards, without of regard of when the award was presented. Apart from the Silver Lotus Award "Certificate of Merit" was also given...
Filmfare Best Tamil Director AwardThe Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The Award was first given in 1972 with P. Madhavan being the first recipient.K...
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best DirectorThe Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films.-Winners:...
|
| 2001 |
Nandha The soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, son of noted composer Ilaiyaraaja, who usually scores the music for a Bala film. The soundtrack was released on 21 October 2001 at Hotel Connemara, Chennai by actor Kamal Haasan and director Bharathiraja. It features 6 tracks, out of which two were...
|
Surya, Laila Laila Mehdin is an Indian actress. She has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi language films. She is probably best known for her critically acclaimed and award-winning performances in the Bala-directed films Nandha and Pithamagan.-Career:She made her debut in the Telugu film...
, RajkiranRajKiran is a film actor, producer and director, who has acted in more than 150 Tamil films.-Film career:...
, Rajshree, KarunasKarunaas is a Tamil comedic film actor in the Tamil film industry. He has acted with many prominent actors and starred in successful films. Appearing mostly in supporting roles and providing comical relief, he also played lead roles in Dindigul Sarathy and Ambasamudram Ambani...
|
|
| 2003 |
Pithamagan Pithamagan is a 2003 Tamil feature drama film directed by Bala. The film stars Vikram, Surya, Laila, Sangeetha, and Simran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilayaraaja....
|
Vikram, Surya, Sangeetha Sangeetha Arvind-Krish is an Indian film actress. Making her acting debut in the mid-90s, she is probably best known for her performances in the films Khadgam, Pithamagan, Uyir and Dhanam.-Early life:...
, LailaLaila Mehdin is an Indian actress. She has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi language films. She is probably best known for her critically acclaimed and award-winning performances in the Bala-directed films Nandha and Pithamagan.-Career:She made her debut in the Telugu film...
|
Filmfare Best Tamil Director Award The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The Award was first given in 1972 with P. Madhavan being the first recipient.K...
ITFA Best Director AwardThe ITFA Best Director Award is given by the state government as part of its annual International Tamil Film Awards for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....
|
| 2009 |
Naan Kadavul Naan Kadavul is a 2009 Indian Tamil film co-written and directed by Bala, based on the Tamil novel Yezhaam Ulagam by Jayamohan who also penned the dialogues for the film. The film stars Arya and Pooja in the lead roles...
|
Arya Arya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
, PoojaPooja Gauthami Umashankar is an actress of Kannadiga Lingayat origin who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhala and Amateur films...
, Rajendran |
National Award for Best Director
Vijay Award for Best DirectorThe Vijay for Best Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:*2007 Vetrimaaran - Polladhavan...
|
| 2011 |
Avan Ivan Avan Ivan is a 2011 Tamil comedy-drama film written and directed by Bala, who with this project directs his fifth feature film. The film stars Vishal Krishna, Arya, Janani Iyer and Madhu Shalini in the lead roles. The film, produced by Kalpathi S. Agoram's AGS Entertainment, features music by...
|
Vishal Krishna Vishal Krishna is an Indian film actor who has appeared in primarily Tamil cinema. Often starring in his home productions, Vishal became an actor after a stint as an assistant director in films....
, AryaArya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...
, Janani IyerJanani Iyer is an Indian film actress and model. Starting a modelling career, after her studies, she appeared in over 150 television advertisements, before getting signed by director Bala to essay the lead female role in the upcoming Tamil feature film Avan Ivan.- Early life :Janani was born in...
, Madhu ShaliniMadhu Shalini is an Indian film actress and model, who has appeared in Telugu and Tamil language films. She has previously worked as a television anchor as well.- Career :...
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| 2012 |
Eriyum Thanal |
Adharvaa |
Pre-production |
External links