Balaji Mohan | |
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Born | Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India | 25 May 1987
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Years active | 2012–present |
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Balaji Mohan (born 25 May 1987 [1] ) is an Indian filmmaker and actor in Tamil-language films. After discontinuing his engineering studies to pursue his passion and become a director, he enrolled at a film academy and attended courses and workshops, besides participating in short film contests. After shooting more than half-a-dozen short films, he directed his first full-length film romantic comedy Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi based on one of his own short films.
Balaji was born on 25 May 1987 in Tiruchirappalli. [2] He pursued his schooling in Campion Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirappalli, and later joined the Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering in Chennai for his higher studies, albeit he had decided in 10th class already that he wanted to become a director. [2] He recalls that his parents bought him a handycam in his third semester, [2] and he made his first short film called Velicham, [3] which was also sent to film festivals and won. [4] Although he had initially planned to complete his education before following his passion and pursuing a career in filmmaking, he did not want to "wait for too long" after making Velicham. After convincing his parents, he discontinued his engineering course two years later and went on to join the L. V. Prasad Film and TV Academy in Vadapalani, Chennai to learn editing and sound design. [2] [3] He also studied acting at Alchemy Institute, Adyar, Chennai.
Balaji Mohan got married in June 2012[ citation needed ] to Aruna. In May 2016, Balaji announced his divorce due to irreconcilable differences. [5] In January 2022, he married Dhanya Balakrishna, who starred in some of his works. [6]
Balaji began his career as an assistant director for the Tamil film called Kulir 100° (2009). While the film was in its pre-production stage, he got the opportunity to join the Gateway to Hollywood, a show that was aired in Sony TV. His short film Treasure was featured in the contest and Balaji became one of the 6 finalists of the show. [2] He later joined as an assistant director for Sudha K. Prasad's Tamil film Drohi (2010), [2] while simultaneously participating in Kalaignar TV's first season of Naalaya Iyakunar. [2] [3] He directed five short films namely Kodi, The Juniors, Addi Tail, Mittai Veedu and Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi for the show and was one of the winners of the series award for consistent performance.[ citation needed ]
Among his works, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi was most popular and went viral on YouTube, garnering overwhelming response. [4] [7] Cinematographer Nirav Shah saw the short film and initiated the idea to make it into a full-length feature film. [2] Balaji took three months to develop the script, while Nirav Shah reached out to producers and actors, introducing him to producer Sashikanth of YNot Movies. [2] [8] Siddharth, who too was keen on turning the short film into a feature film after he had seen it, entered the project, playing the lead role besides co-producing the venture. [9] The film was partially reshot in Telugu given Siddharth's popularity. The project was completed in a record 36 days, [3] and the film was released in February 2012. Opening to highly positive critical response, the film went on to become a sleeper hit. [10]
Balaji Mohan collaborated with Dulquer Salmaan for his second directorial venture, a bilingual titled Vaayai Moodi Pesavum in Tamil and Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram in Malayalam. The film marked Balaji Mohan's debut in Malayalam cinema and Dulquer Salmaan's debut in Tamil cinema. His third film was Maari , starring Dhanush and it released in July, 2015. Next up he will be teaming up with Actor Dhanush again for Maari 2 a sequel to Maari. [11]
He then produced, written and directed a web series titled As I'm Suffering From Kadhal , in which he also played an important role. The series was made in Tamil and dubbed in Telugu. It was released in Hotstar Originals on 15 June 2017.[ citation needed ]
Year | Title | Language | Notes | Ref. |
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2012 | Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi | Tamil | Nominated—SIIMA Award for Best Debut Director | [12] [13] |
Partially reshot in Telugu as Love Failure | ||||
2014 | Vaayai Moodi Pesavum | Tamil | Bilingual movie | [14] |
Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram | Malayalam | [15] | ||
2015 | Maari | Tamil | [16] | |
2018 | Maari 2 | Tamil | Sequel to Maari | [17] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi | Narrator | |
2014 | Vaayai Moodi Pesavum | News reporter | |
2015 | Maari | Man in auto rickshaw | |
2017 | Pa Pandi | Man who loses his Car | |
Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 | Balaji | ||
2021 | Vinodhaya Sitham | Doctor | |
2023 | Thrishanku | Himself | Malayalam film [18] |
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Mandela | [19] | |
2023 | Accidental Farmer and Co | Creative producer | [20] |
Year | Series | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | As I'm Suffering From Kadhal | Hotstar | [21] |
2022 | Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa |
| [22] |
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. Having starred in 46 films over his career, his accolades include four National Film Awards, fourteen SIIMA Awards, seven Filmfare Awards South and a Filmfare Award. One of the highest paid actors in Indian cinema, he has been included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list six times.
Kadhilil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed Balaji Mohan based on the same‑titled short film he made. The film stars Siddharth and Amala Paul. A few scenes of Siddharth, Amala Paul, Suresh and Surekha Vani were reshot for the Telugu version, which was titled Love Failure. It was released worldwide on 17 February 2012 to critical acclaim and was declared a hit.
Mysore Seshaiah Suresh Babu Naidu is an Indian actor, producer, director, and dubbing artist. He has acted predominantly in Tamil and Telugu languages.
YNOT Studios is an Indian film production company in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, established by producer S. Sashikanth. As of 2023, the company has produced 21 feature films, which includes productions made in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries of India. It has collaborated with filmmakers including Sudha Kongara, Balaji Mohan, Pushkar–Gayathri and Karthik Subbaraj.
Jayasimha, better known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, alongside a few Malayalam-language films. After making brief appearances in the films Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi and Pizza (2012), he portrayed a kidnapper in Nalan Kumarasamy's Soodhu Kavvum and a comic villain in Alphonse Putharen's Neram. Simha's subsequent performance as the Madurai gangster Sethu in Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda (2014) won him critical acclaim and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Vaayai Moodi Pesavum is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language satirical romantic comedy film directed by Balaji Mohan. Produced by Varun Manian and S. Sashikanth under their respective production houses, Radiance Media Group and YNOT Studios, the film stars Dulquer Salmaan, in his maiden Tamil film, with Nazriya Nazim as female lead role while Madhoo, appearing in prominent role. It was filmed simultaneously in Tamil and Malayalam, the latter being titled as Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram with a slightly changed supporting cast.
Balaji Venugopal is an Indian actor, who has worked in Tamil films. Beginning his career as a radio host and television anchor, Balaji appeared in films including Poi Solla Porom, Madrasapattinam (2010) and Nanban (2012), before playing a leading role in the noir comedy Sutta Kadhai (2013).
Robo Shankar is an Indian standup comedian who has appeared in character roles in Tamil films. He made his breakthrough with STAR Vijay's Kalakkapovathu Yaaru, performing standup comedy. He is a now cast as regular on several shows on Star Vijay and has presented television shows for the channel.
Radiance Media Group is an Indian film production company led by filmmaker and entrepreneur Varun Manian. Based in Chennai, Radiance Media makes films for audiences in India as well as international markets.
Raghavendra Raja Rao, known by his stage name Sean Roldan is an Indian composer, musician, and lyricist who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He has worked on Carnatic music, independent music, and film scores for the Tamil film industry. He rose to fame after gaining critical acclaim for his work in Balaji Mohan's Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Vaayai Moodi Pesavum / Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram (2014).
Arjunan is an Indian actor who has appeared in supporting roles in predominantly Tamil-language films. He made his breakthrough portraying Siva, a hopeless college romantic, in Balaji Mohan's bilingual film, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2012), winning critical acclaim for his portrayal. He has since featured in comedy roles in films including Suseendran's Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer and in Balaji Mohan's next bilingual Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014).
Maari is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Balaji Mohan, jointly produced by Listin Stephen and Radhika's Magic Frames and Dhanush's Wunderbar Films. The film stars Dhanush, singer Vijay Yesudas, and Kajal Aggarwal, while Robo Shankar, Kalloori Vinoth, Kaali Venkat, and Mime Gopi play supporting roles. Dhanush plays Maari, a local gangster. This film also marks Vijay Yesudas's Tamil debut.
Dhanush is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter known for his work in Tamil cinema. He has also appeared in some Hindi, English, Telugu, and Malayalam films. He made his acting debut in 2002 with the coming of age drama, Thulluvadho Ilamai, directed by his father Kasthuri Raja. His role as a mentally-disturbed man in Kaadhal Kondein (2003)—directed by his brother Selvaraghavan—won him critical acclaim. The following year, he starred in Subramaniam Siva's Thiruda Thirudi, a commercial success. This was followed by a series of commercial failures—Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan (2004), Sullan (2004) and Dreams (2004). He had two releases in 2005—Devathaiyai Kanden and Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam.
Niranjani Agathiyan is an Indian actress, costume designer and fashion stylist who works in the Tamil film industry. She is the daughter of film director Agathiyan.
As I'm Suffering from Kadhal is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy streaming television series created, directed and written by Balaji Mohan. Set in urban Chennai, it narrates the story of three uniquely different young couples and a young divorced father and his 8-year-old daughter, and their quirky take on the varied aspects of modern-day love. The principal characters of the series include Sunder Ramu, Yuvina Parthavi, Sananth, Sanchana Natarajan, Dhanya Balakrishna, Balaji Mohan, Nakshathra Nagesh and Abhishek Joseph George. The ten-episode series was released on 16 June 2017 by Hotstar, and opened to positive reception from audiences. The series was renewed for a second season.
S. Sashikanth is an Indian film producer, architect, film director, and entrepreneur from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. After studying architecture at university, Sashikanth established the Chennai-based design firm Space Scape in 2002, which became involved in major projects such as the British Council and other residential and corporate building designs. Sashikanth later shifted to film production through the establishment of a production studio, YNOT Studios, and the 2010 release of his first film, Thamizh Padam.
Maari 2 is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Balaji Mohan. It is a sequel to his 2015 film Maari. Dhanush, besides producing the film under his company Wunderbar Films, also stars as the title character, continuing his role from the first film. The film also stars Tovino Thomas,Sai Pallavi, Krishna and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, cinematography was done by Om Prakash and editing by Prasanna GK. The film was released on 21 December 2018 and received mixed reviews from critics.
Maari is the soundtrack album for the 2015 Tamil film of the same name, starring Dhanush and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead roles, directed by Balaji Mohan. The soundtrack album was composed by Anirudh Ravichander, with three songs written by Dhanush, and the rest of the songs written by Vignesh Shivan and G. Rokesh. The film marks the third collaboration between Dhanush and Anirudh Ravichander. The audio rights were purchased by Sony Music and the soundtrack album was released on 7 June 2015, receiving positive reception.
Nakshathra Nagesh is an Indian actress and television host who has worked in Tamil films and television shows.
Chakravarthy Ramachandra is an Indian film producer who has worked on Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam-language films. After beginning his career as an independent producer, he joined YNOT Studios as its CEO.