Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with 16 Vayathinile, he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters from Sathyabama University.
Vairamuthu Ramasamy is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he first worked as a translator, while also being a published poet. He entered the Tamil film industry in the year 1980, with the film Nizhalgal, an Ilaiyaraaja musical, directed by Bharathiraja. During the course of his 40-year film career, he has written over 7,500 songs and poems which have won him seven National Awards, the most for any Indian lyricist. He has also been honored with a Padma Shri, a Padma Bhushan and a Sahitya Akademi Award, for his abundant literary output.
Muthal Mariyathai is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and Ranjini, Janagaraj, Sathyaraj, Aruna, Veerasami and Ramanathan in supporting roles. It revolves around the relationship between an unhappily married village chief and a young boatwoman.
Vedham Pudhithu is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Bharathiraja. It is based on the play Saadhigal Illaiyadi Papa written by K. Kannan, who after this film came to be known as Vedham Pudhithu Kannan. The film stars Sathyaraj, Saritha and Amala, with Raja, Charuhasan, Nizhalgal Ravi, Janagaraj and Master Dasarathi in supporting roles. It revolves around an atheist whose son falls in love with a Brahmin woman in the same village, leading to catastrophic consequences.
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of the most prolific composers in a career spanning over forty-seven years, he has composed over 7,000 songs and provided film scores for over 1,000 films, apart from performing in over 20,000 concerts. He is nicknamed "Isaignani" and often referred to as "Maestro", the title conferred by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London.
Vasudevan, known as Malaysia Vasudevan, was a Malaysian-Indian playback singer and actor in Tamil cinema.
Alaigal Oivathillai is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Bharathiraja, from a story by Manivannan. The film stars Karthik and Radha, in their acting debut. Thiagarajan, Silk Smitha and Kamala Kamesh appear in supporting roles. The story follows a Hindu boy who falls in love with a Christian girl. How the lovers unite braving all the obstacles, forms the crux of the story.
Ravichandran Samanna, known professionally as Nizhalgal Ravi, is an Indian film, television and voice actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He has performed in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films and television series. He started his career in 1980 with the film Nizhalgal. He has acted in 550 films. He is best known for his dubbing work for Amitabh Bachchan in Tamil.
Kallukkul Eeram is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by P. S. Nivas in his directorial debut, starring Bharathiraja, Sudhakar, Mucherla Aruna and Vijayashanti. The film marked the cinematic debut for both Aruna and Vijayashanti. It was released on 29 February 1980.
Nizhalgal is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars primarily newcomers such as S. Rajasekar, Raadhu, Ravi, Chandrasekhar and Suvitha. It revolves around a group of youngsters and their struggles to overcome the challenges faced by them in society.
Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language romantic musical film, written and directed by R. Sundarrajan, starring Mohan, Radha and Amala. It was released on 12 September 1986 and became a commercial success.
Ilavarasu is an Indian cinematographer and actor, who works in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as a cinematographer and worked for 13 films, winning a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for one of them. He, however, became better known as an actor, after he debuted and appeared in pivotal roles in Bharathiraja's and Cheran's films. He starred in over 160 Tamil films, mostly in supporting and comedian roles.
Payanangal Mudivathillai is a 1982 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by R. Sundarrajan. The film stars Mohan and Poornima Jayaram, with Rajini, S. Ve. Shekher, Poornam Viswanathan, Rajesh and Goundamani in supporting roles. Its plot revolves around a woman who falls in love with a singer whom she helped to rise to fame but struggles to declare her love for him.
Sami Potta Mudichu is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language drama film, written and directed by R. Sundarrajan. The film stars Murali and Sindhu. It was released on 11 January 1991, and became a success.
Daggubati Venkatesh, credited as Raja and Daggubati Raja, is an Indian actor turned businessman who has acted in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu language films. The actor made his debut in the 1981 Tamil film, Paakku Vethalai, before going on to become a leading actor in the Tamil film industry from 1986 to 2000.
Raja Rishi is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film directed by K. Shankar and produced by N. Sakunthala. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Prabhu, M. N. Nambiar and Nalini. It is based on the play Viswamithran by A. S. Prakasam. The film was released on 20 September 1985, and failed at the box office.
K. Kannan popularly known as Vedham Pudhithu Kannan, is an Indian film/stage director, writer and producer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. At various stages of his career, Kannan had the privilege to be mentored by veteran directors Bharathiraja, S.P.Muthuraman and K. Balachander. Kannan is known for his penchant for embedding social reform messages in his stories, and as of 2016 he had won Kalaimamani, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer, Mylapore academy award for lifetime achievement among others.
Theni Kunjarammal was an Indian actress and playback singer who has worked in the Tamil film industry. As a playback singer, she has worked extensively with A. R. Rahman during the late 1990s and early 2000s for folk songs, while also regularly collaborating with Harris Jayaraj.
16 Vayathinile is the soundtrack album for the 1977 film of the same name directed by Bharathiraja in his debut film and stars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in the lead roles. The soundtrack and background score for the film is composed by Ilaiyaraaja and featured lyrics written by Kannadasan, Gangai Amaran and Alangudi Somu. It was released under the EMI Records label.
The soundtrack for the 1982 Tamil-language film Payanangal Mudivathillai featured seven songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja, written by Vairamuthu, Gangai Amaran and Muthulingam and performed by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and S. Janaki. The film, directed by R. Sundarrajan and produced by Kovaithambi of Motherland Pictures—marking their maiden film for Sundarrajan and Kovaithambi as director and producer—stars Mohan and Poornima Jayaram. It was released on Ilaiyaraaja's label Echo Records in LP records and cassettes.
