RJ Balaji

Last updated

RJ Balaji
RJ Balaji at Vadacurry Movie Press Show.jpg
Balaji in 2014
Born
Balaji Patturaj [1]

(1985-06-20) 20 June 1985 (age 39)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Other namesCross Talk Balaji, The Voice of Chennai [2]
Alma materKumararani Meena Muthiah College of Arts and Science
Occupation(s)Radio jockey, presenter, actor, comedian, cricket commentator, director, singer and lyricist
Years active2006–present
Children2

Balaji Patturaj (born 20 June 1985), popularly known as RJ Balaji, is an Indian radio jockey, actor, television presenter, comedian and film director in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is best known as the host of the 92.7 Big FM shows The Night Show with RJ Balaji, Take it Easy and its now-defunct segment Cross Talk, in which he made prank calls to unsuspecting victims.

Contents

Originally a radio jockey, Balaji is also active in other fields; he is known for his association with the television shows Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Dheva and Why This Kolaveri , and for his performance in the films Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru (2013), Vadacurry (2014) Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015), Pugazh (2016) and LKG (2019) (as an actor), Mookuthi Amman (2020) and Veetla Vishesham (2022) (as an actor and a co-director). He has also been a presenter at many inter-school cultural events in Chennai, a cricket commentator, and has contributed to many social causes, such as providing relief support to the victims of the 2015 South India floods along with other actors.

Early life

Balaji was born on 20 June, [3] [4] and was raised in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. [5] Parent Name disclosed by him. He has four siblings, one younger brother and three younger sisters. He said that his father abandoned his family at an unspecified point. [6] Balaji told Sudhish Kamath in 2013 that he changed 27 houses and 11 schools while growing up in Chennai because his "mother just cannot stay in one place. She would move from Perambur to Thiruvanmiyur to Mylapore... no place close to each other." [5] When he was in college, Balaji realised that his strength was in interaction and that the attention and acclaim he received in his college cultural gave him confidence and he realised that he had to be in the media. [4]

After completing his BSc computer science from the Kumararani Meena Muthiah College of Arts in 2006, [7] Balaji joined the Amrita School of Communication in Coimbatore for a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism, [8] because he wanted to become like his cousin who worked at NDTV, but when he was asked to write a report on his hostel's canteen, the 56-word report contained 47 grammatical errors, and he soon realised that English journalism was not what he was interested in. [5] At that time he saw a newspaper advertisement of a radio station (Radio Mirchi Coimbatore) that auditioned for radio jockeys and he applied for it, [4] [9] though he "never knew what an RJ was back then". [5] He said that he almost did not get selected then [10] when he sang a gaana [5] but was finally selected in November 2006. He has not completed his journalism course since. [5]

Career

Radio

Balaji started his career as a radio jockey at Radio Mirchi Coimbatore, where he hosted a three-hour morning drive show called Hello Coimbatore which dealt with social issues. [5] [8] After four years he quit the job as he "didn't want to sound angry all the time" and returned to Chennai where his family and friends were living. He joined at 92.7 Big FM because they gave him the freedom to plan and design his four-hour slot; thus the show Take it Easy was conceived. [5] The evening prime-time show was created to give people a "break from the serious stuff that they have to deal with during work hours and relax with the nonsense". Balaji created another segment in Take it Easy, titled Cross Talk, where he made prank calls to unsuspecting victims, nominated by a friend, cousin, co-worker or neighbour. [11] On how the segment developed, Balaji said, "I was assigned to do a serious socially-relevant show in the beginning but Big [FM] gave me the chance to talk about anything in Take It Easy. Once when I was talking to a couple about something serious, people who listened found it funny. That's how Cross Talk happened". [9] Balaji described Radio Mirchi's Senthil Kumar, who taught him a radio and its basics at Coimbatore, as his favourite RJ, and said, "whatever I am right now is because of him." [12]

Cross Talk became very popular among youths; [5] Balaji uploaded several clips of the show on SoundCloud. The links went viral, crossing over a million hits in a single week. Besides India, most of the downloads were in the United States (over 20%), United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Seychelles, Germany and Spain. [13] The show earned him the moniker "Cross Talk Balaji". [9] In November 2011, Balaji and BIG FM RJ's Muthu and Ophelia conducted "Little RJ Hunt", a three-phased event organised as part of the radio station's Children's Day celebrations. [14] [15] Balaji won the RJ of the Year (Tamil) and Best Programme Broadcast after 11 am (Tamil) awards for Take it Easy at the 2012 Indian Excellence in Radio Awards. [16] [17] Later he was named among the Top 10 Promising Personalities of Tamil Nadu in 2012 by Ananda Vikatan Group. [18] Balaji was the host for the 2013 event "BIG Manasa Thotta Singer" that was conducted by BIG FM. [19] He has also been running the "RJ Balaji Skool of Radio Studies" since August 2013. [20] Three apps on Balaji have been developed: an Android app simply named "RJ Balaji", [21] an iOS app titled "RJ Balaji Official", [22] and a Windows Phone app as well. [23]

In December 2012, Balaji discontinued Cross Talk, in response to the suicide of Jacintha Saldanha. [24] [25] [26] In November 2013, he decided to stop the segment 120 Rs. on his show where he reviewed Tamil films after he had been severely criticised by actors and producers from the Tamil film industry. [27] Via Twitter, he announced, "I am a normal guy who wants to do good work every day and go home happy. I can't really handle the aftermath of every show on films. After a lot of thought, I have decided not to speak about films until there's tolerance and maturity among certain people from film fraternity, which is most unlikely to happen. So, '120 show' is no more". [25] He further stated, "I don't want to keep taking my work home. I have a one-and-half-year-old child and my wife is concerned about the phone calls I keep getting". [27] As of July 2014, the show still runs, where he only reviews Hindi and English-language films. [28] In July 2013, Balaji said that he would try remaining a radio jockey for at least 15 years, which he believes "no one has done in Chennai", [29] and reiterated this in November 2015. [30]

After India's Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar told in the Rajya Sabha that legal action would be taken against radio jockeys who ridicule members of parliament, Balaji in August 2014 cryptically told Deccan Chronicle , "When I was a teenager I would fight with my sister for a room. Today parliamentarians are doing the same thing, fighting like teenagers. How can I not make fun of them?", while fearing that even television anchors like Arnab Goswami and Rajdeep Sardesai would be banned soon. [31] In January 2015, Balaji, radio jockeys Girigiri, Ananthi, Mirdhula and actor R. Sarathkumar contributed to "Kodu Kondadu", an initiative by BIG FM and the non-governmental organisation BHUMI to supply impoverished children with stationery, toys and books. [32] [33] In February, he was a host of the BIG Tamil Melody Awards at Chennai Trade Centre. [34] In July 2015, Balaji launched a new show titled Loose Talk. [35] [36] The following month, he left with many other Indian RJs for Siachen to conduct a program titled "BIG Paigham – Sarhad Ke Naam" saluting the Indian Army. [37] [38] In January 2016, he won the Ananda Vikatan Awards for Promising Personality of Tamil Nadu and RJ of the Year. [39] [40] In April 2017, Balaji launched a new BIG FM show titled The Night Show with RJ Balaji. [41]

Presenter

Alongside his radio career, Balaji has been active in other fields as well. [42] He stated, "It is nice to do a lot of things so that you are constantly on your feet". [6] In September 2011, he judged Channel Surfing, a segment of Smaraneeyam, the inter-school cultural festival of Sri Sankara Senior Secondary School. [43] Balaji was a performer at Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering's annual cultural festival Instincts in March 2012. [44] [45] He hosted the teaser trailer release event for Maattrraan in June 2012. [46] In August 2012, Balaji was a guest performer at the fourth anniversary celebrations of Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi's magazine Inbox 1305. [47] [48] He has conducted the event Mr. and Ms. Techofes at the College of Engineering, Guindy's annual cultural event Techofes twice, in 2012 [49] and 2013. [50] He was also the compère of the audio launch of Kalyana Samayal Saadham , which took place in August 2013. [51] In July 2013, Balaji was the judge of Reflector, an event in Vidya Mandir's interschool cultural event Reflections. [52] On 30 August, he was a judge at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan's cultural event Reverberations. [53] At the 2015 edition of Techofes at the Guindy College of Engineering, he hosted a new show titled Boost with Balaji on 14 February. [54] [55] [56]

Cinema

In Puthagam (2013), Balaji introduces the lead characters played by Sathya, Sanjay, Vignesh, Rakul Preet Singh and Aishwarya Rajesh in a voice-over. In the same year, he made a cameo appearance in Ethir Neechal and made his full-fledged acting debut in Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru . He appeared in a brief role as a show host in Vallinam (2014). His second film appearance in 2014 was in Vaayai Moodi Pesavum . In 2015, he appeared in Idhu Enna Maayam , Yatchan and Naanum Rowdy Dhaan . For his performance in Naanum Rowdydhaan, Balaji won the SIIMA Award for Best Comedian. In 2016, he appeared in Jil Jung Juk and Pugazh , where he also worked as a singer and lyricist on the song "Podu Podu". In Muthina Kathirika (2016), Balaji introduces the main characters, including protagonist Muthupandi (Sundar C) through a voiceover. He then appeared in Devi , Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru (2016), Parandhu Sella Vaa (2016), Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), Spyder (2017) and Kee (2017). RJ Balaji became a full-fledged hero with LKG (2019). The film has emerged as a blockbuster at the Tamil Nadu box office. [57] His directorial debut is Mookuthi Amman (2020) with Nayanthara in the lead. [58] He later acted, directed a comedy-drama film, Veetla Vishesham (2022), a remake of 2018 Hindi blockbuster Badhaai Ho . The action thriller Run Baby Run (2023) has received a positive response from audience and is doing well.

Television

Balaji was a host in the second season of STAR Vijay's dance show Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Dheva. [20] [59] He was the host of Zee Tamizh's Why This Kolaveri , a loose adaptation of the American reality show Killer Karaoke , which premiered in December 2013, [60] [61] and ended in May 2014. [62] In August 2014, Balaji hosted the show Aiyo Amma Awards, a spoof of the Vijay Awards, on Zee Tamizh. [63]

Other works

In December 2011, Balaji participated in "Namma Ooru Website Creation Competition", an initiative jointly organised by IIT Madras' Rural Technology and Business Incubator and the National Internet Exchange of India to disseminate village-specific information and create an identity for villages. [1] In March 2014, he claimed to have been a presenter at Sangarsh, an annual charity concert that raises money for people suffering from various diseases. [64] The same month, he gave an intro in "The Madras Song", a tribute to the 375th anniversary of Chennai, formerly known as Madras. [65] [66]

In November 2014, Balaji created "Panjumittai Productions", a YouTube channel where he uploads short videos dealing with contemporary issues. The first video uploaded to the channel is "Kai Phone Video 01: RJ Balaji's Biriyani!!!", featuring Balaji distributing parcels of biryani to impoverished people on the road. The second, "Kai Phone Video 02: RJ Balaji's 501 Views Success Party!!!", is a satire on the "success parties" that production companies host to celebrate the apparent box office success of their films. [67] The third video, subtitled "RJ Balaji Abusing Sachin Tendulkar..!", has nothing to do with Sachin Tendulkar, but instead features Balaji asking the viewers to spread word so that a heart transplant patient named Kavya could get a heart donor. The video was deliberately titled misleadingly so that the message would spread sooner. On 12 December, less than two weeks after Balaji uploaded the video, Kavya successfully got a donor. [68] [69]

Balaji has also played in the 2015 edition of the Celebrity Cricket League, for the team Chennai Rhinos as an all-rounder. [70] [71] In May 2015, he was a speaker at the first edition of TEDx Mylapore. [72] [73] In August, he joined Ananda Vikatan and Raghava Lawrence's campaign "Aram Seiya Virumbu". [74] During the 2015 South India floods, Balaji and actor Siddharth provided relief support to many of the floods' victims, [75] [76] through a movement known as "Chennai Micro". [77] [78] For his actions, Balaji received the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year award in the category of "Public Service". [79] In January, Balaji was featured in "The Most Important Job", a four-minute video by the Murugappa Group that pays tribute to Indian farmers. [80] Following the March 2016 suicide of Abhinath, a student of Sri Sai Ram Engineering College whose suicide was attributed by the college's authorities to him being unhappy about studying engineering, and protesting students claiming it to be the result of his treatment by the authorities, a video of a speech by Balaji was released in the internet; in that speech he urged corporate firms to "go beyond pass percentages and exam results when choosing colleges for campus recruitments". The video received over 180,000 views. [81] In January 2017, Balaji participated in the pro-Jalikattu protests. [82] From the following year, he began working as a Tamil cricket commentator for the Indian Premier League. [83] [84]

Artistry

Balaji describes "nonsense humour and nonstop talking" as his unique selling proposition. [4] He also describes conversation as his strength and states that his humour comes out of talking to people. [5] Although he frequently talks about films on the radio, he never entertains gossip on the personal life of actors, due to his lack of interest in the same. He is notorious for his attacks on the English language and his jocular criticism of Tamil films, but popular for his irreverent sense of unique humour. [5] According to photographer Bhargavii Mani of The Hindu, the frequent echoing of the words "Ada" and "Cha" on Balaji's radio shows make them "exciting". Although known to be vivacious, loud and funny in the media, Balaji has also maintained a "rather soft-spoken, shy" personality. [85] In a 2013 interview, Balaji said that he inherited his sense of humour from his mother, who he called "the funniest person I know ... I have only 10 percent of her comic ability". [10]

Personal life

Balaji was married at the age of 21 years, [6] and has two sons. [86] Although known to actively perform social services, Balaji does not consider himself a social worker or disaster manager: "I am just someone who wants to help people, and I will just do that." [78]

Filmography

Key
†Denotes productions that have not yet been released
YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 Puthagam Voice only
Ethir Neechal HimselfCameo appearance
Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru Karna
2014 Vallinam Show hostCameo appearance
Vaayai Moodi Pesavum / Samsaram Arogyathinu Haanikaaram HimselfBilingual film
Cameo appearance as RJ
Vadacurry Karikalan
2015 Idhu Enna Maayam Arun's friend
Yatchan Chandru
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan Doshi Baba SIIMA Award for Best Comedian
IIFA Utsavam Award for Best Comedian
2016 Jil Jung Juk Wealthy youthCameo appearance
Pugazh BalajiAlso singer and lyricist
Muthina Kathirika Voice only
Devi Ganesan (Tamil) / Orange T-shirt man (Telugu/Hindi)Trilingual film;
cameo appearance in Telugu and Hindi versions
Abhinetri / Tutak Tutak Tutiya
2016 Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru Balaji
Kavalai Vendam Natraj
Parandhu Sella Vaa Mark
2017 Kaatru Veliyidai Illyaas Hussain
Ivan Thanthiran Balaji
Spyder Vinay (Tamil) / Madhu (Telugu)Bilingual film
Velaikkaran Sriram
2018 Thaanaa Serndha Koottam Pallavaram Paranjothi Pandiyan
Diya Raghavan
2019 LKG Lalgudi Karuppiah Gandhi (LKG),
and Gandhi		First as Lead Role
Boomerang Shanmugam
Kee Mark
Devi 2 Ganesh
2020 Mookuthi Amman Engels RamasamyAlso co-director
2022 Veetla Vishesham IlangoAlso co-director
2023 Run Baby Run Sathya
2024 Singapore Saloon Kathir
Sorgavaasal Parthi
2025 Suriya 45 †Director

Discography

YearTitleSongNotes
2019 Puppy "Soththumoottai"
2022 Veetla Vishesham "Daddy Song"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuvan Shankar Raja</span> Indian composer and playback singer (born 1979)

Yuvan Shankar Raja, rechristened post religious conversion as Abdul Haliq is an Indian composer and playback singer, who continues to use his birth name professionally. He mainly scores music for Tamil films along with few Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Western music elements and often credited with having introduced hip hop to the Tamil film and music industry and started the "era of remixes" in Tamil Nadu which included mixed EDM and jazz. He is frequently referred to as the "BGM King" of Tamil Film Music. Yuvan has won two Filmfare Awards South, five Mirchi Music Awards South, three Vijay Awards and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suriya</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1975)

Saravanan Sivakumar, known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer. He primarily works in Tamil cinema, where he is one of the highest-paid actors. Considered one of the finest actors of Indian cinema, Suriya has received numerous accolades including two National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He has featured six times in the Celebrity 100 list of Forbes India, which takes into account the earnings of Indian celebrities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Balaji</span> Indian film actor (1975–2024)

T. C. Balaji, better known by his stage name Daniel Balaji, was an Indian actor, who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry and in some Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anuj Gurwara</span> Indian actor and singer

Anuj Gurwara is an Indian singer and actor, who has won a Filmfare Award for his singing in the film Magadheera (2009).

Balaji Mohan is an Indian filmmaker and actor in Tamil-language films. After discontinuing his engineering studies to pursue his passion for becoming 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, a romantic comedy Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi based on one of his own short films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RJ Ophelia</span> Indian radio and television host

Ophelia Santhaselvi, popularly known as Imsai Arasi and RJ Ophelia, is an Indian television show host and former radio jockey based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She is best known for her unique voice and Tamil slang, humour and rapid speaking rate. She has worked at 92.7 BIG FM and at 94.3 Radio One. Though mainly a radio jockey, she is also active in other fields such as emceeing, television, social media, films and Supported Independent music and Independent musicians Like hip hop tamizha and Rap Rakesh and is regularly involved in various social causes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mantra (actor)</span> Indian actor, director and producer

Puranjit Dasgupta, better known by his stage name Mantra, is an Indian actor, film director and producer, who started his career as a Radio jockey. He is known for his portrayal of Bhaskar Bose in Spotify's detective thriller podcast Bhaskar Bose and Genie in Disney India's broadway-style musical Aladdin. He appeared in various Hindi films, notably Panipat (2019), High Jack (2018), Rebellious Flower (2016), London, Paris, New York (2012), Bheja Fry 2 (2011), Game (2011) and Tum Mile (2009). He is the founder of Mumbai based production company, Mantramugdh Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijay Sethupathi</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1978)

Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards South and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiphop Tamizha</span> Indian musical duo

Hiphop Tamizha is an Indian musical duo based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The duo consists of Rangadhithya "Adhi" Ramachandran Venkatapathy and R. Jeeva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma Ka Pa Anand</span> Indian actor and television presenter

Ma ka Pa Anand is an Indian actor and television presenter who has been working with Star Vijay. He has hosted Super Singer, Athu Ithu Ethu, Kings of Dance, KPY Champions, Mrs. Chinnathirai, The Wall, Cinema Kaaram Coffee, Start Music and Oo (yes)Solriya Oo Oohm (no)Solriya. Anand previously worked as a radio jockey for six years with Radio Mirchi in Dubai. He started his acting career with the film Vanavarayan Vallavarayan in 2014. He has hosted the show Athu Ithu Ethu after Sivakarthikeyan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aishwarya Rajesh</span> Indian actress (born 1990)

Aishwarya Rajesh is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. Aishwarya is a recipient of several awards including four South Indian International Movie Awards, two Filmfare Award South and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senthil Kumar</span> Indian Tamil actor, television presenter, radio jockey (born 1978)

Senthil Kumar, popularly known as Mirchi Senthil is an Indian film and television actor, television presenter, radio jockey and voice actor. He began his career as a radio jockey with the radio station Radio Mirchi. He performed in the lead character Saravanan in STAR Vijay's sensational serial Saravannan Meenatchi. Senthil and his co-star Sreeja Chandran had married on 2 July 2014 in a private function in Tirupathi. He made his debut as a film actor in Thavamai Thavamirundhu and has continued acting in lead roles in Sengathu Bhoomiyilae, Kan Pesum Vaarthaigal, Vennila Veedu and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanjay Pinto</span>

Sanjay Pinto is an Indian Advocate practising at the Madras High Court, Legal Columnist, Author of 4 books, public speaker, Former Bureau Chief and Resident Editor at NDTV 24x7 and Executive Editor at NDTV Hindu.

<i>Naanum Rowdy Dhaan</i> 2015 Indian film by Vignesh Shivan

Naanum Rowdy Dhaan is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language romantic action comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan, produced by Dhanush under his Wunderbar Films. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara, with Parthiban, Radhika Sarathkumar, RJ Balaji, and Anandaraj in supporting roles. It follows a police inspector's son who becomes a gangster. He falls in love with a woman seeking revenge against another gangster and joins her cause.

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesh Thilak</span> Indian actor and film producer

Ramesh Thilak is an Indian radio jockey and actor who has appeared in Tamil films. He made his breakthrough with Nalan Kumarasamy's Soodhu Kavvum (2013) portraying a kidnapper, before playing a similar role of a thief in Alphonse Putharen's bilingual film Neram.

<i>Pugazh</i> (film) 2015 film by Manimaran

Pugazh (transl. Fame) is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Manimaran and co-produced by Varun Manian. The film stars Jai and Surbhi, while Karunas, RJ Balaji, G. Marimuthu, and Piraisoodan play supporting roles. Vivek-Mervin composed the film's music. The film was released on 18 March 2016 and received mixed reviews from critics.

Ramdoss, better known as Munishkanth, is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil language films. He had notable roles in films, including Mundasupatti (2014), Maanagaram (2017), Maragadha Naanayam (2017) and Raatchasan (2018).

<i>Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru</i> 2016 film by M. Rajesh

Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh and produced by N. Ramasamy. The film stars G. V. Prakash Kumar, Nikki Galrani and Anandhi, while Prakash Raj and RJ Balaji play supporting roles. The filming began in March 2016. The movie was released on 18 November 2016 and received negative reviews from critics.

Dheena Dayalan, popularly known as RJ Dheena, தீனதயாளன் (தமிழ்) is an Indian radio jockey and television show host based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is best known for his unique voice and Tamil slang, humour and rapid speaking rate. He has worked at Suryan FM 93.5 and BIG FM – Tamil, Chennai. He started his own studio/business Academy of Radio Studios & Salt Audios in 2011. Later Joined 8K Miles media ) as a creative consultant United States of America in 2015 and 2018-19 headed a Tamil Radio station 89.4 Tamil FM in Dubai.

References

  1. 1 2 "Students' website on villages gives solutions to local issues". The Hindu. 18 December 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  2. ↑ The Hindu (19 February 2019). "'LKG' is my view of politics, says RJ Balaji". Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "A Vadacurry birthday for Rj Balaji". Behindwoods. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Arjun Narayanan (11 October 2014). "Nonstop Express". The Times Group. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Sudhish Kamath (1 November 2013). "An 'awesomatic' run". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Subha J. Rao (17 March 2015). "Balaji's new plan for the big screen". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Balaji Took it Easy in College". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Amrita Alumnus Honored by Rotary Club". Amrita School of Communication . 10 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Anusha Parthasarathy (24 May 2012). "Making waves". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  10. 1 2 Shenoy, Sonali (1 September 2013). "App-reciation aplenty for RJ Balaji". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  11. ↑ Srinivasan, Madhumitha (10 August 2011). "Take it easy!". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "RJ Balaji: "I speak exactly what the city wants to hear"". Radioandmusic.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Subha J. Rao (24 July 2011). "Sound waves". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  14. ↑ MADHUMITHA, SRINIVASAN (29 November 2011). "Game for the hunt". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  15. ↑ T. S. Atul Swaminathan (27 November 2011). "Big little RJ hunt, a success". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "92.7 BIG FM's RJ Balaji Bags Two awards at the Indian Excellence in Radio Awards 2012". Afaqs.com. 5 June 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "IRF 2012; Mirchi takes the cake; RED FM gets best station recognition". Adgully.com. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  18. ↑ "RJ Balaji named amongst top 10 Promising Personality of Tamil Nadu in 2012". Radioandmusic.com. 29 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  19. ↑ "Who will sing in Anirudh's next?". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Verbal diarrhoea we can't get enough of". The New Indian Express. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  21. ↑ "RJ Balaji – Android-apps op Google Play". Google Play . 16 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "RJ Balaji Official on the App Store on iTunes". iTunes . 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "RJ Balaji". windowsphone.com. 9 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  24. ↑ Frederick, Prince (12 December 2012). "Hang up on prank calls". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  25. 1 2 Deepika Ramesh (7 November 2013). "Fielding the brickbats". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  26. ↑ Priyanka Sharma (19 January 2013). "Is everyone laughing?". Business Standard . Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  27. 1 2 Karthik Subramanian (7 November 2013). "RJ chucks film review segment after controversy". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  28. ↑ Neelima Menon (11 July 2014). "A Face to The Voice: The RJ Balaji Interview". Silverscreen.in. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "RJ Balaji: I don't follow any format". Radioandmusic.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  30. ↑ Subha J Rao (14 November 2015). "Naanum actor dhaan". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  31. ↑ Sanobar Sultana (15 August 2014). "We joke responsibly, say radio jockeys". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  32. ↑ "92.7 BIG FM AND SARATH KUMAR TOGETHER WITH BHUMI FOR KODU KONDADU!". Webnewswire.com (Press release). 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  33. ↑ "92.7 BIG FM, Bhumi and Sarath Kumar for Kodu Kondadu". Chennai Live News. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  34. ↑ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (17 February 2015). "Big on melody". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  35. ↑ RJ Balaji (15 July 2015). LOOSE TALK – CORPORATE KADUPPUGAL !!!. YouTube. Panjumittai Productions. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  36. ↑ RJ Balaji. "My new show online – LooseTalk..!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  37. ↑ "Akriti Kakar to sing for soldiers at Siachen". Radioandmusic.com. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  38. ↑ 92.7 BIG FM (15 August 2015). "92.7 BIG FM celebrates #IndependenceDay with #IndianArmy". Facebook. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  39. ↑ "RJ Balaji – Humbled by all ur love and wishes for Anandha... – Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  40. ↑ "Stepping Up". The New Indian Express. 29 January 2016. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  41. ↑ RJ Balaji [@RJ_Balaji] (14 April 2017). "The place I belong .! :) Starting a new show from today, 'The Night Show' on 92.7 Big FM. Every weekday between 9–11 pm .! ❤️️ #Radio #RJ" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ↑ "The tone that resonates". The Hindu. 12 November 2015. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  43. ↑ "The showstoppers of Smaraneeyam". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  44. ↑ Rohit Subramanian (April 2012). "Instincts 2012 – The Best Instincts Ever" (PDF). Vibrations . 20: 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  45. ↑ Venugopal, Niveditha (14 March 2012). "High on fun!". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  46. ↑ Manigandan, K. R. (12 July 2012). "Twin role". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  47. ↑ "Organic fashion ruled this ramp". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  48. ↑ "Celebs walk ramp at Magazine anniversary launch". Sify . Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  49. ↑ Archana Rajendran (26 February 2012). "An 'Awesomatic of the Aaromale' night with RJ Balaji". Coolage.in. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  50. ↑ RJ Balaji (7 June 2013). "RJ Balaji's Mr. and Ms. Techofes 2013". YouTube. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  51. ↑ "Stars line up for Kalyana Samayal Sadam". The New Indian Express. 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  52. ↑ Anand (November 2013). "REFLECTIONS" (PDF). Vidya Dhwani . 19 (1): 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  53. ↑ "Reverberations 2013 Report". psbbschools.ac.in . Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  54. ↑ "Techofes Diaries – A Day at SAAS Office". Guindy Times. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  55. ↑ RJ Balaji (14 February 2015). "All set fr a super saturday.! First Big awards then to Techofes 2015..!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  56. ↑ "Soup Concert and Boost with Balaji – A Grand End To Techofes'15". Guindy Times. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  57. ↑ "RJ Balaji on LKG's success, moving away from supporting roles, and upcoming projects". 6 March 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  58. ↑ "I make films for the common man: 'Mookuthi Amman' director RJ Balaji". The New Indian Express. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  59. ↑ "Ungalil Yaar Prabhu Dheva". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  60. ↑ Mrinalini Sundar (27 December 2013). "Being Balaji". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  61. ↑ "Why this Kolaveri – a TVshow[sic]". The Times of India. 4 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  62. ↑ "Y this Kolaveri". Zee Tamizh . Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  63. ↑ "RJ Balaji mocks Vijay Awards on Zee Tamizh". The Times of India. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  64. ↑ Naig, Udhav (24 March 2014). "Happy notes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  65. ↑ "The Madras Song". Murugappa Group . YouTube. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  66. ↑ "Resonating with the spirit of the metropolis". The Hindu. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  67. ↑ Naig, Udhav (23 November 2014). "Tube watch: RJ's videos present snapshots of issues". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  68. ↑ "How RJ Balaji's video 'abusing Tendulkar' helped a 13-year-old". The News Minute. 14 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  69. ↑ Sundar, Priyanka (14 September 2015). "Social media plays the hero". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  70. ↑ "Kollywood stars all set to play cool". The Times of India. 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  71. ↑ "Celebrity Cricket League (CCL): Jiiva Replaces Vishal Krishna as Skipper of Chennai Rhinos". International Business Times. 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  72. ↑ "After a Tough Ride, Stage All Set for the First Edition of TEDx Mylapore". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  73. ↑ "TEDx comes to Mylapore". The Hindu. 2 May 2015. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  74. ↑ Balaji, RJ. "RJ Balaji – Humbled and honoured to b part of Anandha..." Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  75. ↑ "Siddharth, Balaji turn 'heroes in real life' for Chennai". Hindustan Times. 5 December 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  76. ↑ "Will help Chennai flood victims after the series, says Ravichandran Ashwin". India Today . 5 December 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  77. ↑ "Meet the men behind #ChennaiMicro- RJ Balaji talks about spearheading relief work with Siddharth". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  78. 1 2 "RJ Balaji's initiative 'Chennai Micro' to help small-time entrepreneurs". Radioandmusic.com. 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  79. ↑ "Watch RJ Balaji's speech as 'People of Chennai' win CNN-News 18's Indian of the Year award". The News Minute. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  80. ↑ "Murugappa Group pays tribute to farmers by launching video". The Hindu. 18 January 2016. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  81. ↑ "Why corporates should listen to RJ Balaji's advice about TN colleges". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  82. ↑ "RJ Balaji :Proud to be a part of students movement". Sify . Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  83. ↑ "RJ Balaji backs out of CSK commentary". Deccan Chronicle . 12 April 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  84. ↑ Sports, Times of (24 March 2022). "IPL 2022 Commentators List With their Category and Salary Details". Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  85. ↑ Mani, Bhargavii (12 September 2015). "Photofinish: Coffee and conversation with RJ Balaji". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  86. ↑ RJ Balaji [@rj_balaji] (21 May 2018). "Will miss my family and two sons" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.