Kailasam Balachandar 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, 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).
Srikanth is an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films. He is credited as Sriram in Telugu films. He debuted in K. Balachander's tele serial Jannal – Marabu Kavithaigal (1999). His film debut was in the romantic film Roja Kootam (2002) and went on to star in more such films including April Maadhathil (2002), Parthiban Kanavu (2003) and Okariki Okaru (2003). He subsequently went on to portray action roles in Drohi (2010). In 2012, he starred in Nanban, the Tamil remake of 3 Idiots, directed by S. Shankar.
Prakash Raj is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English, and Hindi-language films, he is the recipient of several accolades, including five National Film Awards, eight Nandi Awards, eight Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, four SIIMA Awards, three CineMAA Awards, and three Vijay Awards. Apart from his native languages Tulu and Kannada, Raj's fluency in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, English, and Marathi has placed him among the most sought after actors in Indian cinema.
Paarthale Paravasam is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Balachander, for whom this was his 100th film. It was produced by Balachander's home banner Kavithalayaa Productions and stars Madhavan and Simran in the lead roles alongside Raghava Lawrence and Sneha. The film's music was composed by A. R. Rahman, whilst A. Venkatesh was cinematographer. It tells the story of a couple going through a breakup after the husband is exposed for having had a child from a juvenile relationship. It also shows the introduction of love interests for the couple, and if they reconcile, forms the crux of the plot.
Poi is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by K. Balachander in his 101st and final film as a director. Produced by Prakash Raj, the film starts Uday Kiran and Vimala Raman, while Geetu Mohandas, Prakash Raj, Adithya Menon, and Avinash play supporting roles along with the director in a guest appearance. The music was composed by Vidyasagar with cinematography by Biju Viswanath. The film released on 22 December 2006.
The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972.
Annaamalai is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by Suresh Krissna and produced by Kavithalayaa Productions. A remake of the 1987 Hindi film Khudgarz, itself based on Jeffrey Archer's 1979 novel Kane and Abel, it stars Rajinikanth, Khushbu and Sarath Babu with Radha Ravi, Nizhalgal Ravi and Manorama in supporting roles. The film revolves around Annaamalai, a poor milkman, and Ashok, a wealthy hotelier, who have been friends since childhood, a friendship opposed by Ashok's father who attempts to create a rift between the two.
Punnagai Mannan is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Revathi in the lead roles, with Srividya, Rekha, Delhi Ganesh, Sudarshan and Sundar Krishna Urs in supporting roles. Its plot revolves around a dance instructor whose student falls in love with him.
Manmatha Leelai is a 1976 Indian Tamil-language romantic sex comedy film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Aalam. A number of actresses debuted on Tamil industry through this film, including Hema Chaudhary, Jaya Prada, Y. Vijaya among others. It was released on 27 February 1976. Though the film was criticised for its bold content when it released, it has received cult status with passing years and is considered a trendsetter.
Bhanu Chander is an Indian actor, director and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He is the son of veteran music composer Master Venu. His paternal family hails from Machilipatnam and maternal family hails from Rajahmundry. He was born near Madras. He is known for his association with directors like K. Viswanath, Balu Mahendra, B. Narsing Rao, and K. Balachander. In 1990, he starred in Sutradharulu, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu for that year.
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is known for his unique filmography with major commercial success and high critical acclaim works. He has won five National Film Awards, three Filmfare South Awards and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Sripathi Panditharadhyula Charan, credited as S. P. Charan, is an Indian playback singer and actor works predominantly works in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema.
Aval Oru Thodar Kathai is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The lead role was played by Sujatha in her first Tamil film, which was also her first starring role. Kamal Haasan, Vijayakumar, Jai Ganesh, M. G. Soman and Sripriya play key roles. The story revolves around a working middle-class woman, who sacrifices her desires to support her large family
Abhinaya is an Indian actress and model who mainly works in Tamil, Telugu, kannada and Malayalam films. She is both hearing and speech impaired. She made her acting debut in Naadodigal (2009) and then she has appeared in many Tamil and Telugu films.
Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanathan, best known by his stage name Visu, was an Indian screenwriter, film director, stage, film and television actor and talk-show host. Visu initially worked as an assistant to director K. Balachander until becoming a director himself. He later began acting, with his first film being Kudumbam Oru Kadambam (1981), directed by S. P. Muthuraman.
Visaranai (transl. Interrogation) is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Vetrimaaran. It is based on the novel Lock Up by M. Chandrakumar. The film stars Dinesh, Anandhi, Samuthirakani, Aadukalam Murugadoss, Kishore, Pradheesh Raj, and Silambarasan Rathnasamy. The film deals with the lives of two men before and after being thrown into a kafkaesque scenario in which they get tortured for confession. Vetrimaaran later told that, in the beating sequences in the film, the actors were really beaten, and all of them had to undergo counselling sessions.
Namo Narayana is an Indian actor who primarily works in Tamil films. He made a breakthrough as an actor with his performances in Naadodigal (2009) and Komban (2015).
A. L. Ramesh is an Indian film editor, who has worked on Tamil and Telugu films. He has often collaborated on ventures associated with directors Samuthirakani and Sasikumar. Before entering into film industry he worked in the Tamil serial industry. Especial Chitti a serial from Radaan Media Works For his work in Naadodigal (2009), he received a nomination from the Vijay Awards for Best Editor. (2014) won Tamilnadu state award for Best Editor
Naadodigal Gopal was an Indian character actor who worked over 30 films Tamil cinema.
Pathipati Ajay Ghosh is an Indian actor and comedian known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema and theatre, in addition to a few Tamil films. He is known for his works in hits such as Jyothi Lakshmi (2015), Visaranai (2016), Rangasthalam (2018), Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and Guntur Kaaram (2024).
