Vasanthabalan | |
|---|---|
 Vasanthabalan in 2014 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Film director Screenwriter |
| Years active | 2002 - present |
| Website | https://www.directorvasanthabalan.com/ |
Vasanthabalan (sometimes credited as Vasantha Balan) is an Indian Tamil film director and screenwriter. [1] He has made critically acclaimed films including Veyil (2006), Angadi Theru (2010) and Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014).
Vasanthabalan began his film career as an editing assistant and later became an assistant director to S.Shankar in the latter's directorial debut, Gentleman (1993). He continued to work under Shankar in three more films Kaadhalan (1994), Indian (1996) and Jeans (1998).
He later made his break as an independent director with the box-office failure Album (2002). [2]
His second film, produced by Shankar's S Pictures, Veyil (2006) was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. It was shown as the Indian representative at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. [3] His next release, Angadi Theru (2010), showcased a romantic tale set in the famous Ranganathan Street in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The film won critical acclaim and was a commercial success as well. It was shortlisted for India's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. [4] In 2012, he released Aravaan , a period film based on the novel Kaaval Kottam, that reflects the life of people of South Tamil Nadu in the 18th century. Following that, he made the period drama Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014), which won critical acclaim. [5]
The crime drama Jail (2021) starring G. V. Prakash Kumar and Abarnathi in main roles, and the film didn't go well as expected. [6] He later directed the psychological thriller film Aneethi starring Arjun Das and Dushara Vijayan in lead roles. [7] Aneethi is an impressive and powerful take on exploitation, kindness and everything in between. [8] In 2024, the political thriller streaming television series Thalaimai Seyalagam was released to average reviews. [9]
Shankar Shanmugam, credited as S. Shankar or his mononymShankar, is an Indian film director, film producer, and screenwriter who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Hindi films and Telugu films. His films typically deal with contemporary social issues, vigilante themes, and the usage of state-of-the-art technology and VFX. He has won one National Film Award, four Filmfare Award South, and six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in his career. Six of his films have won the National Film Award for Best Special Effects.
Siddharth Suryanarayan, known mononymously as Siddharth, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi language films. Apart from acting, he has also been involved in films as a screenwriter, producer and playback singer. He has also been featured in many advertisements. He is a recipient of three Filmfare Awards South and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Veyil (transl. Sunshine) is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan. The film stars Bharath, Pasupathy, Bhavana, Priyanka and Sriya Reddy. The music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar with cinematography by R. Madhi and editing by Mathan Gunadeva.
Vedhika Kumar, known professionally as Vedhika is an Indian actress and model who primarily works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. Vedhika is a recipient of an Asiavision Award and two Edison Awards, along with nominations for two Filmfare Awards South.
Bharath Srinivasan, known professionally as Bharath, is an Indian actor, who works predominantly in Tamil cinema, along with few films in Malayalam, Hindi and Telugu.
Angadi Theru is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan, starring Anjali and debutant Mahesh. The title refers to the Ranganathan Street in Chennai where the story takes place. The film features music jointly composed by Vijay Antony and G. V. Prakash Kumar. An Ayngaran International production, the film was launched on 11 February 2008 and released on 26 March 2010 to critical acclaim. The film was shortlisted for the Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but lost to Peepli Live. It released in Telugu as Shopping Mall. The film was box-office success.
Anjali is an Indian actress who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu films. Anjali is recognised as one of the finest actors in Tamil films, known for her "performance-oriented roles". She is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South and two Nandi Awards.
Ponvannan is an Indian actor and director who has worked in Tamil cinema and television. After beginning his career as an artist (painter), Ponvannan apprenticed as a director and writer under Bharathiraja. He subsequently made his directorial debut with Annai Vayal (1992), before making the critically acclaimed venture, Nadhi Karaiyinile (2003). He has since appeared as a supporting actor in films, winning acclaim for his role in films including Paruthiveeran (2007), Ayan (2009) and Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014). In October 2015, he was elected as the Vice President of the Nadigar Sangam alongside Karunas.
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.
Kaaviya Thalaivan is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan and produced by S. Sashikanth and Varun Manian under their production companies YNOT Studios and Radiance Media Group. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Siddharth in the lead roles along with Vedhika, Anaika Soti, Nassar, Thambi Ramaiah, Ponvannan, Mansoor Ali Khan and others appear in supporting roles. Music composed by A. R. Rahman. Set in the early 20th century, the film is about the lives of two theatre artistes and the competition that exists between them in a small drama troupe.
Anaika Soti is an Indian actress and model. She predominantly works in Tamil films and in a few Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films.
Mahesh is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his debut in the 2010 film, Angadi Theru, directed by Vasanthabalan.
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.
Kaaviya Thalaivan is the 2014 soundtrack album to the Tamil historical fiction film of the same name, written and directed by Vasanthabalan. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Siddharth, Vedhika and Anaika Soti in the lead roles. A. R. Rahman has composed the original songs and score for the film. Being a period film, the music of film reflects the sounds during the 1920s pre-Independence Indian era. The album marks poet Vaali's last lyrical work for this A. R. Rahman musical film. Prior to recording the original songs, Rahman carried out a research for six months for the music. Majority of the tracks were recorded by nine months, beginning from October 2012. Every song in the film has an underlying concept that justifies the screenplay. Prior to the album release, three tracks "Vaanga Makka Vaanga", "Yaarumilla" and "Aye Mr. Minor!" were released as singles on 1 September, 1 October and 17 October. The original version of the album that released on 31 October 2014 was aired through Suryan FM.
Richard M. Nathan is an Indian cinematographer, who works in the Tamil film industry.
Arjun Das is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He has garnered major attention for his bass voice.
Dushara Vijayan is an Indian actress who is known for her works in Tamil cinema. She made her debut in the Tamil film Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari (2019), and gained recognition for her performances in Sarpatta Parambarai (2021), Natchathiram Nagargiradhu (2022), Raayan (2024) and Vettaiyan (2024).
T. Santhanam was an Indian film art director who worked in the Tamil film industry.
Aneethi is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language psychological romantic thriller film written and directed by Vasanthabalan. It is produced by Vasanthabalan himself, V M. Krishna Kumar, Murugan Gnanavel and Varadharajan Manickam under the banner of Urban Boyz Studios. The film stars Arjun Das and Dushara Vijayan in the lead roles.
Thalaimai Seyalagam is 2024 Indian Tamil-language political thriller streaming television series written and directed by Vasanthabalan for ZEE5. The show revolves around an immersive experience into the cutthroat world of Tamil Nadu politics. The show is produced by Radhika Sarathkumar and R. Sarathkumar under the banner of Radaan Mediaworks.