Kailasam Balachander was an Indian film maker and playwright 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.
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, two 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.
Chitthamoor Vijayaraghavalu Sridhar was an Indian screenwriter and film director. He has directed nearly 60 films in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Languages.
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.
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.
Netrikkan is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by S. P. Muthuraman and produced by Kavithalayaa Productions. The film stars Rajinikanth in a double role as father and son with Saritha and Menaka, while Goundamani, Lakshmi and Sarath Babu play supporting roles. The soundtrack and score were composed by Ilayaraja while the lyrics for the tracks were written by Kannadasan. The film's story and dialogues were written by Visu and the screenplay was written by K. Balachander. Babu and R. Vittal handled cinematography and editing respectively.
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, Malayalam and Telugu 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.
This following is the list of films to which K. Balachander has contributed. He has written and directed nearly 80 films and has worked in more than 100 films either as director or writer in multiple languages – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada.
Edhir Neechal is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film has an ensemble cast including Nagesh, Muthuraman, Sundarrajan, Srikanth, M. R. R. Vasu, Sowcar Janaki and Jayanthi. It is based on Balachander's play of the same name, itself inspired by Sombhu Mitra's play Kanchanranga. The film was released on 12 December 1968, and became a commercial success, with Balachander winning the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer. It was remade in Telugu as Sambarala Rambabu (1970) and in Hindi as Lakhon Me Ek (1971).
S. Rangarajan, better known by his allonym Sujatha, was an Indian author, novelist and screenwriter who wrote in Tamil. He authored over 100 novels, 250 short stories, ten books on science, ten stage plays, and a slim volume of poems. He was one of the most popular authors in Tamil literature, and a regular contributor to topical columns in Tamil periodicals such as Ananda Vikatan, Kumudam and Kalki. He had a wide readership, and served for a brief period as the editor of Kumudam, and has also written screenplays and dialogues for several Tamil films.
Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar, professionally credited as Charle, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 Tamil films as a comedian and supporting actor. He was named after the English comedian Charlie Chaplin.
Jai Ganesh was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil plays and films. He had supporting roles in the films Aval Oru Thodar Kathai and Aattukara Alamelu, among others. His most popular roles have been as a supporting actor or as a villain in films such as Thaayillamal Naan Illai (1979) and Athisaya Piravi (1990).
Kaaval Geetham is a 1992 Tamil-language romantic action film directed by S. P. Muthuraman, starring Vikram and Sithara. The film was released on 14 February 1992.
Shanthi Williams is an Indian film and television actress who has played supporting roles in various Tamil and Malayalam movies and serials.
Bhimsingh Kannan was an Indian cinematographer who worked in Tamil and Malayalam films. He was known for his association with Director Bharathiraja and was referred to as "Bharathirajavin Kangal".
Premsai is an Indian film director and former actor. As an actor, he was acclaimed for playing many different prominent roles in Tamil and Telugu television serials and tele films. Later he ventured in to Direction. His debut film was Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum starring Jai, Santhanam, Yami Gautam in Tamil and Courier Boy Kalyan in Telugu with Nitin & Yami Gautam. It was produced by Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Vairamuthu is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. 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.
Amirtham (transl. Amrita) is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced, written and directed by K. Kannan, making his directorial debut. The film stars newcomer Ganesh and Navya Nair, with Girish Karnad, Anuradha Krishnamoorthy, Rajeev, Rekha, Yugendran and Madhura playing supporting roles. It was released on 10 February 2006.
