and screenwriter
76-414: Boopathy Pandian is a Tamil film director. Bhoopathy Pandian worked as an assistant to Sundar C . Apart from assisting him, he also wrote dialogues for his films Winner and Giri . Dhanush signed the film, then titled Ennai Mattum Kadhal Pannu , soon after the success of Thulluvadho Ilamai and the venture was initially set to star Sherin , who appeared alongside him in that film. Since then,
152-433: A Filmfare Award for Anand Bakshi and a National Film Award for Balasubrahmanyam. He made Sindhu Bhairavi (1985), which is about the intellectual collision and subsequent romance between a lofty Carnatic musician and his ardent critic. He has worked with a variety of music directors like V.Kumar, M.S.Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraja, Maragathamani, V. S. Narasimhan and A.R.Rahman. The actors who were regular in his films in
228-515: A neurosurgery in November 2014, Balachander was admitted to Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on 15 December. Reports suggested that he was suffering from fever and from a urinary tract infection , but was recovering well. However, on 23 December 2014 he died due to complications from the urinary infection and other age-related ailments. He was cremated with full state honours the next day. Balachander
304-937: A town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras , called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors. Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain . In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as " drama films ", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai ) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as
380-727: A daughter Pushpa Kandaswamy, who is the chairwoman of their production house Kavithalaya Productions . Kailasam was an entrepreneur while Prasanna, a Chartered Accountant , is the managing director and CEO of a leading investment bank in India. Balachander's elder son, Bala Kailasam , died on 15 August 2014 after contracting pneumonia , at the age of 54. He was the head of the television production company Minbinbangal, and delivered memorable series in Tamil includes, Balachandarin Chinnathirai , Kaialavu Manasu , Rail Sneham , and Marma Desam . Following
456-582: A decent market. Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in South East Asia . Since Chandralekha , Muthu was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja ) and grossed a record $ 1.6 million in 1998. In 2010, Enthiran grossed a record $ 4 million in North America. Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across
532-473: A family drama starring Gemini Ganesan , won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil . During the 1970s, Balachander turned indie, making realist movies revolving around family and social issues. In 1971 he made four films. In 1973, he made Arangetram , which dealt with poverty and prostitution. The film centred on the eldest daughter of a conservative Brahmin household who becomes
608-518: A few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre , the Electric Theatre, which still stands. It was a favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was shut down after a few years. This building is now part of a post office complex on Anna Salai ( Mount Road ). The Lyric Theatre was also built in
684-482: A film titled Vedi with Vikram in the lead role, but the film was cancelled after an initial schedule. In November 2010, it was reported that Pandian and Vishal would make another film under the Vishal's home banner, GK Films Corporation, in a venture titled Pattathu Yaanai and that it would feature the story that Pandian had planned for Vikram in his project Vedi . In a turn of events, the director decided to opt out of
760-420: A grand exhibition was organised in Madras . Its major attraction was the screening of short films accompanied by sound. A British company imported a Crone megaphone , made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disc containing prerecorded sound was linked, and both were run in unison, producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no synched dialogue . Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu ,
836-442: A number of Television series including Kai Alavu Manasu , Rail Sneham , Ramany vs Ramany(a.k.a. Ramani vs Ramani) , Oru Koodai Paasam , Kadhal Pagadai , Premi , Jannal , Kasalavu Nesam , and Anni . Like his earlier films, most of his serials focussed on women, and portrayed them as strong personalities. Kasalvu Nesam was one of his comedy hits, starring Venu Aravind . In 2003, he made Sahana , that touted to be
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#1733092876955912-449: A part of the initial schedule with Seetha , Jagan and Manobala added to the cast. A first look poster was released on 14 April 2013 depicting Vishal and Santhanam in their respective roles. Tamil film Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language , the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu . It
988-622: A permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam . Swamikannu Vincent, who had built one of the first cinema halls of South India in Coimbatore , introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to
1064-555: A popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city. Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar , decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon 's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916. The man who truly laid
1140-407: A project titled Naanum En Sandhyavum ( Me and my Sandhya ), with which he was planning to introduce his younger sibling Arjun Prabhu as an actor. He signed him for the lead male role in the film, whilst Malayalam actress Meera Nandan was approached to essay the lead female character called Sandhya, for which reportedly also Kajal Aggarwal , Bhama and Vedhika were considered. Yuvan Shankar Raja
1216-458: A prostitute to settle her siblings and support her family. It was ahead of its time in Tamil cinema mainly because of the controversial theme. The film also had Kamal Haasan playing his first major role as an adult actor. The actor would go on to act in 35 films under Balachander. He made his directorial debut in Hindi films with the film Aaina starring Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna in 1977, which
1292-710: A screenwriter and graduated to a director with Neerkumizhi (1965). In a career that spanned 50 years, he had contributed to nearly 100 feature films either as a screenwriter or director , thus becoming one of the most prolific filmmakers in the country. Known among his colleagues as a tough task master, he was credited with having nurtured numerous actors, notably Nagesh , Sujatha , Kamal Haasan , Rajinikanth , Chiranjeevi , Jaya Prada , Sridevi , Jayasudha , Saritha , Renuka , Nassar , Prakash Raj , Ramesh Aravind and Vivek . In his film career, Balachander had won 9 National Film Awards , 11 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards , five Nandi Awards and 13 Filmfare Awards . He
1368-724: A secondary hub for Hindi cinema , other South Indian film industries, as well as for Sri Lankan cinema . Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films established a global presence, enjoying strong box office collections among Tamil-speaking audiences in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , and Singapore . Tamil films are also distributed throughout the Middle East , Oceania , Europe , North America , parts of Africa , and Japan . The industry also inspired independent filmmaking among Tamil diaspora populations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and
1444-460: A standard deviation of ±10 lakh tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with Chandralekha . They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the Tamil diaspora . They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania. Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It
1520-572: A studio, the first in south India, was set up in Madras at 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk. He called it the India Film Company. Rangavadivelu, an actor from Suguna Vilasa Sabha, a theatre company then, was hired to train the actors. Thirty-five days later, the first feature film made in south India, The Extermination of Keechakan / Keechakavatham , based on an episode from the Mahabharata , was released produced and directed by R. Nataraja, who established
1596-682: A successful photographer , took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court . With this equipment, he screened the short films Pearl Fish and Raja's Casket in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Naidu travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar ) and Sri Lanka , and when he had gathered enough money, he put up
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#17330928769551672-481: A tight hold on pacing, ensuring that the interest never flags". Another critic from Indiaglitz mentioned that "Bhoopathy Pandian has a good grasp of what makes an entertainer click with the masses. His simple handling of an easy subject sees it through." The film grossed ₹ 100 million (US$ 1.2 million) in Tamil Nadu – the highest grosser for actor Dhanush at that time. In early 2008, Boopathy Pandian first announced
1748-529: Is considered a "trendsetter" in Tamil cinema. Anthuleni Katha , a Telugu remake of Aval Oru Thodar Kathai had Jaya Prada in her first starring role. received equal acclaim in Andhra Pradesh as in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Avargal (1977) follows the life of a divorcée as she traverses relationships in reverse, from divorce, to marriage, to falling in love. Varumayin Niram Sigappu (1980)
1824-754: Is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). Chennai's film composers have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across
1900-533: Is nicknamed Kollywood , a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam , a neighbourhood in Chennai , and Hollywood . The first Tamil silent film , Keechaka Vadham , was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film , Kalidas , a multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara . Tamil cinema has been noted for its advanced narratives and diverse films, with several productions in
1976-512: Is revered as one of the best directors India has ever produced. His ideas were original and his subjects were complex ideas expressed via art. He is also known for introducing new faces to the film industry. He has introduced over 100 actors in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages. Balachander had long associations with some senior artists in the South Indian film industry like Gemini Ganesan , Sowcar Janaki , Nagesh and Muthuraman . Even though he
2052-593: The Annamalai University , as he regularly took part in stage plays. After completing his graduation in 1949, he started his career as a school teacher in Muthupet , Tiruvarur district. In 1950, he moved to Madras (now Chennai) and joined the Accountant General's office as an apprentice clerk, and during this time he joined "United Amateur Artistes", an amateur drama company. Soon he formed his own troupe and it
2128-738: The Central Board of Film Certification alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category. There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain viz producer, distributor and exhibitor. The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as: There are three popular approaches to transfer of distribution rights via distribution contracts: There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts: Film studios in Chennai are bound by legislation, such as
2204-412: The Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night. The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during
2280-403: The Tamil -language only. This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was Unakkum Enakkum . The original title had been Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum , a half-English and a half-Tamil title. In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by
2356-663: The West . M. Edwards first screened a selection of silent films at the Victoria Public Hall in Madras in 1897 during the British Raj . The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for
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2432-483: The film projector and silent films from the Frenchman Du Pont and set up a business as film exhibitor . Soon, he tied up with Pathé , a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors . This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency . In later years, he produced talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore . To celebrate the event of King George V 's visit in 1909,
2508-547: The 1990s and early 2000s cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Such films include Roja (1992), Indian (1996), Pokkiri (2007), Enthiran (2010). Tamil cinema has since produced some of the most commercially successful actors, directors and films of Indian cinema. By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Madras (now Chennai), then became
2584-800: The 1990s. Through Manathil Uruthi Vendum , Balachander launched Vivek as an actor, who initially worked with him as his assistant writer, and later went on to become a leading comedy actor. He also launched A.R. Rahman in the film Roja which was his production. When the old era was dominated by commercial action films, Balachander directed socially themed films with women as protagonists usually centred on unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He portrayed women as headstrong, intelligent and independent people. Balachander revealed that many of his messages from his films, he has drawn inspiration from poet Subramaniya Bharathi whom he had admired since his childhood. Screenwriter Gopu (of Gopu-Babu) said that he used to begin his script from
2660-595: The Cinematography Film Rules of 1948, the Cinematography Act of 1952, and the Copyright Act of 1957. In Tamil Nadu , cinema ticket prices are regulated by the government . Single screen theatres may charge a maximum of ₹ 50, while theatres with more than three screens may charge a maximum of ₹ 120 per ticket. Kailasam Balachander Kailasam Balachandar (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014)
2736-503: The India Film Company Limited. Despite a century of increasing box office takings, Tamil cinema remains informal. Nevertheless, there are few exceptions like Modern Theatres, Gemini Studios , AVM and Sri Thenandal Films that survived beyond 100 productions. In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in
2812-601: The Mount Road area. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, Western classical music concerts, and ballroom dances . Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction. Swamikannu Vincent , a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli , became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade , near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought
2888-417: The award for the "Best Feature Film in Tamil". During this period he made films mostly with Kamal Haasan as the lead actor. In 1976, he made three films: Manmadha Leelai , Anthuleni Katha and Moondru Mudichu . Manmadha Leelai explores the life of a womaniser, played by Kamal Haasan , who gets himself involved in affairs with women. Often considered ahead of its time, it achieved cult status and
2964-543: The constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways. By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the Entertainment Tax Act 1939 . In 1916,
3040-434: The critics. Balachander while working in the Accountant General's office, was offered to write the dialogues for the film Dheiva Thaai (1964) by its lead actor M. G. Ramachandran . Balachander was initially reluctant, as he was more theatre-oriented, but on the insistence of his friends he decided to work on the film. By this time he was promoted as a superintendent in his office. Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar acquired
3116-572: The early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The Tamil -language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the Cholas . They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal
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3192-407: The film under Global Infotainment Ltd. Reports suggested that Amala Paul was set to be signed on to play the lead female role in the film, but this proved to be untrue. Subsequently, Aishwarya Arjun , daughter of actor Arjun , was signed on to make her debut with the film. She would be portraying a Plus 2 student in the film, and was signed after being recommended by director Sundar C . Vadivelu
3268-508: The film's inactivity led to rumours that the film was cancelled. However, in January 2006, Boopathy Pandian confirmed that the film would continue and the remaining portions would be swiftly completed. Shriya however returned to work on the film after she was able to allot dates. The film opened in December 2006 to positive reviews from critics. Rediff.com noted that "Director Boopathy Pandian has
3344-492: The first Tamil film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film , the feat was repeated by Kanchivaram in 2007. Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh , Maharashtra , Gujarat and New Delhi . In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have
3420-480: The foundations of Tamil cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with The Faithful Wife / Dharmapathini (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC
3496-562: The globe, such as Mani Ratnam 's Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Vasanthabalan 's Veyyil (2006) and Ameer Sultan 's Paruthiveeran (2007). Kanchivaram (2009) was selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language on eight occasions, next only to Hindi. Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987)
3572-464: The period 1963 to 1990 were Gemini Ganeshan, Sowcar Janaki, Nagesh, Jayanthi, Sujatha, Saritha, Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan. In 1998, he planned a film titled Thillana Thillana featuring Prashanth , Karthik , Meena and Simran , but the venture failed to develop. His later films include Parthale Paravasam (2001) and Poi (2006). The period starting from the late 1980s till the late 1990s saw Balachander venturing into Television and making
3648-442: The project and do the film instead with Arya and his banner, Show People. The deal took place without the knowledge of GK Corporation who had paid him and advance, with the production house's director Shriya Reddy criticising the director. But Arya opted out of the project. Boopathy Pandian after opting out of Telugu film Jagan Mohan IPS subsequently agreed again to make the film with Vishal and Michael Rayappan agreed to produce
3724-483: The projects, changing its title and replacing the lead couple by two relatively unknown artists; Balaji Balakrishnan , who starred in the popular STAR Vijay television series Kana Kaanum Kaalangal and also appeared in the N. Linguswamy -produced 2009 film Pattalam , was signed as the male protagonist, whilst Meghana Raj , daughter of actors Sunderraj and Pramila, who was also earlier signed by K. Balachander for his long-delayed production venture Krishnaleelai ,
3800-531: The rights of his play Server Sundaram , and decided to make a film based on it. The film dealt with the story of a waiting staff at a restaurant had Nagesh playing the lead. The film was directed by the renowned duo directors, Krishnan–Panju . It won a lot of accolades including the Certificate of Merit for the third Best Feature Film in Tamil and Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Film . During this time another play written and directed by him - Major Chandrakanth
3876-539: The same name , and felt that the new venture would defame the old film. K. Bhagyaraj was initially pencilled in to play Dhanush's father in the film, but was later replaced by Mouli due to the delay of the film. Shriya Saran was forced to opt out of the film in October 2005 owing to her commitment to work in Rajinikanth 's Sivaji . Reports suggested that either Tamannaah or Ileana may be approached to replace her, while
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#17330928769553952-458: The sequel of his 1985 film Sindhu Bairavi . On venturing into Television, he noted "This medium helps to reach out to the public. That's why I am into making serials". In 2009, Balachander returned to theatre after a 40-year hiatus through the play Pournami , which had Renuka playing the lead role. In 1956, Balachander married Rajam while he was working at the Accountant General's Office. The couple had two sons named Kailasam and Prasanna and
4028-574: The silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. Srinivasa Kalyanam (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram . Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935. The main impacts of
4104-502: The sole earner for her family. He decided to cast an actress who worked as a child actress till then, as his film heroine with the film Mondru Moodichu and gave break to Sridevi. The film Aboorva Raagangal was an original story about an inter-generational romance involving two families. It marked the acting debut of Rajinikanth , who would go on to establish himself as a leading actor. It won critical acclaim in spite of its controversial theme; it won three National Film Awards including
4180-418: The state from 3 July 2017. The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017. Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It was reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores. Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 1.1 crore tickets with
4256-620: The title and the heroine went through a couple of changes, briefly being referred to as Kadhal Sughamanathu and then finally as Devathayai Kanden , after the popular song of Dhanush-starrer Kadhal Kondein . Sridevi Vijayakumar replaced Sherin as heroine in the film. The film was announced in late August 2005 with Boopathy Pandian and Dhanush coming together after a previous collaboration in Devathayai Kanden (2005). Shriya Saran , who rose to fame in Tamil films after her role in Mazhai ,
4332-509: The world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature Madras Tamil , a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in Chennai . Keechaka Vadham (1918) was the first silent film made in South India . Kalidas (1931) was the first Tamil talkie film made in 1931. Kalava (1932) was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil. Nandanar (1935) was the first film for American film director Ellis R. Dungan . Balayogini released in 1937
4408-481: Was a drama that charts the travails and conflict of being unemployed in a bombastic and harsh city. 47 Natkal (1981) traces the adversities of a newlywed Indian woman living with an scurrilous, expatriate husband in a Parisian suburb. The film was a launchpad for its lead actor Chiranjeevi . Balachander re-entered the Hindi film industry after Aaina through Ek Duuje Ke Liye in 1981. He gave Rati Agnihotri her debut Hindi film with Ek Duje Ke Liye. The project
4484-648: Was a remake of his own Telugu film Maro Charitra had Kamal Haasan repeating his role as a lead actor. The film marked the Bollywood debut of various artists including Kamal Haasan , Madhavi and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam . Like the original, Ek Duuje Ke Liye emerged as a major box-office success and earned critical acclaim. Balachander received the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay , apart from two other nominations – for Best Director and Best Story . The song "Tere Meere Beach Mein" became so popular, eventually winning
4560-429: Was adapted into a film in Hindi as Oonche Log . The film won a National Film Award . Balachander then made his directional debut through Neerkumizhi (1965) which in turn was based on his own play. The film's cast consisted of actors who were a part of Balachander's regular troupe. His following efforts included Naanal , Major Chandrakanth and Ethir Neechal , all based on his own plays. Major Chandrakanth
4636-468: Was adjudged the Best Tamil Actor at the following year's Filmfare Awards ceremony. Following that, Balachander's made Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974), his second female-centric film after Arangetram that dealt with the story of a working woman who hails from a middle-class family. Inspired by the 1960 Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara , it explored the emotions of a young woman who happens to be
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#17330928769554712-523: Was already filmed in Hindi as Oonche Log the previous year. Major Chandrakanth had Jayalalithaa playing the lead heroine role. In 1967 he made Bama Vijayam , a full-length comedy family drama film. Featuring an ensemble cast , the film was highly successful and remade in Telugu by Balachander himself. The success of both the versions prompted a Hindi remake titled Teen Bahuraniyan , produced by Gemini pictures. In 1969, Balachander made Iru Kodugal ,
4788-670: 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 (lit. "Director Paramount"), his films are usually centred on unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He started his film career in 1964 as
4864-407: Was announced as the music director for film. Following the announcement, however, there were no more news or any further details disclosed in the media and the film got shelved. In early 2010 then, reports claimed that the director had completed a film titled Naan Avalai Sandhitha Pozhudhu ( When I met her ), starring newcomers and featuring Yuvan Shankar Raja's music. Boopathy Pandian had restarted
4940-796: Was born in Tamil Brahmin family in 1930 at Nannilam in the Tanjore district (now Tiruvarur district ), India. Balachander stated that, "From my eighth year I've been seeing cinema" and recalls that his earliest interest towards cinema grew after watching films of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , then the Superstar of Tamil cinema. At the age of twelve he was drawn to theatre and drama, which eventually helped him develop an interest in acting, writing and directing amateur plays. His obsession towards theatre continued even while doing his graduation (in Zoology) at
5016-436: Was considered to be first children's film of South India. It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. In 1991, Marupakkam directed by K.S. Sethu Madhavan , became
5092-815: Was during this time he came to prominence as an amateur playwright with Major Chandrakanth , written in English. As the scope of English was highly limited in Madras, he re-wrote the play in Tamil, which ultimately became a "sensation" among the people. Balachander's acting troupe consisted of people from the Tamil film industry such as Major Sundarrajan , Nagesh , Srikanth and Sowcar Janaki . Sunderrajan appeared in over 900 films, Nagesh in over 1,000, Sreekanth in more than 200 films, and Sowkar Janaki appeared in more than 350 films. Other plays written by Balachander include Server Sundaram ( Waiter Sundaram ), Neerkumizhi ( Water Bubble ), Mezhuguvarthi ( Candle ), Naanal ( Tall Grass ) and Navagraham ( Nine Planets ). All these produced and directed by him, were received well by
5168-554: Was honored with the Padma Shri (1987), India's fourth highest civilian award, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award , India's highest award in cinema. He also made films under his production house, Kavithalaya Productions . Apart from Tamil, he made films in other languages such as Telugu , Kannada and Hindi . Towards the tail end of his career, he directed a few TV serials and made a few film appearances as well. K. Balachander
5244-688: Was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo , Rangoon and Singapore . The Ways of Vishnu / Vishnu Leela , which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. The silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among
5320-545: Was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list. Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Tamil Nadu . For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday). The Government of Tamil Nadu made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from
5396-521: Was initially announced to be making a comeback with the film but was later replaced by Santhanam who would be seen in three roles, that of a grandfather, father and son. The film began filming in December 2012 with a launch event at the AVM studios, with a scene shot of Vishal praying at the Muthukumaraswamy temple in the studio premises. The team shot in locations across Karaikudi , Madurai and Trichy as
5472-501: Was not the one to discover them, he played a prominent role in shaping their careers. Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth , two leading film actors in Tamil cinema , are often referred to as products of Balachander who has paired with each of them or worked with them as a trio in several films during the 1970s. Rajinikanth was chosen by Balachander to play a key supporting character in Apoorva Raagangal (1975) after noting that "there
5548-507: Was remake of Arangetram . The same year, he made Sollathaan Ninaikkiren , based on a novel by Manian. The following year he made Naan Avanillai . He made the film on the insistence of Gemini Ganesan , who also produced and enacted the lead role. It is based on the Marathi play To Mee Navhech , revolved around a man who deceives and marries five women performing nine roles. The film met with commercial failure. However, Gemini Ganesan
5624-608: Was roped in to enact the role of Sandhya. The title of the film was later changed again to Kaadhal Solla Vandhen as disclosed by Balaji on his Facebook site. The film's shooting was primarily carried on in and around Perambalur , with major portions being filmed at the Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Engineering College. Following a successful collaboration with the 2007 film Malaikottai , Vishal and Boopathy Pandian signed terms to make another film together in 2010. Boopathy Pandian subsequently moved on to make
5700-414: Was signed as the heroine and the film was titled as Naveena Thiruvilayadal , though the prefix was later dropped. In September 2010, actor Sivaji Ganesan 's Fan Club issued legal notice to the film's producer, Vimala Geetha, to change the name of the film Thiruvilayadal within 15 days or face legal action before the necessary forum. They had felt that the title was reminiscent of the 1965 Sivaji film of
5776-479: Was something special about him". Sridevi, Srividhya, Jayapradha, Jayasudha, Jayachithra, Sujatha, Saritha were notable heroines that were introduced by Balachander. Nassar, Delhi Ganesh , Charlie , Madan Bob were some of the notable supporting actors introduced by him. After working in a few Kannada films, Prakash Raj was relaunched as an actor in Tamil cinema through his debut Duet (1994) and had also performed in some of Balachander's soap opera productions in
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