What stalwarts introduced by K Balachander say

Industry stalwarts, introduced to cinema by one of Tamil cinema’s most respected personalities, K Balachander, talk about the man...

Rajinikanth: KB sir's death is a big loss to the world of cinema. He was not only my guru, he was like a father to me, he was my guide. He was god, in a human avatar, for me. He saw me as a son, not as an actor. His loss feels like I have lost a bit of myself. I cannot express it in words. This world will not see another director like KB sir. I pray that his soul rests in peace.

Ramesh Arvind: Balachander sir was on the lookout for actors to do the Kannada remake of Sollathan Ninaikiren. I was doing TV shows back then. Someone referred my name and I went there only to impress him. In the next 45 minutes or so, he said I am doing the film. That was KB sir… he had X-ray eyes when it came to spotting talent. He asked me to relocate to Chennai and ever since, he gave me the best. He introduced me to the Kannada, Tamil and Telugu film industry. My most memorable roles have been given by KB sir. Life came to a full circle when I met him again when I was directing Uttama Villain. Kamal had scripted a particular role keeping him in mind. When we met him, he wasn’t too keen on acting. I met him again and spoke about the film at length and he agreed to do it. His character’s name in the film is Margadarshi (guide). There was a scene that required him say a long dialogue. He made a mistake and immediately said, ‘Cut’. KB sir then came up to me and said sorry; he said that this word comes to him out of sheer habit. He dubbed for the role, saw the rushes, and loved it. As students — for Kamal and I – this film is a fitting tribute to KB sir.

Y Gee Mahendra
My first films — Navagraham and Nootrukku Nooru — were both under KB and a few years later, I did Manmadha Leelai with him. So, I started my career with the best in the trade. Of course, even before that, as a dramatist, I’ve been mesmerized and inspired by his stage plays. During my college days, we would see his movies like Server Sundaram and Bhama Vijayam thrice in a row on the same day. He rewrote cinema like Sridhar did before him. But my greatest gift from him was doing the TV serial Sahana, the part 2 of Sindhu Bhairavi, and that too in the lead role of JKB. Those two years of doing the serial were like doing PhD in acting. He stood his ground with the TV channel to give me that role and believe me, every day, he would call me to appreciate my performance and guide me for that day's episode. For this role, he asked me to change my body language and the tone of my voice, to give it a dignified colour and the end result was that it is still remembered as one of my best roles. No other director has been in tune with the audiences like him for four decades. Truly, he was a man for all seasons.

Vivekh: Some people make history. Some others are history. Balachander sir belonged to the latter category. A man who has been adored and admired by over three generations, KB sir has introduced 69 people in the film industry, a feat I believe no other director anywhere in the world has managed so far.

KB sir has directed a 100 films in all and even at a time when towering personalities such as MGR and Sivaji were present, he could hold his own. People would clap when they saw his name as director. He was a man who knew how to tap talent and would work on people's strengths.

He was a wonderful human being. His contribution to poet Bharathi through Tamil films is immense. He was also someone who contributed immensely to women’s empowerment. His films would present women’s thoughts and feelings on issues and endeavour to raise their stature in society. He was also someone who would not limit himself to looking at an actor as just an artist and often took an interest in their general well being, too.

He was a dynamic person and an early riser who believed in being busy. He was an epitome of energy. He would always observe those he had mentored. For instance, if I spoke something good on stage, the first call congratulating me would be from him. At the same time, if he felt I had spoken something even slightly inappropriate, he would be the first one to call me and tell me about it. He would often say, ‘You have a social responsibility as you are in the media.’ He was among the first to talk about global warming in Tamil cinema. In Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, he created a character to specially emphasise the point. Balachander sir was someone who loved nature. He was always 10-15 years ahead of his time, and he left us years too early…

Nasser: I first met KB sir in 1984 when I was called to audition for a Kannada film. It was a regular role, and when he came to know that I’d acting degrees from two film schools, he told me to wait. I thought it was a polite way of telling me that he wasn’t going to cast me. Six months later, he called me for Kalyana Agathigal. I was surprised he’d remembered me. He gave me all the freedom to do what I wanted. Though that was the only film in which he directed me, he continued to cast me in his home productions. More than acting, what I imbibed while working with him was how an actor should behave on set. Actors used to be punctual for his shoots and they would maintain silence on the set. I still retain those
principles.

Though his passing away is a huge loss, death is inevitable and I experienced this first-hand when my son went close to death, recently. So, it is important to remember how a person lived and I’m very glad that he lived a complete life and was perfect both professionally and personally. My only regret was his son passing away before him, which shouldn’t happen to any parent. I’m proud to be in the list of actors he introduced. He was a trendsetter and when Tamil cinema history is written years later, he will still take the most pages.