VETERAN FILM DIRECTOR K BALACHANDER

From Sampath’s Desk:

 

VETERAN FILM DIRECTOR

 K BALACHANDER

 (9 July 1930 - 23 December 2014)

 

With the departure of the South Indian tinsel world icon and ace film Director K Balachander, affectionately called as ‘KB Sir’ and considered the film world’s ‘Bheeshma’ or ‘Pithamaha’ for more than half a century, on 23.12.2014, a great saga that ushered in a renaissance and transformation in the Indian film industry especially of the South and Tamil silver-screen - from the conventional hero-centric to director-centric mode showcasing what all ‘bests’ a director could produce and present - has come to an end. The loss is irreparable and the vacuum hard to fill, rendering the film industry poorer.

 

‘KB Sir’, my most favourite film director, was an encyclopedia of film-making. He was the mentor of many a reigning film star of today besides many other behind-the-silver-screen talents who all still hail him as their ‘Guru’. He had made pioneering efforts in different facets of film-making and was one of the firsts to introduce many finer aspects and nuances in his movies. He had a staunch belief that cinema, as a social engineering weapon, could be intellectually exploited for the good of society. The versatile director’s portrayals of stark realities of the mundane life through high-spirited and assertive characters, the uniqueness of each and every character he moulded for his movies who did not just act but lived the given roles, their emotional eruptions, distinctive direction subtleties, the timing, tenor, and use of punch dialogues in his films, etc. were unmatched that stood proof to his intellectual radiance and vivacity in all departments of film-making – all that fascinated cine-goers transporting them to a pinnacle of exuberance.

 

He had special visibility, acceptance, acknowledgment, name, and fame in the shadow industry. His indomitable style stole the hearts of millions of cine-goers. He had creative, inspiring and ingenious control over the cine world as an influential and distinguished auteur. Many present-day cine celebrities including directors and others were the products of this shadow-world giant.

 

His film-making thoughts were always out-of-the-box. He kept at bay the influence and dominance of hero worship in his films. He pitched more for realism and simple yet effective depictions and descriptions in his films at a time when ostentatious exhibition, exaggerated flattery of heroes and heroines, adventurist storyline background, extravaganza in costly, gigantic and mind-blowing film-sets, etc. ruled the roost. He was perhaps the first director to shun and defy the usual commercial and box-office-like style in his films and opted for simple tracks on low-budgets most of which became popular among people thus proving to be a new trendsetter in film-making. He inspired generations in the tinsel world. Keeping hero worship at bay, he carved a niche and paved a special path for himself in the film world by staving off the beaten track to mesmerize, enchant and enthrall film-viewers in his own ways and styles, creating new wave trends in films which were followed by many directors thereafter. Only a few directors in the film world would have introduced as many new faces as KB Sir did! Besides being a great director and story-cum-scriptwriter, what made KB Sir stand out was his uncanny knack of identifying the right talents for his diverse characters – from the teeming wannabes of the Kollywood with many of them peaking in fame in the industry later. Adumbrated presentations and depiction of events taking place and the things to follow in his films kept his film-viewers guessing, dumbstruck, astonishing, and edgy - a trailblazer that later became the much-followed trend. Besides the big-screen, he had registered his footprints and sway over the small screen too. He was the true maverick and path-breaking director of all times. His film characters spoke for themselves.

During his halcyon days as a dream merchant, KB Sir churned out earthy films that were refreshingly new in their bold themes and extraordinary storylines. KB  Sir stood out as an avant-garde filmmaker endearing himself to aficionados even when formula films with celebrity star cast alone made the box office sizzle. With most of those directors paling into oblivion after commercialism engulfed Tamil cinema, taking along the thinking man’s actors of the time in its tide, the glorious period that fell the cusp of his black and white and colour film eras was consigned to history.

Neither space is available here nor are words sufficient to highlight his many epoch-making films that amazed people. 

 

Once a chain smoker, he stopped it to live longer and even campaigned against smoking in his films and also outside in his real life. This should be a positive lesson for smokers to give up this harmful and insalubrious habit.

 

Awards gatecrashed, the most coveted one being the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2010. He was also honoured with awards like Padma Shri, Kalaimamani, and ANR National, among others. The film world conferred on him the title ‘Iyakkunar Sigaram’ (the peak among directors). Had he been a director hailing from the Hollywood or Bollywood, Oscar and other international awards would have lined up to fall on his laps many a time.

 

He proved that it did not need costly films to attract people. Contrarily, his low-budget movies proved to be astounding successes. Very few directors would have portrayed delicate human emotions and relations so aptly, subtly, deftly, and dexterously as KB Sir did in his films.

 

He was an all-time legendary director.  His record beautiful films have immortalized him. Though he has been snatched away from our midst, his works will continue to be cherished in the minds of people. They will also serve as a guiding force to the film world in general and the burgeoning directors in particular.

 

(R.SAMPATH)

24/12/2014