Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (20 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan Tamil cinematographer, director, screenwriter, actor and film editor who worked in various Indian film industries, primarily in Tamil and Malayalam cinema. Born in Sri Lanka, Mahendran developed a passion for photography and literature at a young age, after witnessing the shoot of David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) during a school trip in Sri Lanka, he was drawn towards filmmaking. After graduation he joined as an Aerial photographer in the Sri Lankan Government. In 1966, he moved to India and gained admission to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) to pursue a course in motion picture photography. Upon completion of his diploma, he started working in Malayalam cinema as a cinematographer in the early 1970s.
After working in over 20 films as a cinematographer, Mahendra made his directorial debut in 1977 with the Kannada film Kokila. In the following 36 years, he directed over 20 films. Along with Bharathiraja and Mahendran, he is regarded as a trendsetter in Tamil cinema. Widely regarded as an auteur, Mahendra usually scripted and edited his films in addition to shooting them. He was the recipient of six National Film Awards (including two for Best Cinematography), five Filmfare Awards South and several state government awards. During the tail end of his career, he established a film school in Chennai, which offers courses in cinematography, direction and acting. Following a brief phase of poor health, Mahendra died of cardiac arrest in February 2014.
Early life
Mahendra was born on 20 May 1939 into a Sri Lankan Tamil Christian family in the village of Amirthakali near Batticaloa, British Ceylon (Sri Lanka). His father was a professor. Mahendra did his schooling at Methodist Central College and St. Michael's College National School. As a teenager, he was drawn towards films by his class teacher. It was during this time he happened to see Bicycle Thieves (1948) and Battleship Potemkin (1925). Inspired by Lean's personality, Mahendra determined to become a film-maker.
Right from his childhood, Mahendra was interested in fine arts and literature. Upon completion of school, he joined the London University and graduated with a bachelor's degree (honours) in science. After his graduation, he worked as an Aerial Photographer in the Sri Lankan Government for a brief period during which he edited a Tamil literary magazine titled Thyen Aruvi. At the institute he was exposed to world cinema as he got an opportunity to watch films made by François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, both associated with the French New Wave movement. Ramu Kariat, the director of Nellu, was impressed by A View from the Fort, Mahendra's diploma film at the FTII. He continued to work in Malayalam films such as Sasthram Jayichu Manushyan Thottu (1973), Kaliyugam (1973) and Chattakari (1974). In addition to a Best Screenplay award from the Karnataka government, Mahendra won his first National Film Award for Best Cinematography for the film. The film was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. It was equally successful in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu and has the distinction of being the only Kannada film to complete 150 days in Madras (now Chennai) as of 2014. Apart from handling the cinematography, Mahendra involved himself in other aspects such as screenwriting, casting, editing and direction in the film. After completing Mullum Malarum, Mahendra decided to work on his second directorial venture, this time in Tamil. He named the film Azhiyadha Kolangal (1979), which according to him was "partly autobiographical". Inspired from the 1971 American film Summer of '42, Azhiyadha Kolangal was a coming-of-age film that dealt with the story of three adolescent boys who are in the awakening of sexuality. The same year he made Olangal (1982) which marked his directorial debut in Malayalam. At the end of the year, Mahendra won two Filmfare trophies for directing Olangal and Moondram Pirai.
In 1983, Mahendra entered Hindi cinema with Sadma, a remake of Moondram Pirai, with Kamal Hasan and Sridevi reprising their roles. Mahendra received a Filmfare nomination for Best Story and became a well-known director with the Hindi audience with the film. The same year, he worked as the cinematographer of the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi, Mani Ratnam's debut film. During this time, he made his second film in Malayalam titled Oomakkuyil. Unlike Olangal, Oomakkuyil failed to create an impact among the audience. The following year, he collaborated with Rajinikanth to make Un Kannil Neer Vazhindal which turned out to be a commercial failure. He then worked on the Malayalam film Yathra (1985) with Mammooty in the lead role as a forest officer. The film was an adaptation of the 1977 Japanese classic The Yellow Handkerchief. Made with "artistic values" the film earned and ran for more than 200days in theatres and went on to become the highest-grossing Malayalam film of that year. By this time, he declined an offer to direct the Kannada film Malaya Marutha (1986). The film would serve as a base for his future films Marupadiyum (1993) and Sathi Leelavathi (1995) which explored similar themes.
Towards the end of the decade, Mahendra made two low-budgeted films—Veedu (1988) and Sandhya Raagam (1989). While Veedu focused on the life of a lower middle-class urban woman and her struggle to build a house, Sandhya Raagam dealt with "old age".
In 1992, Mahendra made Vanna Vanna Pookkal which was produced by S. Dhanu. The film had a 100-day run and won the award for the "Best Regional Film" at the 39th National Film Awards. During this time M. Night Shyamalan, then a newcomer, approached Mahendra to be the cinematographer for his directorial debut Praying with Anger to which he refused. The next year, he remade Mahesh Bhatt's Arth in Tamil as Marupadiyum. Mahendra made the film as he felt it was close to his personal life. The film received negative reviews and failed at the box-office.
After Raman Abdullah, Mahendra took a break from films during which he made Kathai Neram, a television series based on different short stories, mostly by Sujatha. It was aired in Sun TV during the early 2000s.
Final years
Following a five-year sabbatical, he returned with Julie Ganapathi (2003). The film was based on the psychological thriller novel Misery by Stephen King. According to Mahendra, Julie Ganapathi was made on the lines of his previous films Moondram Pirai (1982) and Moodu Pani (1980). A review from Rediff.com stated, "Balu Mahendra has kept the flag of sensible cinema within the commercial format once again in his latest offering Julie Ganapathy" and rated the film as one of the best thrillers ever made. In spite of being a critical success, the film turned out to be a commercial failure. For his next film Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam (2005), he decided to cast Dhanush in the lead role. Initially he stated that the film to be an extension of his 1979 film Azhiyatha Kolangal. However, he ended up making a different film. The film was loosely based on his own Malayalam film Yathra released in 1985. When asked about the difference between the two films, he said "Yat[h]ra was the love story of two adults, this is the love story of two adolescents." Shobha Warrier of Rediff.com wrote that the film was "extremely disappointing". Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu stated, "If Mahendra's aim was to make a film that can compete on a global level, Thalaimuraigal is a concrete step in that direction." Despite being critically acclaimed, the film was a commercial failure. At the 61st National Film Awards, it won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
Personal life
250px|thumbnail|right|[[Bharathiraja and Mahendran attending the funeral|alt=P. Bharathiraja and J. Mahendran are among the others seen in the picture]]
Mahendra was married three times. He was first married to Akhileshwari with whom he had a son. His relationship with actress Shoba ended in 1980 after she committed suicide following their marriage. Their relationship was explored by K. G. George (Mahendra's junior at the FTII) in his 1983 Malayalam film Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback. When the film was released, Mahendra said that the film had nothing to do with him and has not discussed about it with George. In 1998, he married another actress Mounika and declared their marriage publicly in 2004.
Following a heart attack on 13 February 2014, Mahendra was admitted to Vijaya Hospital in Chennai where he was declared dead after six hours of cardiac arrest. Shortly after the news of his death, members of the Indian film industry posted their condolences in Twitter and Facebook. The Tamil film fraternity mourned the death and paid homage to him at his "film school" in Saligramam, Chennai,
Style and legacy
As a photographer, Mahendra was inspired by the works of Néstor Almendros and Michael Chapman. Among his contemporaries, he admired the works of Ashok Kumar. Mahendra believed a "well-photographed movie is that which is very close to the script". A majority of his films centre on the complexity of human relationships and are known to portray women as strong characters. Although influenced by realism, his films Moodu Pani, Rettai Vaal Kuruvi and Julie Ganapathi heavily borrowed from American cinema.
Mahendra was equally praised for his cinematography and directorial finesse. he was among the first to pioneer innovative colour in South India. Subrata Mitra, Satyajit Ray's cinematographer, presented a viewfinder to Mahendra acknowledging his talent. Lauded for usage of "natural lighting", Mahendra was considered "one of the few filmmakers in Tamil who believes in telling a story visually". Kamal Haasan described that he was one of the few directors who balanced between art and popular cinema. As a film-maker, he inspired contemporary actors and film-makers such as Mani Ratnam, Kamal Haasan and Sripriya, He has mentored next generation film-makers including Bala, Ameer, Vetrimaaran, Ram and Seenu Ramasamy. Ravi K. Chandran, Natty Subramaniam and K. V. Anand have taken inspirations from him. The negatives of his acclaimed films—Moodu Pani, Veedu, Sandhya Raagam, Marupadiyum and Sathi Leelavathi—are lost.
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|+ Awards and nominations received by Balu Mahendra
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Work(s)
! Result
|-
|1974
|Kerala State Film Award
|Best Cinematography (colour)
|Nellu
|
|-
|1975
|Kerala State Film Award
|Best Cinematography (black-and-white)
|Prayanam, Chuvanna Sandhyakal
|
|-
|1977
|National Film Awards
|Best Cinematography (black-and-white)
|Kokila
|
|-
|1979
|Filmfare Awards South
|Best Director (Tamil)
|Azhiyatha Kolangal
|
|-
|rowspan=4|1982
|National Film Awards
|Best Cinematography (Colour)
|rowspan=2|Moondram Pirai
|
|-
|1985
|Filmfare Awards South
|Best Director (Malayalam)
|Yathra
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|1986
|Kerala State Film Award
|Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value
|Yathra
|
|-
|Lifetime Achievement Award – South
|
|
|-
|2014
|8th Vijay Awards
|Vijay Award for Contribution to Tamil Cinema
|
|
|-
|2017
|Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
|Best Story Writer
|Thalaimuraigal
|
|}
Filmography
As film director, cinematographer and editor
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Film
! rowspan="2" | Language
! colspan="3" | Credited as
! rowspan="2" | Notes
|-
!style="width:60px;"|Director
!style="width:60px;"|Cinematographer
!style="width:60px;"|Editor
|-
|rowspan="3"|1972||Panimudakku||rowspan="4"|Malayalam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Maaya||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Nirthasala||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||One Song
|-
|rowspan="4"|1973||Sasthram Jayichu Manushyan Thottu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Abhimanavanthulu||Telugu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Kaliyugam||rowspan="11"|Malayalam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Chukku||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|rowspan="5"|1974||Nellu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Rajahamsam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Mullum Malarum||Tamil||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Manavoori Pandavulu||rowspan="2"|Telugu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|rowspan="3"|1979||Sommokadidhi Sokokadidhi||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Ulkatal||Malayalam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Azhiyadha Kolangal||rowspan="2"|Tamil||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|rowspan="3"|1980||Moodu Pani||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Sankarabharanam||rowspan="2"|Telugu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Kaliyuga Ravanasurudu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1984||Neengal Kettavai||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|rowspan="2"|1985||Un Kannil Neer Vazhindal||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Yathra||Malayalam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1986||Nireekshana||Telugu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1987||Rettai Vaal Kuruvi||rowspan="4"|Tamil||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1988||Veedu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1989||Sandhya Raagam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||Also Producer
|-
|rowspan="2"|1992||Vanna Vanna Pookkal||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|Chakravyuham||Telugu||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1993||Marupadiyum||rowspan="2"|Tamil||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1995||Sathi Leelavathi||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1996||Aur Ek Prem Kahani||Hindi||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|1997||Raman Abdullah||rowspan="5"|Tamil||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|2001||En Iniya Ponnilave||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|2003||Julie Ganapathy||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|2005||Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||
|-
|2013||Thalaimuraigal||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||style="text-align:center;"|||Also actor
|-
|}
Television
- Kathai Neram (2000)
Tribute
- Since 2015, the Norway Tamil Film Festival has presented an award in Balu Mahendra's name to recognize excellence in filmmaking.
- In 2018, writer Ajayan Bala established a library in Chennai named the BaluMahendra Library, dedicated to film literature and visual media.
- Since 2020, a library in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka, has been named the Balu Mahendra Library as an initiative by young filmmakers and cinephiles, focusing on promoting film culture and education.
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
- Balu Mahendra's official blog