K. Balachander

Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian director, producer, writer, actor, playwright, stage conductor, and comedian who worked mainly in the Tamil film industry. 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 (Tamil: இயக்குனர் சிகரம் meaning "the director who scaled the peak"), his films are usually centred on unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. Starting his cinematic career as a screenwriter, Balachander soon graduated as a director with Neerkumizhi in 1965. He was given a break into Tamil films by M. G. Ramachandran.

In a career that spread over 50 years, he had contributed to nearly 100 feature films either as a screenwriter or director, thus becoming one of the most prolific film-makers 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, Nassar, Chiranjeevi, Jayaprada, Jayasudha, Saritha, Renuka, Prakash Raj , Ramesh Aravind and Vivek.