Balu Mahendra, born as Balanathan Benjamin Mahendra in 1939 in Sri
Lanka, left behind an army of his fans and disciples in deep sorrow when
he chose to reside with the Almighty this morning.
A career spanning more than four decades in the creative industry in
different portfolios as cinematographer, editor, director and finally an
actor in Thalaimuraigal, Balu Mahendra created a new lexicon for film
making.
Drawn into the world of celluloid with
a casual viewing of David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai, Balu
Mahendra pursued his passion and passed out of the Film Institute in
Pune with a gold medal.
He started with a bang
as a cinematographer in the Malayalam film Nellu and for the Tamil
audience, he made his entry as cinematographer in Mahendran's Mullum
Malarum and from then on, it's no looking back for this prolific
creator.
He has worked in all the south Indian
languages in different capacities and his directorial ventures were
always a class apart that stood out for its unusual grammar and lighting
style which he maintained till the end.
In a
recent interview, the doyen had said "Good cinema is a tricky area. When
a director who has absolute command of his craft narrates a story in a
simple and honest manner, there is a possibility of good cinema". He
says possible' because, "A magic MUST happen to make it a good cinema",
he adds. And he remained a skillful magician who weaved his wand and
drowned his audience in a spellbinding magical experience through his
films which were one of its kinds.
His maiden
directorial outing in Tamil, Azhiyaadha Kolangal dealt with adolescents
and gave a totally different viewing experience. And the immortal tracks
of Raja in his films augment the feel even now after many many years.
His liaison with the music maestro remains the most beautiful aspect of
his films, transcending the time barrier. While Moodu Pani was a
thriller of sorts, Moondram Pirai introduced the Tamil audience to a
condition called amnesia and extracted a mind-blowing performance from
Sridevi and Kamal Haasan.
Veedu very
interestingly talked about the middle class aspirations to own a house
and Sathi Leelavathi was a hilarious take on a man attempting to take
few excursions from his marital life.
It was
Balu Mahendra who discovered talents like Shoba, Archana and Chokkalinga
Bagavathar and told the gen-next populace what it is all about to stay
connected with your roots in his last film Thalaimuraigal. It was in
this screening that the septuagenarian got highly emotional talking
about Tamil language and its culture.
It would
not have been enough if a creative genius such as Balu Mahendra got
stopped just with him. And that's why his Cinema Pattarai is churning
out talents after talents in the form of Bala, Seenu Ramasamy, Ram,
Vetri Maaran, Naa Muthukumar and many more.
To borrow few lines from his film
" !
!"
And the legend will continue to rise in his prodigy's works and remain immortal for ever!
Long live Balu Mahendra!
By Jyothsna Bhavanishankar, behindwoods.com
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