T. C. Balaji, better known by his stage name Daniel Balaji, is an Indian actor and writer, who predominantly appears in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

films.

Early life and career

Balaji studied a film direction course in Taramani film institute, Chennai. His uncle is Kannada film director

Siddalingaiah Siddalingaiah (15 December 1936 – 12 March 2015) was an Indian film director, scriptwriter and producer who worked mainly in the Kannada films. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the industry knew him as a master of so ...

, the father of Tamil actor Murali. His nephew is

Atharvaa Atharvaa Murali is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. The son of actor Murali and grandson of director S. Siddalingaiah, Atharvaa began his acting career with ''Baana Kaathadi'' (2010). He then garnered critical acclaim for his perform ...

, who made his acting debut in ''

Baana Kaathadi ''Baana Kaathadi'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Badri Venkatesh. The film stars newcomer Atharvaa, son of Tamil actor Murali, makes his debut in the film, and Samantha. Featuring music scored by Yuvan S ...

''. Balaji began his film career as a

unit production manager In the cinema of the United States, a unit production manager (UPM) is the Directors Guild of America–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non- ...

on the sets of Kamal Haasan's unreleased ''

Marudhanayagam ''Marudhanayagam'' is an unfinished Indian historical drama film directed and produced by Kamal Haasan under his Raaj Kamal Films International banner. The script was co-written by Haasan, along with novelist Sujatha, and the pair started wo ...

''. Balaji's first role was in the television serial '' Chithi'', where he played a character named Daniel. After the success of the show, in his second serial ''Alaigal'', director Sunder K. Vijayan, named him as Daniel Balaji thinking that he portrayed his own character in Chithi. His first film in Tamil was ''

April Maadhathil ''April Maadhathil'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer S. S. Stanley. It stars Srikanth and Sneha, with Gayatri Jayaraman, Venkat Prabhu, Devan and Karunas among others in the supporting ca ...

'', followed by a role in ''

Kaadhal Kondein ''Kaadhal Kondein'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by Selvaraghavan, starring his brother Dhanush and newcomers Sonia Agarwal and Sudeep Sarangi, while Nagesh and Daniel Balaji pl ...

''. His first major role was in ''

Kaakha Kaakha ''Kaakha Kaakha'' (), titled ''The Police'' in the UK, is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. It stars Suriya and Jyothika, with Jeevan playing the antagonist. The film featured mus ...

'' as a police officer alongside Suriya, who played the leading role. The film, directed by

Gautham Vasudev Menon Gautham Vasudev Menon (born 25 February 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu cinema, Telugu and Hindi cinema, Hindi films th ...

, was about a squad of policemen fighting

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. Balaji followed this up with another major role in Menon's next film, that of the antagonist Amudhan in the blockbuster film ''

Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu ''Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Jyothika, and Kamalinee Mukherjee in prominent roles, while Prakash Raj, ...

''. The film starred Kamal Haasan and was a police procedural focusing on a series of murders. Balaji's portrayal of both these roles received praise. His next film, ''Polladhavan'', was also successful. He also acted as one of the villains in the Telugu film ''Chirutha'' and followed this up by playing the hero in ''

Muthirai ''Muthirai'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written by Aneez Tanveer Jeeva, wife of late director Jeeva, who also produces this film, and directed by actor Srinath, starring Daniel Balaji, Nithin Sathya, Lakshmi Rai and ...

'', produced by Vision Jeeva Studios. Balaji made his debut in Malayalam cinema through ''

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

''. Later, he was cast the villain in ''

Bhagavan Bhagavan ( sa, भगवान्, Bhagavān; pi, Bhagavā, italics=yes), also spelt Bhagwan (sometimes translated in English as "Lord"), is an epithet within Indian religions used to denote figures of religious worship. In Hinduism it is us ...

'' (opposite

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically app ...

) and '' Daddy Cool'' (opposite Mammootty).

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balaji, Daniel Living people Male actors in Tamil cinema 1975 births Male actors from Chennai