Balachandra Menon (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian actor, director and script writer. He made a number of films in the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 335px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Space Shuttle Columbia, Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union, Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party of ...

and

1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...

. He has directed 40 films and has acted in over 100. He won two National Film Awards including the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance as station master Ismail the 1998 film '' Samaantharangal'', which was also directed by him. He has also worked as a distributor, editor, composer, singer and producer in the Malayalam film industry. He has found space in the Limca Book of Records for the maximum number of films directed, scripted and acted in. Menon has introduced many actors into the Malayalam Cinema Industry. Actors who made their debut in his films include Shobana in ''

April 18 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. * 1428 – Peace of Ferrara ...

'', Parvathy in '' Vivahithare Ithile'', Maniyanpilla Raju in '' Maniyan Pilla Adhava Maniyan Pilla'', Karthika in '' Manicheppu Thurannappol'', Annie in '' Ammayane Sathyam'', and Nandini in ''April 19''.

Personal life

Balachandra Menon was born in

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

in 1954 to Shivashankara Pillai and Lalitha Devi. By virtue of his father being a railway station master, he served at Edava railway station and Menon had his formative years of childhood and adolescence life in this village. He studied at Edava Muslim High School, and has narrated nostalgically about his fond memories of his life in Edava in his autobiography ''Ammayaane Sathyam''. He is an alumnus of University College Trivandrum, Fatima Mata National College, Kollam and Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. Sisters: Sushma and Prema. Wife: Varada B. Menon. Children: Akhil Vinayak Menon, Bhavana B. Menon. Menon enrolled as a lawyer on 29 July 2012, 22 years after completing his degree. In 1997, he won the Karshakashree Award for farming from the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

. During his early days in Madras, he worked for the film weekly ''Nana'' as a correspondent. He has completed a diploma in journalism from

Press Club A press club is an organization for journalists and others who are professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press Club ...

, Trivandrum.

Literary works

* Achuvettante Veedu * Mugam Abhimugam * Samaantharangal * 18 April 19 April * Ninnay Enthinu Kollaam ? * Kaanatha Sulthanu Snehapoorvam * Ammayanay Sathyam * Ariyathathu, Ariyendathu * Balachandramenonte 12 cherukathakal * His book Ithirineram Othirikaryam recently released by veteran actor

Madhu Madhu (Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or ''sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/médʰu, ''*médʰu'', whenc ...

by handing over a copy to lyricist

Sreekumaran Thampi Sreekumaran Thampi (born 16 March 1940) is an Indian lyricist, music director, film director, director, film producer, producer and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He also writes poetry and is a recipient of the Vallathol Award. In 2017, he w ...

Awards

Civilian Awards: * 2007 –

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

: * 1997 – Best Actor – '' Samaantharangal'' * 1997 – Best Film on Family Welfare – '' Samaantharangal'' Kerala State Film Awards: * 1979 – Best Screen Play – ''

Uthrada Rathri ''Uthrada Rathri'' is a 1978 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Balachandra Menon in his directorial debut, produced by L. Rajalekshmi Kunjamma, and starring Madhu, Shobha, Sukumaran and Nangasserry Sasi. The film has musical score by Jaya Vijay ...

'' * 1997 – Special Jury Award – '' Samaantharangal''

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

: * 1983 – Best Director – '' Karyam Nissaram'' * 1998 – Best Actor – '' Samaantharangal'' Others: * 2018 - Limca Book of Records - Filmmaker who is credited as actor, director and writer in the most number of feature films

Filmography

Television

*Suryodayam (Doordarshan, Direction) *Vilakku vekkum neram (Doordarshan) *Megham (Asianet) *Malayogam (Asianet) *Nizhalukal (Asianet) *Shamanathalam

As a singer

* Aanakoduthaalum ... Oru Painkilikkadha (1984) * Kochu Chakkarachi Pettu ... Ente Ammu Ninte Thulasi Avarude Chakki (1985) * Kaattinum Thaalam ... Njangalude Kochu Doctor (1989) * Choodulla kaattil ... Krishnaa Gopaalakrishnaa (2002)

References

External links

Balachandra Menon official website

Balachandra Menon at MSI
*
malayalachalachithram.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Balachandra 1954 births Living people Malayalam film directors Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram Male actors from Kollam Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam screenwriters Male actors in Malayalam cinema Filmfare Awards South winners Best Actor National Film Award winners Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Malayalam film producers Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male film actors Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram Producers who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award