R. Balakrishnan, popularly known as R. Balki, (born 16 April 1964) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and former Group Chairman of the advertising agency Lowe Lintas (India). He is best known for directing the films '' Cheeni Kum'' (2007), '' Paa'' (2009), '' Pad Man'' (2018), '' Chup: Revenge of The Artist'' (2022), and '' Ghoomer'' (2023).

Career

Balki wrote and directed the 2007 comedy-drama film '' Cheeni Kum'', starring

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

and Tabu, which marked his directorial debut. His second directorial was the critically acclaimed and commercially successful '' Paa'', produced by Sunil Manchanda and Abhishek Bachchan which was released on 4 December 2009, starring

, his son Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan. The film received multiple nominations in addition to winning the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi the following year. In 2015, he directed the satirical drama '' Shamitabh'' which would mark his third collaboration with

. The film also starred Tamil actor

Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. Having starred in Dhanush filmography, 50 films over his car ...

and marked the acting debut Akshara Haasan, daughter of actor-director

Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

. In 2016, he directed the comedy-drama '' Ki and Ka'' which starred Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. In 2018, he directed the social comedy ''Pad Man'' starring

Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...

and

Radhika Apte Radhika Apte () (born 7 September 1985) is an Indian film and television actress. She began acting in theatre and made her film debut with a brief role in the fantasy drama ''Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!'' (2005). Her first lead role was in the 2009 ...

. The film was based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, which he co-produced, scripted and directed. In 2019, he co-produced and scripted the 2019 film '' Mission Mangal'', in addition to serving as a creative director. His next directorial was the thriller ''Chup : Revenge Of The Artist'', starring

Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan (; born 28 July 1983) is an Indian actor, singer and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. One of the highest paid Malayalam actors, Salmaan is a recipient of several awards including five Film ...

, Sunny Deol and Shreya Dhanwanthary in lead roles. The film revolved around a serial killer who targets film critics. In 2023, he wrote and directed and the sports drama '' Ghoomer'' starring Abhishek Bachchan and Saiyami Kher. It premiered at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Personal life

Balki was born on 16 April 1964 in

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. Prior to his filmmaking career, he worked in advertising and served as the chairman of advertising agency Lowe Lintas. In 2016, he retired from advertising to focus on his filmmaking career. Balki married filmmaker Gauri Shinde in 2007.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

'' Paa'' received 14 nominations at the 16th Star Screen Awards of which the film won five awards. It also won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. For '' Pad Man'', he won the award for Best Director at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in 2018. ''Padman'' also won the National Film Award for the Best Film on Social Issues.

References

External links

*
''Paa'' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balki, R. 1965 births Living people Film directors from Tamil Nadu Hindi-language film directors Indian advertising directors Indian male screenwriters 21st-century Indian screenwriters Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award People from Thanjavur district