R. Balu is an Indian film director and screenwriter who has worked on Tamil films. He is the student of Thiruvalluvar college Papanasam He made his debut with the 1997 romantic drama film, '' Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga'' starring

Murali Murali may refer to: People Mononyms *Murali (Malayalam actor) (1954–2009), name of Malayalam film actor Muraleedharan Pillai, who appeared in ''Neythukaran'' and ''Aadhaaram'' *Murali (Tamil actor) (1964–2010), Tamil actor who appeared ...

and

Kausalya Kausalya (, ) is a queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the first senior queen consort of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital Ayodhya. She is the mother of Rama, the male protagonist of the epic. She is a secondar ...

Career

Following the release of director

Agathiyan Agathiyan (born 18 August 1952; ) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, lyricist, and actor. He was the first director in Tamil cinema to win the National Film Award for Best Direction for '' Kadhal Kottai'' (1996). For the film, h ...

's ''

Kadhal Kottai ''Kadhal Kottai'' () is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Agathiyan, and produced by Sivasakthi Movie Makers. The film stars Ajith Kumar and Devayani in the lead roles, with Heera, Thalaivaasal Vijay, a ...

'' (1996), aspiring director Balu claimed that Agathiyan had stolen the story of the film from his half-complete venture ''Un Ninaivaaga''. To appease Balu, producer Sivasakthi Pandian offered him the chance to make a film for his production studio. Balu subsequently made his directorial debut with the romantic film '' Kaalamellam Kadhal Vaazhga'' (1997), starring

and newcomer

and won critical acclaim for his first venture. A reviewer from Indolink.com stated that "overall, if it is a long time since you saw a movie with good comedy, above average music and crystal clear photography, here is one for you." Balu immediately signed up to work on a film titled ''Semma'' and then another titled ''Kadhal Prathanai'' with Vignesh and

Shalini Shalini is a feminine name used in India. Notable people with the name include: *Shalini Ajith Shalini (formerly known as Baby Shalini; born 20 November 1979) is a former Indian actress and child artist who worked in Malayalam and Tamil films ...

starring, but neither film developed beyond pre-production. The success of his first film prompted the makers, actors and director to team up again the following year for a venture titled '' Unnudan'' (1998). However, the film had a low key release compared to the team's previous venture and received average reviews from critics. In 1998, he also began scripting a Hindi film titled ''New Year'' for producer Ramanathan, though the venture did not materialise after the production team could not bring in then-debutant

Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...

Kajol Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee) (; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, such as six ...

Manisha Koirala Manisha Koirala (; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali people, Nepalese actress who works in Cinema of India, Indian films, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of ...

. His next film was '' Anbe Un Vasam'' (2003), featuring newcomers Ashwin and

Rathi Arumugam Rathi is an Indian former actress, who appeared mostly in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema. Early life As a Tamilian girl, Rathi was born in Bangalore, Karnataka to Tamil people Arumugam and Bharani. She has two siblings, one elder sister and one ...

, had a low-key release and failed to match the success of his previous films. The film was shot across India and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

, and revolved around a campus-based love story. In 2004, he launched a new film featuring newcomers titled ''Passport'', revealing that it would depict the hardship that local people faced in trying to get as

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

. However, the film failed to materialise beyond early production and did not eventually release. Balu has since worked as a lecturer giving classes on visual communications, while continuing to work on potential film projects. In 2007, he was working on a film titled ''Dating'' with Monica in the leading role, though the film remains unreleased. He was working on another project titled ''Ithanai Naalai Engirundhai'' featuring Ananda Kannan,

Manochitra Manochitra (born 5 March 1987) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu films. Career Manochitra made her acting debut with (2010) under the screen name of Nandhagi. She then met the Casting Director T ...

and Vivek during 2010, though the film is yet to have a theatrical release.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balu, R. Living people 20th-century Indian people Tamil film directors Year of birth missing (living people) Tamil screenwriters