S. Balakrishnan (8 November 1948 – 17 January 2019) was an Indian

film score composer A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

and

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

who worked mainly in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, '' Elippat ...

. Best known for his association with the director duo Siddique-Lal, he has scored some of the all-time hit songs in late 1980s and early 1990s.

Biography

S. Balakrishnan was born and brought up in Chittlancherry in Palakkad district. He did a bachelor's degree in Economic History from Coimbatore and later moved to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Tamil Nadu, the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and territories of India, Indian state. The largest city ...

pursuing a career in films. He received Best Student Award in the western classical music test conducted by

Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom, which offers graded and diploma qualifications (up to postgraduate level) across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and ...

in 1975. His musical career began in 1975 as an assistant music director to Guna Singh and to

Rajan–Nagendra Rajan–Nagendra were an Indian musical duo who were prominent composers of film music in Kannada and Telugu cinema from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Rajan, along with his brother Nagendra, created a niche for themselves for nearly four de ...

. He also played the western instrument Recorder and the western flute for eminent music directors such as

Ilayaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one o ...

. Under the suggestion of director and producer Fazil, his film scoring career began in late 1980s with Siddique-Lal's comedy film ''

Ramji Rao Speaking ''Ramji Rao Speaking'' is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-thriller film written and directed by the duo Siddique–Lal (in their directorial debut) and produced by Fazil, Swargachitra Appachan, and Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy. It stars Sai ...

'' (1989). The songs of this film were a notable success, which made Balakrishnan's route easy. Siddique-Lal signed him in all of their future ventures till ''

Vietnam Colony ''Vietnam Colony'' is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Siddique-Lal. It stars Mohanlal, Innocent, Kanaka, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The soundtrack of the film was composed by S. Balakrishnan. The film ...

'' (1992). He did music for 14 films including four with Siddique-Lal. His other notable films include ''

Kilukkampetti ''Kilukkampetti'' (കിലുക്കാംപെട്ടി, ') is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Shaji Kailas and written by Rajan Kiriyath and Vinu Kiriyath from a story by Kailas. It stars Jayaram and Su ...

'' (1991), ''Grihaprevesam'' (1992), and '' Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam'' (1996). After ''Vietnam Colony'', Balakrishnan took a break and did only rerecording for a few films. He made a comeback through East Coast Vijayan's 2011 musical romance film '' Mohabbath''. He served as a faculty for recorder and western flute at

KM Music Conservatory KM Music Conservatory (KMMC) is a higher education institution founded in 2008 by the A. R. Rahman foundation. Located in Arumbakkam, Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the conservatory offers a range of part-time and full-time co ...

, a music institution founded by

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in in ...

. He died on 17 January 2019 at his home in

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 ...

, after a long battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

. He was 70 and is survived by his wife Rajalakshmi and two sons - Sreevalsan and Vimal Shankar.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1989) * ''

In Harihar Nagar ''In Harihar Nagar'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language comedy thriller film written and directed by Siddique-Lal. The film, set in the fictional locality of Harihar Nagar follows four unemployed bachelors: Mahadevan ( Mukesh), Govindan Kutty ...

'' (1990) * ''

Godfather Godfather most often refers to a male godparent in the Christian tradition. Godfather, God Father, or variants may also refer to: Crime * A synonym for crime boss * Capo dei capi, Italian for "boss of all bosses" People * The Godfather (wrestl ...

'' (1991) * ''

MGR Nagaril ''MGR Nagaril'' () is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Alleppey Ashraf, starring Anand Babu and Sukanya, with Vivek, Charle, Supergood Kannan, Pandiyan, Shankar, Napoleon, S. S. Chandran and Sumithra in supporting roles. ...

'' (1991; Tamil) *''

Madhura Nagarilo Star Maa is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment private broadcast television network owned by the Disney Star, a subsidiary of an Indian multinational mass media corporation which is in turn owned by American mass media and enterta ...

'' (1991; Telugu) * ''Grihaprevesam'' (1992) * '' Mr. & Mrs.'' (1992) * '' Nakshathrakoodaram'' (1992) * ''

'' (1992) * ''

Mazhavilkoodaram ''Mazhavilkoodaram'' (English: ''Rainbow Castle'') (Malayalam:മഴവിൽകൂടാരം) is a 1995 Malayalam musical action film written and directed by Siddique Shameer, starring Rahman, Annie, Rajan P. Dev, Mala Aravindan, Idavela ...

'' (1995) * '' Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam'' (1996) * ''Sneha Saamraajyam (Punnaaram Kuyil)'' (1999) * '' Varavaay'' (2000) * ''

Akashathile Paravakal ''Akashathile Paravakal'' (English:The Birds of the Sky) is a 2001 Malayalam language film produced by Feroz. The film is directed by V. M. Vinu, and stars Kalabhavan Mani and Sindhu Menon in the lead roles along with Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Jagath ...

'' (2001) * '' Mayakazhcha'' (2008) * '' Mohabbath'' (2011) * ''

Manthrikan ''Manthrikan'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language comedy horror film directed by Anil, produced by Anand Kumar, and written by Rajan Kiriyath. The film stars Jayaram, Poonam Bajwa, and Muktha George in the lead roles. The music was composed ...

'' (2012)

References

S. Balakrishnan touch again
''

Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

''. (In

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

). Retrieved 2011-02-06.
S. Balakrishnan - MMDB profile
Malayalam Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-02-06.

External links

*
List of songs at the Malayalam Movie & Music Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakrishnan, S. Malayalam film score composers People from Palakkad district Film musicians from Kerala 20th-century Indian composers 1948 births 2019 deaths Indian male film score composers Deaths from cancer in India 20th-century male musicians Tamil film score composers