Vasanthabalan (sometimes credited as Vasantha Balan) is an Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

film director and screenwriter. He has made critically acclaimed films including ''

Veyil Veyil () may refer to: * ''Veyil'' (2006 film), Indian Tamil-language drama film * ''Veyil'' (2022 film), Indian Malayalam-language drama film {{Disambiguation ...

'' (2006), ''

Angadi Theru ''Angadi Theru'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan, starring debutant Mahesh and Anjali. The title refers to the Ranganathan Street in Chennai where the story takes place. The film fea ...

'' (2010) and '' Kaaviya Thalaivan'' (2014).

Career

Vasanthabalan began his film career as an editing assistant and later became an assistant director to S.Shankar in the latter's directorial debut, ''

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

'' (1993). He continued to work under Shankar in three more films ''

Kaadhalan ''Kaadhalan'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film directed by S. Shankar and produced by K. T. Kunjumon, who co-wrote the story. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma (in her debut in Tamil cinema), alongside Vadivel ...

'' (1994), ''

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

'' (1996) and ''

Jeans Jeans are a type of trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and patented by ...

'' (1998). He later made his break as an independent director with the box-office failure ''

Album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'' (2002). His second film, produced by Shankar's

S Pictures S Pictures is a film production company managed by film director S. Shankar. Filmography Films produced Films distributed In addition to the films produced by S Pictures since 1999, the following films from other banners were distributed b ...

, ''

Veyil Veyil () may refer to: * ''Veyil'' (2006 film), Indian Tamil-language drama film * ''Veyil'' (2022 film), Indian Malayalam-language drama film {{Disambiguation ...

'' (2006) was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. It was shown as the Indian representative at the

2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2007. British filmmaker Stephen Frears served as jury president for the main competition. Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d'Or for the drama film ''4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 ...

. His next release, ''

'' (2010), showcased a romantic tale set in the famous

Ranganathan Street Ranganathan Street is a major commercial street in the neighborhood of T. Nagar, located in Chennai, India. It is one of the most crowded streets in Chennai. The street houses several commercial establishments, primarily those involved in the ...

in the city of

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

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 ...

. The film won critical acclaim and was a commercial success as well. It was shortlisted for India's submission for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. In 2012, he released ''

Aravaan ''Aravaan'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil language epic historical film directed by Vasanthabalan, based on S. Venkatesan's novel ''Kaaval Kottam''. It stars Aadhi, Dhansika, Archana Kavi and Pasupathy. Kabir Bedi has a prominent role and Bhara ...

'', a period film based on the novel ''Kaaval Kottam,'' that reflects the life of people of South Tamil Nadu in the 18th century. Following that, he made the period drama '' Kaaviya Thalaivan'' (2014), which won critical acclaim. The crime drama ''

Jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

'' (2021) starring G. V. Prakash Kumar and

Abarnathi Abarnathi is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil films. She made her debut with '' Thaen'' (2021) and get well known of her characters in ''Jail'' (2021) and ''Irugapatru'' (2023). Abharnathi was one of the contestants of reality televi ...

in main roles, and the film didn't go well as expected. He later directed the psychological thriller film ''

Aneethi ''Aneethi'' () is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language psychological romantic thriller film written and directed by Vasanthabalan. It is produced by Vasanthabalan himself, V M. Krishna Kumar, Murugan Gnanavel and Varadharajan Manickam under the banner ...

'' starring

Arjun Das Arjun Das is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He has garnered major attention for his bass voice. Early life Arjun Das was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He was working for Incline ...

and

Dushara Vijayan Dushara Vijayan (born 14 October 1997) is an Indian actress who is known for her works in Tamil cinema. She made her debut in the Tamil film '' Bodhai Yeri Budhi Maari'' (2019), and gained recognition for her performances in '' Sarpatta Paramba ...

in lead roles. ''Aneethi'' is an impressive and powerful take on exploitation, kindness and everything in between. In 2024, the political thriller streaming television series ''

Thalaimai Seyalagam ''Thalaimai Seyalagam'' is 2024 Indian Tamil-language political thriller streaming television series written and directed by Vasanthabalan for ZEE5. The show revolves around the cutthroat world of Tamil Nadu politics. The show is produced by Rad ...

'' was released to average reviews.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{TamilNaduStateAwardForBestDirector Tamil film directors Living people Film directors from Tamil Nadu People from Virudhunagar district Filmfare Awards South winners 21st-century Indian people Year of birth missing (living people)