Latest news with #KBalachander
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Kannadasan Wrote This Kamal-Rajini Movie Song Half-Asleep — And Still Won A National Award!
1/9 The 71st National Film Awards were recently announced, with Tamil cinema receiving notable recognition. The award for Best Tamil Film was given to Parking (2023), while GV Prakash was named Best Music Director for Vaathi (2023). Parking also earned Ramkumar Balakrishnan the award for Best Screenplay, and veteran actor MS Bhaskar won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the same film. Among the many fascinating tales surrounding the National Awards is an intriguing story about the legendary lyricist Kannadasan, who won a National Award for a song he wrote while half asleep. Kannadasan is often the first name that springs to mind when one thinks of poets. His lyrics possess a distinctive charm, and beyond songwriting, he also acted in numerous films. Having penned songs for approximately 4,500 films, produced six films, and authored many books, Kannadasan even went so far as to write his own obituary. Despite his many achievements, one of his most memorable was winning a National Award for a song in a Rajinikanth film, composed while he was half asleep. Do you know which film featured that song? It was Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by K Balachander, which marked Rajinikanth's debut in Tamil cinema and also starred Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, and Srividya. The music was composed by MS Viswanathan. During the filming of Apoorva Raagangal, K Balachander and MS Viswanathan were discussing a song for the film with actor Kamal Haasan present. Balachander suggested holding a rehearsal the following day, but MS Viswanathan explained that Kannadasan's lyrics had not yet arrived. This irritated K Balachander, who questioned how long they would have to wait for the poet. MS Viswanathan tried to calm him, but when Kamal Haasan mentioned that Kannadasan was sleeping upstairs, K Balachander's anger intensified. He threatened to cancel the shoot, which woke Kannadasan, who overheard the commotion. After an hour, MS Viswanathan sent someone to check if Kannadasan was awake. The person found that Kannadasan had gone, but his assistant Anandhu handed over a piece of paper to K Balachander. Upon opening it, he was astonished to discover seven different songs written by Kannadasan. Confused about which song to choose, Balachander selected Ezhuswarangalukkul, sung by Vani Jayaram. This song, written in a semi-drowsy state, became immensely popular and won the National Award. Vani Jayaram also received the Best Female Playback Singer award for her performance. The film Apoorva Raagangal went on to win a total of three National Awards.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
50 years of Rajinikanth: Inside the Adyar house where the Superstar's debut, ‘Apoorva Raagangal', was shot
Exactly 50 years ago, an anxious young actor stood outside the gate of a bungalow in Adyar, Madras. The shoot required him to push open the gate and stride inside. It was a low-angle shot that the film's director, K Balachander, had envisioned for this particular sequence, and it took the actor, then a newbie trying to find his feet in Tamil cinema, more than five takes to get it right. It was his first shot for the big screen, and pushing the gate would — quite literally — mark his entry into Tamil films. That actor is none other than Rajinikanth, and the film, Apoorva Raagangal (released on August 18, 1975). Cut to 2025, and the 'Superstar', as Rajinikanth is widely called by fans, is awaiting the release of his upcoming film, Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. August 2025 not only marks Coolie's release. It also marks 50 years of actor Rajinikanth. The residence Fifty years since Rajinikanth shot for Apoorva Raagangal, that house in Adyar still stands, and is in pristine condition. The place where the actor delivers his first lines ('Bhairavi veedu idhane'?), where he gets atop a parked scooter and the trees in the backdrop... they are all very much there, reminiscent of a day that would go on to change the fate of Tamil cinema for good. Unfortunately, the gate that Rajinikanth pushes in the film was replaced by a modern design 10 years ago by its current owners. But, everything else in the house remains the same as it did in the 1975 film, which was also the first time Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan (the hero of the film) share screen space. Directed by the late legendary filmmaker K Balachander, Apoorva Raagangal will be remembered by some Tamil cinema fans as a complex take on relationships. But many fans will also remember it to be the introduction of Rajinikanth, a man who came from humble beginnings and went on to become one of the biggest superstars in the country. While the film focussed on Kamal Haasan, Major Sundararajan, Srividya and Jayasudha, Rajinikanth's dramatic cameo in the climax made heads turn. As K Balachander is quoted in writer Naman Rachandran's book, Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography, 'When I introduced him in Apoorva Raagangal, it was a small role but people would remember him because he comes in the climax. So I thought I'll give this particular role to him.' But it was no cakewalk for conductor-turned-actor Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, as Rajinikanth was then known before K Balachander decided to re-christen him. He reportedly took tips from popular comedian Nagesh, who also had a short role in the film, to ape the director's off-screen explanation of the scene to get rid of his nervousness. Rajinikanth has made massive strides since his first day of shoot in this Adyar house — which was on a Thursday (March 27, 1975). His on-screen persona and style has fetched him millions of fans across the globe. Today, he owns a residence at the posh neighbourhood of Poes Garden but one of his unfulfilled dreams is purchasing that house where he first stood as a young actor. In an interview to Zee Tamil during the promotions of director Shankar's 2.0 in 2018, the actor stated, 'I have been to that house in Adyar quite a few times after I made it big. I wanted to buy it. It did come up for sale but before we could proceed, someone else purchased it.' The current owners of the property, who purchased the house in 1979, are well aware of the rich cinematic history associated with their residence and have thus made very few changes to how it was 50 years ago. But they also request anonymity and privacy – as they are a little wary of Rajinikanth fans landing up at their doorstep unannounced.
New Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The golden year half a century ago
K Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal (Rare Melodies) is a landmark Tamil film often cited for being the breakthrough lead role for Kamal Haasan, the debut vehicle for Rajinikanth and the bearer of one of the most melodic soundtracks of Indian cinema. What's more, it's a milestone in radically positing that love knows no barriers of age. The film turned the idea of romance on its head with its focus on an unusual, complex relationship dynamic where a young man falls in love with an older woman, while her daughter gets attracted to his father. Its ambiguous open-endedness notwithstanding, Apoorva Raagangal feels liberal not just for its own times. The film completes 50 years this August 15, the day that saw the release of one of the most commercially successful Indian films, Ramesh Sippy's Sholay. While this much mythologised film will expectedly be the cause of many celebrations this year, it would be appropriate to also acknowledge the other cinematic saplings born that year that have grown in relevance since. While 1957 is often called the highpoint in Indian cinema's golden age, 1975 was noteworthy in its own way. If it signalled a turning point in Tamil cinema with the arrival of a new generation of accomplished male stars, to eventually take the baton from Sivaji Ganesan and M G Ramachandran, filmmakers like Balachander and later Bharathiraja made mainstream Tamil cinema soar to new heights in the following years. In Telugu cinema, 1975 marked the continuation of the domination of N T Rama Rao. However, Dasari Narayan Rao's Balipeetam is a significant pick from the year's crop, exploring the still-relevant issue of tensions in an inter-caste marriage between a Dalit boy and a Brahmin girl. In Malayalam cinema, the year was one of the most fecund for actor Prem Nazir, with more than a dozen releases. But more important was the arrival of G Aravindan as a force to reckon with in the parallel cinema movement. Though his debut feature Uttarayanam won the national and Kerala state film awards in 1974, its year of release is often attributed as 1975. Aravindan dealt with the crucial issue of unemployment in the 1970s and how it was driven by conflicting ideologies—varied means geared towards the same end. With experiments with storytelling and form, Aravindan made a strong comment on political opportunism and the corruption seeping into the individual and the system.
Khaleej Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Indian actor Rajesh, veteran of over 150 films, dies at 75
Veteran south Indian actor Rajesh Williams, mononymously referred to as Rajesh, died on May 29, at a private hospital in Chennai. He was 75. The actor suffered a breathing difficulty in the wee hours, when he was rushed to the hospital, his family said. In a career lasting over five decades and nearly 150 films, Rajesh has acted in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu productions. The celebrated director K Balachander, credited with nurturing the acting careers of icons such as Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Sridevi, Jayaprada and Prakash Raj, introduced Rajesh to cinema. Some of the popular movies Rajesh starred in include 1981's Andha 7 Naatkal ("those seven days", remade in Hindi as Woh Saat Din), the 1974 cult classic Aval oru thodarkathai (she is a novel), Payanangal Mudivathillai (never-ending journeys), the celebrated political biopic of 1997 Iruvar (the duo), Ramana and Saamy (2001). Although he started his career as the lead actor, he went on to do supporting roles with aplomb. Actor Rajnikanth, an associate of Rajesh, expressed his condolences. "The news of the untimely death of my close friend, actor Rajesh, is deeply shocking to me. It causes immense emotional pain. A wonderful human being, may his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends," the extremely popular actor wrote in Tamil on X (formerly Twitter). à®�னà¯�னà¯�à®�à¯�ய நà¯�à®°à¯�à®�à¯�à®�ிய நணà¯�à®°à®°à¯�, நà®�ிà®�à®°à¯� ராà®�à¯�à®·à¯� à®�வரà¯�à®�ளினà¯� à®�à®�ால மரணà®�à¯� à®�à¯�யà¯�தி à®�னà®�à¯�à®�à¯� à®�திரà¯�à®�à¯�à®�ியளிà®�à¯�à®�ிறதà¯�. மிà®�à¯�நà¯�த மன வà¯�தனà¯�யà¯�தà¯� தரà¯�à®�ிறதà¯�. à®�à®°à¯�à®®à¯�யான மனிதரà¯�, à®�வரà¯�à®�à¯�ய à®�தà¯�மா à®�ாநà¯�தியà®�à¯�யà®�à¯�à®�à¯�à®®à¯�. à®�வரà¯�à®�à¯�ய à®�à¯�à®�à¯�à®®à¯�ரதà¯�தினரà¯�à®�à¯�à®�à¯�à®®à¯�, நணà¯�à®°à®°à¯�à®�ளà¯�à®�à¯�à®�à¯�à®®à¯� à®�னà¯�னà¯�à®�à¯�ய à®�à®´à¯�நà¯�த à®�னà¯�தாரà®�à¯�à®�ளà¯�. #ActorRajesh — Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) May 29, 2025 Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin visited the late actor's house and paid his last respects. Stalin, India Today reported, condoled with the actor's family members. The funeral is expected to take place once the actor's daughter arrives from the US, the outlet said. Actor-producer and politician Radikaa Sarathkumar, who had worked with Rajesh in many films and tele-serials, too expressed her condolences. Deeply shocked and sudden to hear of #rajesh s unexpected demise. Shared so many movies together and had a deep respect to his wide knowledge of cinema and life, will be missed by family, friends and film fraternity. #RIP ð���ð���ð��� — Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) May 29, 2025 Rajesh was also a voice artist, dubbing for the Malayalam actor Murali in the Tamil rom-com Dum Dum Dum (2001) and for Nedumudi Venu in Poi Solla Porom (we're going to lie), the Tamil remake of the Bollywood comedy drama Khosla ka ghosla. The actor is survived by two children—a son and a daughter.
