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Photography: Janeesh. M

141CLUBCLASSISEPTEMBER2012

Balachander has beencalled a feminist bymany film critics overthe years. Hischaracters weredifferent in theirnormality. The girl nextdoor rubbed shoulderswith a sultry siren, theconfident youngwoman of the worldwith a shy, coysheltered girl. Hecelebrated women in away that wasground breaking; hisheroines were inessence 'strong'.

Amongst the South Indianfilm fraternity, the nameK. Balachander is revered as

a legend. One of the mostcreative men in the industry,he is a writer, a director andaccording to his stars - agreat actor himself. Havingworked with superstars likeRajnikanth and KamalHaasan to the maestro A.RRahman, 'KB', as he isaffectionately called, gives usa glimpse into the life of an'honourable man'

By Anjali Alappat

The entrance of the

man of the moment,director K.Balachander is muchawaited. The

excitement in the air at the Duchess

club meeting is palpable. Thesewomen are his audience; thecaptive crowd who watched theirfirst romances bloom with the

echoes of his films as the perpetualundercurrent. This was the man

who gave them their silver screenfirst loves, whether it was the

rakish Rajnikanth or the intenseKamal Haasan. KB's legacy isdefinitely imprinted firmly in theminds and hearts of the fairer sex.Balachander has been called a

feminist by many film critics overthe years. His characters weredifferent in their normality. The girlnext door rubbed shoulders with a

sultry siren, the confident youngwoman of the world with a shy, coysheltered girl. He celebratedwomen in a way that wasgroundbreaking; his heroines werein essence 'strong'. In fact, whenasked how he would portray theoften misrepresented Mahabharataheroine, Draupadi, he was succinct,"I will make Draupadi stronger.She will not need the help of anyman or God to save her modesty.She will protect herself. In the firstplace, my Draupadi would not haveaccepted to marry five men. Shewould have stayed unmarried andfought her own battles and mostimportantly, she would havechanged her name to 'Drau' and cuthim with a kathi".

JUSTFOR LAUGHSIt is clear that KB is a

multifaceted man. He confessed to

having a wry sense of humour,which is at odds with his reputationof being a perfectionist and ano-nonsense filmmaker. As his

colleague and friend, MohanRaman said, "You can ask him

anything - but just be sure of yourquestion." As he faced us, it wasclear that this was to be a humorousoccasion. "You all want me to

undergo a test. Whether I fail orpass, we have to see. Fortunately orunfortunately, for me, the questionpaper is out," he said with a grin.He was referring to the questionsthat the MCs of the evening-Shailaja and Krishnan would beaskinghim.

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ON THE MAKINGOF ROMANCES

His work over the years has beenlauded as touching, engrossing,realistic and relatable. KB reflected,"How a story is narrated isimportant: linear order or reverseorder - always keeping youguessing. As for being real, thequick identification of theaudience's pulse is realism. Themost touching of all humanemotions is love. The wishful

thinking for every situation thatthe lovers are placed in is whatis relatable."

Accused of loving 'love' ratherthan being in love, Balachanderwryly said, "Literature all over theworld talks about love. Poets

always write about love. In reality,

AnHonourable Man

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SEPTEMBER 2012 ICLUB CLASS 115

. ---.Suhasini with KB

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don't we have the Taj Mahal whichwe always adore and admirebecause of the love surrounding thestructure? I do love 'love', I havenot been in love. I love 'love' as a

creator and for opportunities, forvisualization and conceptualizationand fiction. And secondly, we arealways fond of people who have

fallen in love."

Many ofKB's films featureromances that could be considered

illicit, a word he personally seemsto dislike, "Whether the woman isolder to him, or the man whom sheadores is married, it doesn't makeany difference as far as the word'love' is concerned. It does not

matter at all. And I object to thatphrase 'illicit relationship' ."

He explained the process clearlyenough, "It is innocent, it isplatonic. First the adoration starts, itis not mere infatuation in bothcases. It was the canvas that wasinside me and I wanted to thrash itout in detail. In the lineation of

such themes, a lot of courage isneeded. I had it. I took them in the

right spirit. I took care to see that Idon't influence against the tenets ofsociety pertaining to 25 years ago.But today, the tenets are changing.As for physical attraction and love,when there is a real emotional

attraction, the physical part of itcomes into play and many a time, itslowly takes over." A hint of theevergreen romantic peeps throughwhen he chuckles, "Tragedies arefew and far between."

MODERN DAYROMANCESHis films still hold social

relevance for the audience, even 25years after their release. KB'smovies are still the bastion of oldfashioned 'romance'. What does he

think about modem day Casanovasand heroines, using text messages,Skype and even Facebook to wooeach other? "There is definitely atransformation in the expressionof intimacy thanks to mobiles andthe like. If we talk about the real

and the 'reel', any romance inreality ends as a short film but infilms, it is two and a half hoursof elaboration."

But what is the essence of a

relationship? According toBalachander, it is very simple andthe basis for his plots. "A man willkill for his wife; a woman will diefor her man."

But \"hat is the essence of a relationship? \ccording to Balachander, it is'er) simple and the basis 1'01'his plots. ,. i\ man will kill for his wife; awoman wi11die for her man."

161 CLUB CLASS 1SEPTEMBER 2012

"I believe in one dictum: 1must be unique. 1mustbe one of a kind." From any other man, thesewords would have seemed facetious, boastfuleven; but from Balachander it is a simplestatement, one that he has strived to adhere to forthe entirety of his rich and varied career.

ON WORKING WITH THE STARS

One of Balachander's biggestachievements was the stars he cast

in his films. From SuperstarRajnikanth to Prakash Raj, some ofKollywood's biggest and brighteststars began their careers with him,taking their first, fumbling stepsunder his stem tutelage. He in turncherishes them, both in their

memories of days long gone andtheir present larger than lifeavatars. Of Sivaji, arguably one ofthe most famous and accomplishedactors that South India has ever

produced, he said humorously,"While working with him, Ithought I was making aBalachander film with SivajiGanesan. He thought he had madea Sivaji film with Balachander. But,it ended up as neither. But I stillmaintain that Ethiroli is one of mybest 10 movies. What I learned

from Sivaji was a separateeducation. He was a phenomenonas a professional. He is the onlyexample of what the human faceand its personality is capable of

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conveying. He is the one man;there cannot be another Sivaji."

After his tribute to the Chevalier,

he also spoke of the two othersuperstars he helped create - KamalHaasan and Rajnikanth. Of Kamal hesaid, "He is the smile in my heart."Rajni similarly was designated"The jewel in my crown."

IN HIS OWN WORDS"I believe in one dictum: I must

be unique. I must be one of a kind."From any other man, these wordswould have seemed facetious,boastful even; but from

Balachander it is a simplestatement, one that he has strived toadhere to for the entirety of his richand varied career. Despite theaccolades and the adoration, it isobvious that KB is still young atheart, especially evident with hischeerful sign off wherein he gentlymocked his own legend, callinghimself 'an honourable man'. His

parting shot was suitablyShakespearean in spirit, "if Brutuscould be honourable, so can I!"

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VOX POPULI

SUHASINI MANIRATNAM:

"K.B. is probably the mostcharming, the most intelligent,the most talented, the mosthandsome and the most lovable

man I have ever met in my life.If you are a South Indian and ifyou are a woman, the only manyou will agree with isBalachander! He is the only oneon our side and we have the rest

of the world competing with usand commanding us and tellingus that this is what we have to

do. He is the one person who isrepresenting us to the society."

THOTATHARANI:

"He is a legend and he is THEdirector. He comes from a verystrong background which isknown as theatre. That theatre

experience is where as a directoryou have the respect and youhave the kind of stubbornness

about what you want. It is notjust about making a film. He issimple, thoughtful and preciseabout what he wants."

MOHAN RAMAN:

"He has created not onlycelluloid marvels but real lifemarvels as well."

SEPTEMBER 2012 ICLUB CLASS 117

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