Bala-25 & Vanagan Music Release; Two Grand Celebrations Held in a Grand Ceremony
Director Bala on his 25th year in the film industry; Tamil film industry celebrated with a ceremony
“‘Pitamagan’ gave hope for the release of ‘Amaran’; Victory is the only thing; Sivakarthikeyan’s resilience at Vanagan festival
Arun Vijay’s love spell.. Sivakarthikeyan is unstoppable; Love that made him move at Vanagan music festival
“Anything can change in Tamil cinema.. the only thing that doesn’t change is Director Bala”; Director Vikraman is proud
Pala’s Appreciation Ceremony: A Grand Celebration by Tamil Cinema
Director Bala, who made his debut as a director in Tamil cinema with the film ‘Sethu’ released in 1999, has become an icon of Tamil cinema in these 25 years. The music launch of Vanagan, which he is currently directing and starring Arun Vijay in the lead role, and the celebration of Bala’s 25 years in cinema were held on a grand scale at the Chennai Trade Centre in the presence of leading actors, directors and producers of Tamil cinema.
Directors Seeman, Mysskin, Samuthirakani, A.L. Vijay, Lingusamy, Ram, Mani Ratnam, K. Bhagyaraj, Mari Selvaraj, Vikraman, R. V. Udayakumar, K. S. Athiyaman, Vinoth (Kottukali), Brinda Sarathi, Vasantha Balan, Seenu Ramasamy, Kasthuri Raja, Perarasu, Ponram, V.Z. Durai, Singam Puli, Saran, Aravind Raj, Ezhil, Gopinath (G.I.V.), P. S. Vinoth Raj, Pari Ilavalagan, G. R. Aditya, Nagendran, Suresh, Ajayan Bala, Cable Shankar, Arivazhagan (Eeram), Suchinthran, Meera Kathiravan, Moorthy, Nithilan, Nambirajan,
Actors Sivakumar, Vijayakumar, Surya, Sivakarthikeyan, G. V Prakash, Karunas, Thambi Ramaiah, Mansurali Khan, Vetri, Prajin, Pradeep, Sivaji, Areesh Kumar, R.K Suresh, Cool Suresh, Super Good Subramani, Veera, Appukutty, A.L. Udaya, R. K. Kiran (Art Director),
Producers Sathyajothi Thiagarajan, A.L. Alagappan, Dhananjayan, Amma Creations Siva, P L Thenappan, Chitra Lakshman, Vetrikumaran,
Actresses Karutamma Rajasree, Chaya Devi, Varalakshmi, Gayathri Raghuram, Abitha, Vedika, Ritha, Vasundhara, Madhumita, Brigita, Julie, Swetha Dorathy and many others from the film industry participated and made the event special.
The event was hosted by Archana, the host, in a very good manner..
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At the beginning of the program, they sang hit songs from the films directed by director Bala. The next taping shook the hall.
While welcoming everyone, producer Suresh Kamatchi spoke,.
“I met Sivakumar sir only once. He was a wonderful person. We have lost many people. Sivakumar is the father of Tamil cinema. I asked Bala if we should celebrate the 25th anniversary. He said, ‘What have I done? Why are you holding a ceremony for me?’ I definitely thought that a ceremony should be held. We do not appreciate people like Balumahendra, Mahendran, Rudraiya who have made achievements in cinema. From now on, we should start holding ceremonies and praising everyone,” he said briefly.
During the event, Director K. Bhagyaraj, on behalf of the Tamil Film Directors’ Association, presented Director Bala with a golden dress in the presence of Director Mani Ratnam.
Producers Thanu, Thiagarajan, Kathiresan, Siva, and Dhananjayan took to the stage with golden dresses and spoke about Bala’s direction, his hard work, and dedication.
Next, director Mysskin interviewed Bhava Celladurai, Singampuli, Ajayan Bala, and Yuki Sethu, who were involved in story discussions with Bala, with interesting questions.
Within minutes of the ceremony starting, Sivakumar and Suriya entered the stage in a flurry. Suriya was invited to speak first. At that time, actor Sivakumar was pleased by gifting a gold chain to Director Bala. Suriya expressed his love and gratitude towards Director Bala with great emotion in his speech.
Actor Suriya speaks,
“My brother Bala’s film ‘Sethu’ left an impression on me. I thought, can an actor act like this? Can a director direct a film like this? Sethu’s influence was there for many days. One word from Bala that I will direct the next film with you changed everything. If I hadn’t received that phone call in 2000, I wouldn’t have had this life.
After watching the film ‘Nanda’, Gautham Vasudev Menon invited me to act in the film ‘Kaakka Kaakka’. After that, director Murugadoss invited me. The reason for all this is director Bala. Bala values relationships in his films. The word Bala Annan is not just a word. It is a relationship. A permanent relationship. My love and respect for giving this life. ‘Vanakan’ will be an important film,” Suriya said eloquently.
Archana was very eager to ask Bala what he thinks about Suriya. He reluctantly shared an experience. “I won’t smoke a cigarette in front of Suriya. My brother will be upset. Once, I hid on the set.
I smoked cigarettes. But he would ask me how many times I smoked cigarettes during the shoot. He cared more about my health than me,” shared director Bala with emotion.
Actor Sivakarthikeyan speaking,
“I was 14 years old when the film Sethu came out. The climax scene of that film affected me a lot. I still remember watching all his films in the theater. When the film Amaran was released this Diwali, everyone said that the climax of the film was a negative ending. But they also said that Bala brother’s film Pitamagan came out with a negative ending this Diwali and was a hit.. The same thing happened. I hosted his Avan Ivan film festival. I still remember it in my mind today. Arun Vijay brother called me to this festival, ‘You must come, brother.’ I see his real success in always trying without giving up. As a younger brother, I congratulate him on the success of this film.”
Actor Sivakumar said,
“It has been 25 years since Bala came to cinema. But even now, I remember all the shots he took in the film Sethu. When I held Vikram’s hand in the climax, he would shake it off. Then I would look up. I will never forget that scene.”
Music composer and actor G.V. Prakash Kumar said,
“Director Bala was one of the main inspirations for me to come to cinema. His 25th anniversary is very special to me. Because I have composed music for many of his films. I have acted under his direction. In that way, he is my guru in acting. I have composed the songs for ‘Vanagaan’. Sam CS has composed the background music.”
Director Vikraman speaking,
“Tamil cinema has changed so much. Technology has changed. We have come to the point of using AI technology. But if there is one thing that has not changed, it is director Bala and his simplicity,” he said.
Director Mysskin speaking,
“When the film Onayum Attakuttiyum did not do well, I was coming down the street where my brother Bala’s office was, feeling exhausted. Then Bala saw me and called me in and consoled me. He even shed tears. Immediately, he asked me one word, “Are you directing the film I am producing?” The film that gave me rehabilitation was Pisasu. My brother Bala was the one who encouraged me and brought me up when I had lost confidence in myself due to failure. I came to this festival in the afternoon because it was like a festival at my home,” he said.
Actor Karunas speaking,
“If I am standing before you today as an actor, it is my guru brother Bala who gave me the identity for this. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to attend his 25th anniversary celebration and the music launch of the film Vanagan directed by him,” he said.
Naam Tamilar Katchi Coordinator Seeman speaking,
“It is a matter of admiration and appreciation that my brother Bala has completed 25 years on this date.”
Actress Vedika speaking,
“I have come to attend this event as a student of Bala sir. He is not only a director.. but also a wonderful storyteller,” she said.
Actor Mansoor Ali Khan speaking,
“Director Bala is an incomparable world-class director. He has captured the lives of the people in his films in a way that can compete with Korean and American films, regardless of caste, religion, or ethnicity. He still has a long way to go,” he said.
Actress Varalakshmi spoke,
“Everyone knows how much I like director Bala. Because he is my guru. I have come to this festival for him. My mother has made her debut as an actress through this film. I have come with double happiness,” she said.
Director Seenu Ramasamy spoke,
“My brother Bala was the first director from our Balu Mahendra sir workshop to become a director and ignited that light of hope. We can call him the head son of Balu Mahendra workshop. Each of his many titles seems to reveal his character, his faith, his compassion and his questioning,” he said.
Actor and stunt trainer Stunt Silva said,
“Every director has uplifted Tamil cinema with his films in every era, and in that way, director Bala has also contributed to it. I grew up watching and admiring his films, and now I have got the opportunity to work with him for the first time through the film Vanagan. They used to scare me by saying that Bala is a terrifying person. But when I got to know him, I realized that he is a child.”
