K.Balajee - producer cum actor

[Waterloo]

Krishnamachari Balajee (1934-2009) was a leading figure in Tamil cinema both as an actor and as a successful producer with a penchant for remaking Tamil films from Hindi. His contribution to the growth of Tamil cinema in the past few decades has bee n immense but not properly appreciated or rewarded. Making his debut in Gemini Studios’ ‘Avvaiyar’ (1953) as Lord Muruga when he was still in his teens, Balajee was active in Tamil theatre, and even had his own drama troupe at one time.

Not many are aware of his aristocratic background. He hailed from the illustrious family of Dewan Bahadur T. Rangachariar, one of the legal giants of the Madras High Court, whose palatial residence Ritherdon House, on Ritherdon Road in Purasawalkam, was a landmark building of the city in the decades gone by.

One of the lawyer’s sons was Krishnamachari, whose wife was a Malayali. Balajee was their son. For many reasons the mother and her two children underwent hardship in their early years, but Balajee inherited his share of the father’s property which included a fine bungalow, ‘Canberra’ on Pantheon Road, where he lived till the end of his life.

Why ‘Canberra’? Thereby hangs a tale. The British Government sent Rangachariar to the Commonwealth Conference held at Canberra, the Australian capital, as a member of the Indian delegation. The lawyer named this bungalow in memory of his visit.

After his education Balajee worked for some time and then joined Narasu Studios at Guindy founded by the coffee magnate turned film producer, V.L. Narasu. His dignified bearing, handsomeness and capacity for hard work enabled him to make a mark as production manager. It also helped him to get closer to Hindi film screenwriters, movie stars and others, for during that period Narasu indulged in Hindi film production too.

One of the movies remade in Tamil was ‘Premapaasam’ (1956) with Gemini Ganesh and Savithri. This film was a remake of the Hindi box office bonanza, ‘Kismat,’ in which Ashok Kumar played hero. Balajee, besides working on the production side, also played a role — his first as a young man in his early 20s.

Balajee’s manner of choosing the Hindi movies he wished to remake was interesting. Staying in Bombay for a short while, he would engage a taxi and chat with the driver to know his impressions about the new releases. This interaction with the common man he believed was the best way of getting the low-down on a movie and its remake prospects.

Lead roles

During 1958-59 he acted in as many as 11 films. They included ‘Paanai Pidithaval Bhagyasaali’ (Savithri was his heroine), ‘Manamulla Marudhaaram,’ ‘Sahodari’ and ‘Manaiviyae Manidhanin Manickam.’ However, many of these films were not successful at the box office. In the 1960s he fared better and Sridhar’s ‘Policekaaran Magal’ was a success. Another interesting film written and produced by Kannadasan in which he played the lead role was ‘Karuppu Panam.’ He also played supporting roles in hit movies like ‘Padithal Mattum Podhuma,’ ‘Thillanna Mohanambal’ and ‘Kapalottiya Thamizhan.’

With his organisational skills and wide contacts, he turned producer in the mid-1960s and established his own production company, Sujatha Cine Arts, so named after his daughter. (She is married to the Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.)

The maiden offering was ‘Annaavin Aasai’ (1966) with Gemini Ganesh and Savithri.

Balajee continued to produce a movie every year and release it on his wedding day, January 26. Such films included ‘Thangai’ ‘Thirudan’ and ‘En Thambi,’ directed by the multilingual filmmaker, A.C. Trilokchandar.

String of hits

In 1970, he made a significantly successful film, again by Tirlokchandar, ‘Engirundho Vandhaal,’ in which Jayalalithaa was paired with Sivaji Ganesan. More movies such as ‘Needhi,’ ‘En Magan,’ ‘Unakkaaga Naan,’ ‘Raja,’ ‘Thyaagam,’ ‘Nalladoru Kudumbam,’ ‘Sujatha,’ ‘Savaal’ and ‘Theerppu,’ followed. ‘Vaazhvey Maayam,’ produced by his son Suresh Balajee with Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Sripriya, was a major hit running for 200 days. ‘Sattam’ with Kamal and Madhavi, was a remake of ‘Dostana.’ Directed by K. Vijayan, it had a 100-day run. ‘Needhipadhi’ directed by R. Krishnamurthy, was a major hit. His biggest hit was Rajinikanth’s ‘Billa,’ a remake of the Hindi film ‘Don.’

With such an outstanding track record it is not surprising that Balajee was one of the top personalities of south Indian cinema.

In later years with his wife predeceasing him his health suffered too. The end came a few days ago.

As a boy he had dreams of becoming a lawyer like his illustrious grandfather but Destiny had other plans for him!