Balu Mahendra:
Ace Cinematographer and Philanderer

The News that the veteran Cinematographer Mahendran’s death spread like a fire in my Department. Everyone one was mourning and few faculty left hours early to participate his funeral. I went to my Department and remembered our talks about this icon during our graduation. He was identified as a man with various persona. From ace cinematographer to Philanderer  

 Ace Cinematographer:

Mahendran, Srilankan by birth as a young boy was inspired by David Lean's filmed his classic 'Bridge on the river Kwai' decided to become a filmmaker. He later graduated from Poona Film Institute with a gold medal in cinematography. He  got his first of many awards for his cinematography in the very first film, Nellu, by Ramu Kariat. He directed his first movie  'Kokila' in Kannada which won  an award. He reworked the exaggerated touches of the then tamil cinema through his aesthetic framing and lighting and brought realism in his attempts with  'Mullum Malarum'. Tamil viewers who was used to glitter costume and colured sets was given more details without exaggeration.in his movie. Into that era came Balu Mahendra who helmed the camera for Mahendran's cinema and for his part introduced the Tamil viewer to silhouettes. 

Plagiarized Director

'Azhiyatha Kolangal'  his first movie in tamil was about an adolescent boys, their sexual awakenings and their obsession for a comely teacher. The movie was rumored to have shades of 'Summer of '42' but it was also autobiographical. Recounting his school days in Vikatan. This movie shocked many viewers in conservative Tamil Nadu.

Moondram Pirai" was an answer given by him after his first torrid affair and stung with controversy with Shobha’s sucide.Kamal Hasan earned a National Award for his heart rending performance in the famous climax. A third factor in the success of the movie was then sex goddess Silk Smitha. That evens a sensitive filmmaker like Balu had to rely on the uninhibited oomph factor of Smitha. It was a  commercial compromise which he later  accepted. Balu made his one other uncompromising movie 'Sandhyaragam'. Literally meaning 'song of the twilight hour'. 

 Of the many movies that Balu directed only two standout for not just being uncompromising but even artistic integrity. 'Veedu' touched a chord in the hearts of many a middle class member because it spoke to their yearnings. shunning the standard Indian formula of making the movie with a song The old man Chockalinga Bhagavathar was a hit. Yet, compared to Satyajit Ray's 'Mahanagar' it will remain a valiant effort not an achievement.

Balu's talents as director was either inspired or uncredited, or totally plagiarized. thus overrated. Just because he sought to make movies that had a leisurely pace, lingering shots, sparse dialogues and of course lovely cinematography all of which contrasted the  other movies. His script mostly revolved around the themed about extra marital affairs.

Some of his Plagiarized work:

'Mickey and Maud' -  'Rettaivaal Kuruvi'  (where a photographer will have two wives.)

'Arth'                       - Marupadiyum'. (the heroine walks out on her husband, a                           movie director, learning of his affair with an actress)

'She Devil'             - 'Sathi Leelavathi' (extra marital affair)

Psycho.                 - 'Moodu pani'

'Moodu pani' - 'Julie Ganapathy'

Lets remember that Balu sat on the jury for National Awards. For a man who took pride in his work and had a healthy ego to end his movies with a sign off 'A film by Balu Mahendra', this plagiarism will remain a stain.

His Personal Life

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 His extra-marital affairs were front and center to not just his life but to his movies too. Tamils while being conservative when it comes to the morals of their fellow citizens they will tolerate, in fact applaud, their politicians and movie fraternity to flout all morals.  Archana and Easwari Rao stood at the near the head of Balu's lifeless body caressing the casket. Balu's wife Akila sat in a chair nearby. Life is stranger than fiction indeed. In what caused a minor sensation Archana and director Bala prevented Mounika from seeing her beloved. This was a gross disrespect to Balu who had openly and categorically stated that he was indeed married to Mounika. 

His Funeral

 He is one among the veterans who shaped and redefined our ideas of entertainment and art. The outpouring love for Balu Mahendra, not just from his contemporaries, but amongst a younger brood of directors and cinema technologists was astounding indeed. . They were moving testimonies of their relationship with their mentor but everyone made it a point to record how they screamed in agony and how their families too copiously cried. This is pornography of grief. We are yet to learn how to mourn and how to measure a life