Remake king of Tamil film industry, Balaji, laid to rest

Chennai: The Tamil film industry bid a tearful farewell to "remake king" K. Balaji as he was cremated yesterday. Rajnikant, Prabhu and Manorama were among the leading actors who paid last respects to the eminent filmmaker who passed away on Saturday.

Balaji's son Suresh performed the last rites at the Besant Nagar electric crematorium in Chennai.

Former chief minister and AIADMK party chief Jayalalitha airdashed to Chennai from Coimbatore on Saturday on hearing of Balaji's demise.

"For me, it is a personal loss, as he was like an elder brother to me," said Jayalalitha, who had starred in a few films produced by Balaji, told reporters.

State Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who has not been keeping well and has been hospitalised, sent a wreath.

The odd school play and amateur theatre served as Balaji's initiation to the film world. His quest for a space in showbiz led him to the office of S.S. Vasan, then owner of Gemini Studios in 1951. Vasan was not very keen to work with a newcomer but gave the aspiring actor a minor role in Avvaiyar, in which he played Hindu deity Muruga. Slowly he managed to land meatier roles and was featured as a male lead in a few films.

Balaji soon understood he was better off essaying negative characters and did negative roles in films like Padithaal Mattum Podhumaa, Bale Pandiyaa and Thillaana Mohanambaal.

Even as his career was taking shape, he was hired as a manager in Narasu Studios and discovered his true calling in the sixties after coming in contact with top Hindi actors like Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Tamil stars like Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganeshan and actress Savitri who advised him to remake Hindi hits in Tamil.

Balaji is survived by his daughters Suchitra and Sujatha and son Suresh. His wife Anandavalli passed away in the 1990s.