CHENNAI: A mini theatre, housed inside the office of the Tamil Thirai Iyakunargal Sangam (TANTIS), was inaugurated by a host of directors on Friday. The theatre was named after recently deceased veteran K Balachander and was inaugurated by his contemporary, director Bharathiraaja. “This theatre has been built so that many assistant directors and short filmmakers can exhibit their films without having to spend too much money,” said director Vikraman, president of TANTIS.
The theatre also has a green screen for photo shoots and other smaller utilities. It will be made available for use for every member who has registered with the cinema union. The plan to build this space has been in the works for the last five years and it has finally come to pass now. Bharathiraaja spoke about the kind of impact that KB had made on entire generations of filmgoers. “There are a lot of aspiring filmmakers here today who want to make films. I have only one thing to tell them: make the kind of movies that KB made and leave the kind of impact that he has left, there can be no greater tribute to his art and legacy,” he said. After inaugurating the theatre, two short films were screened and all the directors gathered were full of praise for the facilities on offer. Veteran directors S A Chandrasekar, K Bhagyaraj and P Vasu attended the function, while TANTIS functionaries R K Selvamani and Ravi Maria were also present.