Hunger for good cinema was Balu's script for success
CHENNAI: In the late 70s, a young man from Coimbatore walked into director R Sundarrajan’s office hoping to get a job. There was a heady discussion about a new script, ‘Payanangal Mudivathillai’. And the newcomer was waiting patiently till it was over.
Finally, the director looked up, looked at his watch, and said: ‘Have you had lunch?’ He proceeded to take Rs 5 out of his wallet and offered it as a good will gesture before the job interview, but the man refused.
Apparently his hunger was reserved solely for the art of cinema because he responded: “Give me five rupees and I can eat for a day, give me a job in films and I can feed myself for a lifetime,” he said. The man was Balu Anand.
The well-known film director passed away at 62 on Thursday night, following a heart attack at his home at Kalampalayam in Coimbatore.
And fans will likely best remember him for hit films like the ‘Annanagar Mudhal Theru’ and ‘Naane Raja, Naane Mandhiri.’ But those, who knew him like mentor Sundarrajan whom Anand assisted for 35 years, remember a man with a penchant for comedy and integrity above all else.
In fact, his love for the world of cinema was such that his son Sri Saravanan says, “If he was alive today, he would be driving from Coimbatore to Chennai right now planning his next film.”
Saravanan (30) and his sister Aishwarya (32) can remember countless times they accompanied their appa to set. What most people probably don’t know is that when he was not acting or directing, Anand loved heading to Marina Beach.
“It became a tradition after my father bought his first car, a Maruthi 800. We would pile in with lots of food and go to Marina Beach every weekend,” his son reminisces.
Director Balu Anand is survived by his wife Umamaheshwari and children Sri Saravanan and N Aishwarya.