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Indian cinema owes a lot to iconic filmmaker K Balachander, who would have turned 102 today. The veteran director is one of the reasons we have two Academy Award winners in India. It was Balachander who launched AR Rahman in Tamil with his production venture, Roja. He was also the one who launched MM Keeravaani in Tamil, who went on to become a popular composer later in both Kollywood and Telugu cinema. It doesn’t end there. Both Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, the two superstars of Tamil cinema, are even now referred to as the ‘products of KB’. Balachander not only introduced them, but he was also a mentor figure who influenced both in their formative years. He was the last director who could address both stars without ‘sir’ or other suffixes of respect.
Rajinikanth and Balachander’s equation was on full display at an event in 2010. “Sari da!” the filmmaker tells Rajinikanth before asking him a series of questions on the stage of a special event conducted by the Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
At the outset, Balachander tells Rajinikanth that he would treat him as his mentee like old times and not to expect the respect that new directors are giving him. He then goes on to ask some tough questions to Rajini, which wouldn’t have been possible for any other interviewee. Sample this: KB asks, “How many cigarettes do you smoke in a day?” Rajinikanth, who is visibly embarrassed, says, “I have cut it down.” “Please stop it altogether. I used to smoke as well. You have seen me with it on the sets too. But I stopped. You also do it,” KB replies.
At one instance, Balachander asks can you tell me one big embarrassment you faced in your entire life. Rajinikanth says, “No comments. I don’t want to talk about it.” In another instance, Rajinikanth gets emotional when his guru asks about the time he introduced his then-fiance Latha.
The interview also had some hilarious moments like when KB asks Rajini if he ever got frustrated while working in his films. Rajini, without skipping a beat, goes, “A lot of times.” The whole stadium erupts in laughter.
The conversation also led K Balachander to confess one of his regrets. He asks Rajinikanth if he remembers the time when he lashed out at him on the sets of Avargal (1977) and walked away. The superstar replies, “Very well.” KB then adds, “I was very harsh on you that day. I said a lot of things that I shouldn’t have. I then walked away from the sets. Now, I keep remembering that day whenever I see you grow. I tell myself, ‘You yelled at him then. Look at where he is now.’”
The interview is also a reminder of how things have changed. Such an equation between a director and an actor couldn’t possibly exist now, as the respect filmmakers commanded back in the day was different from the present. Mentorship is now replaced by camaraderie. That makes this conversation all the more special because it is a reminder of a bygone era.
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