Balu Mahendra is a film director from South India. He was born in Sri Lanka of Sri Lankan Tamil decent as Benjamin Mahendra in Batticaloa, and developed an early interest in photography.

He graduated from the London University, a cinematography graduate and a gold medalist from the FTII in Pune. He started his film career as a cameraman for the Malayalam film Nellu in 1974 which got him the best cinematographer award from the Government of India. He has been chosen the best cinematographer for as many as ten films. He pioneered innovative camera style for colour in South India.

His first film as a director was Kokila (Kannada,1976), which earned him a National Award. Azhiyatha Kolanagl (1979) was his first directorial venture in Tamil. He is one of the few film makers in Tamil who can tell a story visually. He writes the script for his films, handles the camera and edits the.....  [ More ]