Ananthu was an Indian screenwriter working on

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

films, often collaborating with

K. Balachander Kailasam Balachander (9 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an Indian film maker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of un ...

. He was the mentor of actor

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...

Career

Ananthu was a screenwriter and close associate of director

. He also worked with director C. Rudraiah on his two films. In the title card, Rudhraiya had dedicated the film ''

Aval Appadithan ''Aval Appadithan'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by C. Rudraiah in his directorial debut, and co-written by him with Somasundareshwar. The film was produced by Rudhraiya in association with the M.G.R. Government Film ...

'' to Ananthu. Ananthu was sub-dialogue writer with Chitralaya Gopu for the films ''Anubhavam Pudhumai'' and ''Galatta Kalyanam'' directed by

C. V. Rajendran C. V. Rajendran (12 March 1937 – 1 April 2018) was an Indian film director and producer who worked in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi film industries. He was a cousin of famous director C. V. Sridhar. Film career He worked ...

. Ananthu acted in the film Galatta Kalyanam with Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalitha after intermission. In 1991, Ananthu directed ''

Sigaram ''Sigaram'' () is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language musical drama film directed by Ananthu and produced by Kavithalayaa Productions. The film stars S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Rekha and Radha. It was released on 11 January 1991. Plot Damodar is a f ...

'' starring

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...

Anand Babu Anand Babu is an Indian actor who was known for his works in Tamil films. He is the son of legendary comedy actor Nagesh. Career He first entered the film industry with Tamil films and also played leading roles in Telugu as well as supporting ...

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

and Ramya Krishnan. A critic noted "with an eye for realism and a talent for profound dialogue, Ananthu makes this a memorable entry into the annals of parallel cinema."

Work experience with Kamal Haasan

Ananthu was considered by Kamal Haasan as a close associate and mentor. Through Ananthu, Haasan was able to maintain close ties with

. In the early 1970s, Kamal Haasan had become jaded and suicidal with the monotonous, low-key roles that he was receiving from Tamil cinema. He later credited Ananthu for reinvigorating his interest in films, after taking up his suggestion of moving to work on Malayalam films. During the period, Ananthu continued to nurture Kamal Haasan's talent by evaluating his on-screen performances and by introducing him to world cinema. Haasan has also credited Ananthu for teaching him screenwriting. Ananthu continued to work closely with Haasan for a number of his films in the 1990s through various capacities. He was behind the title of ''Nammavar'', a term also later adapted by Kamal Haasan in his political activities. Following Ananthu's death in 1998, Kamal Haasan's first Tamil directorial venture ''

Hey Ram ''Hey Ram'' is a 2000 Indian period crime drama film written, directed and produced by Kamal Haasan, who also stars. It was simultaneously made in Tamil and Hindi languages. Shah Rukh Khan plays a supporting role, making his debut in Tamil ci ...

'' (2000) was dedicated to Ananthu. After winning the Henri Langlois award in 2016, Kamal Haasan dedicated the award to Ananthu. An official portrait of Ananthu was inaugurated in 2019 at Kamal Haasan's offices as a part of celebrations marking the actor's 60th year in the film industry.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* {{authority control Indian film directors Indian screenwriters Tamil film directors Tamil-language film directors Tamil screenwriters 20th-century Indian film directors Film directors from Tamil Nadu Screenwriters from Tamil Nadu Year of birth missing 1998 deaths 20th-century Indian screenwriters