''Bala'' is a 2002 Indian
Tamil-language
action film written and directed by Deepak, starring
Shaam as the titular character along with
Meera Jasmine.
Rajan P. Dev,
Raghuvaran,
Thilakan, and
Santhoshi play supporting roles. The music was composed by
Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by
Priyan and editing by
V. T. Vijayan
V. T. Vijayan is an Indian film editor who works in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil films. He has collaborated in the past with editors including B. Lenin
B. Lenin born as Bhimsingh Lenin is an Indian film editor, writer and director who works in ...
. The film was released on 13 December 2002.
Plot
Cast
*
Shaam as Bala
*
Meera Jasmine as Aarthi
*
Raghuvaran as Jayamani
*
Nagesh as Varadhan
*
Thilakan as Paranthaman
*
Karunas as Kutty
*
Rajan P. Dev as Pasupathi
*
Thalaivasal Vijay as Pasupathi's enemy
*
Mahanadhi Shankar as Pasupathi's gang member
*
Kalairani as Bala's blind mother
*
Sabitha Anand as Jayamani's second wife
*
Meera Krishnan
Meera Krishnan (born 1968) is an Indian actress, who has appeared in Tamil-language films and television serials. She started her career as an announcer on the public broadcaster Doordarshan and later became a newsreader for Sun TV before act ...
as Aarthi's mother
* Gouthami as Pasupathi's wife
* Rajasekar as Bala's father
*
Singamuthu as a marriage broker
* Kamalesh as Pasupathy's son
*
Santhoshi as Purnima
*
Master Udayaraj as Jayamani's son
* Baby Srividya as Jayamani's daughter
*
Scissor Manohar
Scissor Manohar is an Indian comedian and actor.
Career
Manohar began to work as a production assistant working on films such as ''Puthiya Vaarpugal'' (1979). Manohar earned the name Scissor for his character in '' Gokulathil Seethai'' (1996 ...
as the bus conductor
*
Muthukaalai as a bus passenger
*
Pawan as Jayamani's henchman (uncredited)
Production
Deepak, who worked as an assistant director to
Gandhi Krishna (of ''
Engineer'') and as an editor made his directorial debut with this film.
Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed to compose the music for the film.
Vidya Balan, the original choice for lead actress, was replaced by
Meera Jasmine in the film. Shaam departed from his romantic hero role and portrayed an action oriented role in the film.
Some scenes were shot on a boat about fifteen kilometers from the harbour, in Chennai whereas at the Vauhini Studios, Chennai, a lavish set was erected where Shaam and Meera Jasmine danced to the beat of a song.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack, featuring 5 songs, was composed by
Yuvan Shankar Raja and released on 20 October 2002. Lyrics were penned by Arivumathi, Kabilan,
Pa. Vijay and Pazhani Bharathi. The song "Bailamo Bailamo" was originally composed for the
Srikanth Srikanth or Sreekanth is a common Indian first name.
* Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940), Tamil film actor active in films from 1965
* Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1980), Tamil actor active in films after 2002
* Srikanth (Telugu actor), Telugu acto ...
-starrer ''
April Maadhathil
''April Maadhathil'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer S. S. Stanley. It stars Srikanth and Sneha, with Gayatri Jayaraman, Venkat Prabhu, Devan and Karunas among others in the supporting ...
'', but eventually used in this film.
Release
A critic from ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' stated that "'Bala' is another of those typical action flicks that flood the cinema scene today". Malini Mannath of ''Chennai Online'' opined that "It's yet again a gangster film, the scenes flowing albeit smoothly, but expectantly through clichéd situations giving one a sense of deja vu throughout". Visual Dasan of ''
Kalki'' criticised the age old story and called the film "boring" while praised the dialogues, background score, and cinematography.
Despite the failure of Shaam's previous films, this film managed to average business.
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, tt1621768
2002 films
2000s Tamil-language films
Indian action films
Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja
2002 action films
2002 directorial debut films