Balachandra Menon ( ml, ബാലചന്ദ്ര മേനോൻ) (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian actor, director and script writer. He made a number of films in the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...

and

1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War ...

. He has directed 40 films and has acted in over 100. He won two National Film Awards including the

National Film Award for Best Actor The National Film Award for Best Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actor (), is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performanc ...

for his performance as station master Ismail the 1998 film ''

Samaantharangal ''Samaantharangal'' ( ml, സമാന്തരങ്ങള്‍, en, Parallelism) is a 1998 Malayalam cinema, Malayalam drama film written and directed by Balachandra Menon. The film stars Menon himself along with Maathu(actress), Maathu, Ren ...

'', which was also directed by him. He has also worked as a distributor, editor, composer, singer and producer in the

Malayalam film industry Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. He has found space in the

Limca Book of Records The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...

for the maximum number of films directed, scripted and acted in. Menon has introduced many actors into the Malayalam Cinema Industry. Actors who made their debut in his films include

Shobana Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam films along with Telugu and Tamil films with few Hindi, Kannada and English films. She has won two National Fil ...

in ''

April 18 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. * 1428 – Peace of Ferrara betw ...

'', Parvathy in ''

Vivahithare Ithile ''Vivaahithare Ithile'' (''Married People'') is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Balachandra Menon and produced by Varada Balachandra Menon. The film stars Parvathy, (in her debut film) Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent and K. P. ...

'',

Maniyanpilla Raju Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam:മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.Maniyan Pilla Adhava Maniyan Pilla ''Maniyan Pilla Adhava Maniyan Pilla'' is a List of Malayalam films of 1981, 1981 Indian Malayalam cinema, Malayalam-language comedy film written, directed and scripted by Balachandra Menon. The film stars Maniyanpilla Raju, Sudheer Kumar (Maniy ...

'', Karthika in '' Manicheppu Thurannappol'',

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

in ''

Ammayane Sathyam ''Ammayane Sathyam'' (അമ്മയാണെ സത്യം, English: ''I Swear on my Mother'') is a 1993 Malayalam film written and directed by Balachandra Menon. The film stars Mukesh, Annie, Balachandra Menon, Narendra Prasad, Jagathy S ...

'', and

Nandini Nandini is a female given name. It is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root ''nand'', which means "to rejoice, delight". Literally, ''nandinī'' means a woman who brings joy. The name also specifically refers to a daughter, as a daughter brings ...

in ''April 19''.

Personal life

Balachandra Menon was born in

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

in 1954 to Shivashankara Pillai and Lalitha Devi. By virtue of his father being a railway station master, he served at

Edava Edava is a panchayat in Varkala Taluk of Trivandrum district in the state of Kerala, India. Edava is located 5km north of Varkala, 21km south of port city Kollam and 44km north of capital city Trivandrum. Kappil beach is a famous surf location ...

railway station and Menon had his formative years of childhood and adolescence life in this village. He studied at Edava Muslim High School and has narrated nostalgically about his memories about his life in this village in his autobiography ''Ammayaane Sathyam''. He is an alumnus of

University College Trivandrum University College, Thiruvananthapuram (UCT) is a constituent college of the University of Kerala, based primarily in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. The college was awarded 23rd rank by National Institutional Ran ...

, Fatima Mata National College, Kollam and Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. Sisters: Sushma and Prema. Wife: Varada B. Menon. Children:

Akhil Vinayak Menon Akhil (in Devanagari: अखिल {{IAST, akhilā) is a Hindu/Sanskrit Indian given name, which means "everything" or "complete". The equivalent feminine name is Akhilā. See also *Akhil (disambiguation) Akhil is a masculine given name of India ...

, Bhavana B. Menon. Menon enrolled as a lawyer on 29 July 2012, 22 years after completing his degree. In 1997, he won the Karshakashree Award for farming from the

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

. During his early days in Madras, he worked for the film weekly ''Nana'' as a correspondent. He has completed a diploma in journalism from

Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

Literary works

* Achuvettante Veedu * Mugam Abhimugam * Samaantharangal * 18 April 19 April * Ninnay Enthinu Kollaam ? * Kaanatha Sulthanu Snehapoorvam * Ammayanay Sathyam * Ariyathathu, Ariyendathu * Balachandramenonte 12 cherukathakal * His book Ithirineram Othirikaryam recently released by veteran actor

Madhu Madhu (Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or ''sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ''*médʰu'', whence English '' mead''. Metaphorical use ''Madhu'' has been used for millennia si ...

by handing over a copy to lyricist

Sreekumaran Thampi Sreekumaran Thampi (born 16 March 1940) is an Indian lyricist, music director, director, producer, and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He also writes poetry and is a recipient of the Vallathol Award. In 2017, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel ...

Awards

Civilian Awards: * 2007 –

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

: * 1997 –

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

– ''

'' * 1997 – Best Film on Family Welfare – ''

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

: * 1979 – Best Screen Play – ''

Uthrada Rathri ''Uthrada Rathri'' is a 1978 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Balachandra Menon, produced by L. Rajalekshmi Kunjamma, and starring Madhu, Shobha, Sukumaran and Nangasserry Sasi. The film has musical score by Jaya Vijaya.The movie deals with ...

'' * 1997 – Special Jury Award – ''

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

: * 1983 –

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

– ''

Karyam Nissaram ''Karyam Nissaram'' ( en, The Matter is Simple) is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language drama film produced by Raju Mathew under the banner of Century Films and written and directed by Balachandra Menon. The film stars Prem Nazir and Lakshmi, alon ...

'' * 1998 –

– ''

'' Others: * 2018 -

- Filmmaker who is credited as actor, director and writer in the most number of feature films

Filmography

Television

*Suryodayam (Doordarshan, Direction) *Vilakku vekkum neram (Doordarshan) *Megham (Asianet) *Malayogam (Asianet) *Nizhalukal (Asianet) *Shamanathalam

As a singer

* Aanakoduthaalum ... Oru Painkilikkadha (1984) * Kochu Chakkarachi Pettu ... Ente Ammu Ninte Thulasi Avarude Chakki (1985) * Kaattinum Thaalam ... Njangalude Kochu Doctor (1989) * Choodulla kaattil ... Krishnaa Gopaalakrishnaa (2002)

References

External links

Balachandra Menon official website

Balachandra Menon at MSI
*
malayalachalachithram.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Balachandra 1954 births Living people Malayalam film directors Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram Male actors from Kollam Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam screenwriters Male actors in Malayalam cinema Filmfare Awards South winners Best Actor National Film Award winners Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian film directors 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Malayalam film producers Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male film actors Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram Producers who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award