Padmanabhan Balachandran Nair (2 February 1952 – 5 April 2021) was an Indian writer, playwright, scenarist, director, and actor. He was known for his work in

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...

and

Malayalam cinema 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' ...

Career

Balachandran is best known for the play ''Paavam Usman'' for which he won the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

and Kerala Professional Nataka Award in the year 1989. He has scripted many films including ''

Ulladakkam ''Ulladakkam'' () is 1991 Indian Malayalam-language psychological thriller film directed by Kamal and written by P. Balachandran from a story by Cheriyan Kalpakavadi. It stars Mohanlal, Shobana and Amala. The film, produced by Suresh Balaje f ...

'' (1991), ''

Pavithram ''Pavithram'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar and written by P. Balachandran from a story by Balachandran and Kumar. The film stars Mohanlal and Shobana in lead roles. Vinduja Menon, Thilakan, Sr ...

'' (1994), ''

Agnidevan ''Agnidevan'' () is a 1995 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by Venu Nagavalli and co-written by P. Balachandran and Nagavalli. It stars Mohanlal and Revathi. The plot deals with the struggle for leadership of a family-owned ...

'' (1995), ''

Punaradhivasam ''Punaradhivasam'' () is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. K. Prakash and written by P. Balachandran, starring Nandita Das and Manoj K. Jayan. This film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam, ...

'' (2000), and ''

Kammatti Paadam ''Kammatipaadam'', alternatively spelled as ''Kammatti Paadam'', is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Rajeev Ravi and written by P. Balachandran. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Vinayakan, Shaun Romy, Manikandan ...

'' (2016). His directorial debut is ''

Ivan Megharoopan ''Ivan Megharoopan'' is a 2012 Malayalam biographical film written and directed by P. Balachandran. The film is based on the life of Malayalam poet P. Kunhiraman Nair and is particularly based on his autobiography, ''Kaviyude Kalpadukal''. Prak ...

'' (2012). He has also acted in a few films, the most notable being ''

Trivandrum Lodge ''Trivandrum Lodge'' is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. K. Prakash, written by Anoop Menon, and produced by P. A. Sebastian. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon and Honey Rose, and features P. Balachandran and P. Jay ...

'' (2012).

Personal life

He was born to Padmanabha Pillai and Saraswati Bhai on 2 February 1952, in

Sasthamkotta Sasthamkotta, or Sasthamcotta, is a village in the Kunnathoor Tehsil of Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Kunnathoor taluk headquarters is located at Sasthamkotta. The Sasthamkotta freshwater lake is the largest freshwater lake ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. He was married to Sreelatha and the couple had two children, Sreekanth and Parvathy.

Death

Balachandran died, aged 69, on 5 April 2021 at his residence at

Vaikom Vaikom, , is a municipal town and a capital town of Vaikom Taluk, situated in the northwest of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. The town is also noted for its role in the Indian independence movement for being the venue of Vaikom ...

. He had suffered from

brain fever Brain fever describes a medical condition where a part of the brain becomes inflamed and causes symptoms that present as fever. The terminology is dated and is encountered most often in Victorian literature, where it typically describes a potential ...

for a long time and was hospitalized many times, the last time being in July 2020. His body was cremated with full state honours.

Filmography

As actor

As director

As script writer

References

External links

*
P Balachandran at MSI
1952 births Male actors from Kollam Writers from Kollam Malayalam-language writers Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights Indian male film actors Male actors in Malayalam cinema Malayalam screenwriters Malayalam film directors 2021 deaths Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian film directors Screenwriters from Kerala Film directors from Kerala {{India-film-director-stub