Actors Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan will always be indebted to him. But for him, we wouldn’t have seen Rajni on the silver screen. With more than 100 films to his credit, he is one filmmaker who has total control over his movies. Yes, I am talking about the legend K Balachander or KB as he is fondly called. I remember watching Sindhu Bhairavi when I was in school. Sindhu’s argument during a concert in the movie is still etched in my mind.

The ace director who turns 80 today had a unique style of making memorable films. It is difficult to spot one movie that is the best. With KB, every film had a protagonist and the entire movie revolved around the character. Whether it was Server Sundaram, Etheer Neechal or Sindhu Bhairavi, his films had a strong message forcing you to think out of the box.

So many of his celluloid characters still remain fresh in your mind – whether it is the fabulous dance by comedian Nagesh as a cancer patient in the movie Neer Kumizhi or the amazing depth of individualization in the love triangle in Sindhu Bhairavi. KB mostly dealt with middle-class issues reinforcing the values of family and relationships.

Clever use of symbolism, carefully scripted characters, powerful storylines and great attention to detail make his movies an intense experience. Here is a list of his best works (according to me):

Server Sundaram
Nagesh always had a special place in KB’s films. The fact that he got one of the best comedians of those times to play the lead role is in itself a testimony that KB was one of the biggest experimenters of his time. Watch a scene from the movie here.

Ethir Neechal
Again, Nagesh plays the poor young boy who does odd jobs to earn his living. The entire plot revolves around the protagonist Madhu and the film highlights the simple lifestyle of the middle-class Tamil household. The punchline in this film said by Nagesh- Naan Madhu Vandirukken, where he plays the role of a gullible innocent fool was a favourite with the masses. Here is a popular song from this film.

Apoorva Ragangal
Rajnikanth’s debut movie, Apoorva Raagangal, deals  with an inter-generational romance that culminates in a complex dilemma. This movie could be rated as one of the best performances by both Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan on the silver screen. The mature storyline of intertwined romances was breathtaking and its treatment was flawless. KB’s sensitive handling of a potentially-explosive subject matter earned him rave reviews.

Sindhu Bhairavi
This to me is the best movie by the ace director who redefines the concept of marriage in this film. The role of protagonist Sindhu played by Suhasini can be rated as her best performance ever. The movie revolves around a girl who is an ardent follower of Carnatic music and falls in love with a popular Carnatic musician. The conversation between Sivakumar (the classical musician in the film) and Sindhu on why Carnatic concerts don’t include Tamil songs is a classic scene in this film. In many ways, he redefined the “happily ever after” concept in this flick. A word about the ever green Illayaraja has to be mentioned. I think Illayaraja’s brilliance in the song Padariyen is unmatchable.

Punnagai Mannan
Once again a Kamal and KB combination that worked wonders for the Tamil audience. Balachander’s art of story-telling is at its best in this movie. The story revolves around Sethu, a protagonist, who is jailed for attempting suicide and how his life pans out after that. Revathi who is the lead actress has given a stunning performance. Illayaraja again scores the music and each note is a treat to music lovers.

Later in the 90s, he also ventured into television. He also made a sequel to his movie Sindhu Bhairavi called ‘Sahana’ in 2003. He set high benchmarks and took enormous strides in the tamil film industry. The audience started to talk about this phenomenon, what they called ‘The Balachander Touch’. This touch to me will remain forever.