Vairamuthu and other Tamil cinema veterans took part in a ceremony to honour director K Balachander, at his hometown in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. At the event, Vairamuthu said that KB, as he was known, broke all of Tamil cinema’s closely held superstitions, right from his first film.
A report in Maalai Malar quotes Vairamuthu’s speech as KB’s wife, Rajam Balachander, unveiled a likeness of the veteran director. In his speech, the lyricist said, “To become a filmmaker, and to find success in films, is not like walking on grass. It is as hard as walking over thorns while pulling a chariot. By the time Balachander came to cinema, it was already under the control of big corporations and heroes. He broke down the walls of big organisations and big heroes, reduced the influence of the big stars, to fly his own flag in Tamil cinema.”
“There were many enduring superstitions and beliefs in cinema, but KB overcame those by naming his first film Nirkumizhi. It takes a lot of daring and courage to select that title,” said Vairamuthu.
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Vairamuthu also added that KB had the ability to bring out the best in all people who worked for him, and that for him, KB was the best director to visualise the songs he had written. Vairamuthu ended his speech by addressing questions of what Balachander had done for the village and the district, saying that an artist is not like a politician or councillor, and that KB’s contribution is in creating many artists and stars through his films.
Silverscreen earlier reported that Vairamuthu considered it his duty to honour K Balachander.