One of the top film producers in Malayalam cinema during the ’80s, Gandhimathi Balan (66), passed away at a private hospital here on Wednesday. His film production firm was named Gandhimathi, and that’s how he came to be known as Gandhimathi Balan.
Balan burst into the Malayalam film industry as a producer when he was only in his late twenties with hit films such as ‘Sukhamo Devi’, ‘Panchavadi Palam’, and ‘Thoovanathumbikal’, among many others.
His films were directed by ace filmmakers such as Padmarajan, K.G. George, and Joshy, to name a few.
In all, he produced 33 films and though he moved out of film production in the latter part of his career, he remained a go-to person for many young producers who sought his advice to make their films successful.
A few years back, Balan along with his daughter had started a cyber-forensic startup company.
Condolences started to pour in...
Balan burst into the Malayalam film industry as a producer when he was only in his late twenties with hit films such as ‘Sukhamo Devi’, ‘Panchavadi Palam’, and ‘Thoovanathumbikal’, among many others.
His films were directed by ace filmmakers such as Padmarajan, K.G. George, and Joshy, to name a few.
In all, he produced 33 films and though he moved out of film production in the latter part of his career, he remained a go-to person for many young producers who sought his advice to make their films successful.
A few years back, Balan along with his daughter had started a cyber-forensic startup company.
Condolences started to pour in...
- 4/10/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 (Ians) Veteran film maker of Kerala, K.G. George passed away at the age of 77 at an old age home in Kakkanad in Kochi on Sunday.
He was one of the iconic film makers of Malayalam industry and had forayed into a new scripts and made challenging movies. His movie, ‘Panchavadi Palam’ is a political satire whose content is valid even now. The movie was a run away hit and considered one of the best movies made in Malayalam film industry.
The movie, ‘Irakal’ of K.G. George is a crime thriller and had resemblance to several incidents that have unfolded in the state of Kerala recently while the movie was made three decades ago.
He had brought the best of out of actors like Mammotty and Bharath Gopi in his movie, ‘Yavanika’. ‘Lekhayude Maranam, oru Flashback’ based on the death of a film heroine was also a run away hit.
He was one of the iconic film makers of Malayalam industry and had forayed into a new scripts and made challenging movies. His movie, ‘Panchavadi Palam’ is a political satire whose content is valid even now. The movie was a run away hit and considered one of the best movies made in Malayalam film industry.
The movie, ‘Irakal’ of K.G. George is a crime thriller and had resemblance to several incidents that have unfolded in the state of Kerala recently while the movie was made three decades ago.
He had brought the best of out of actors like Mammotty and Bharath Gopi in his movie, ‘Yavanika’. ‘Lekhayude Maranam, oru Flashback’ based on the death of a film heroine was also a run away hit.
- 9/24/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 (Ians) Veteran film maker of Kerala, K.G. George passed away at the age of 77 at an old age home in Kakkanad in Kochi on Sunday.
He was one of the iconic film makers of Malayalam industry and had forayed into a new scripts and made challenging movies. His movie, ‘Panchavadi Palam’ is a political satire whose content is valid even now. The movie was a run away hit and considered one of the best movies made in Malayalam film industry.
The movie, ‘Irakal’ of K.G. George is a crime thriller and had resemblance to several incidents that have unfolded in the state of Kerala recently while the movie was made three decades ago.
He had brought the best of out of actors like Mammotty and Bharath Gopi in his movie, ‘Yavanika’. ‘Lekhayude Maranam, oru Flashback’ based on the death of a film heroine was also a run away hit.
He was one of the iconic film makers of Malayalam industry and had forayed into a new scripts and made challenging movies. His movie, ‘Panchavadi Palam’ is a political satire whose content is valid even now. The movie was a run away hit and considered one of the best movies made in Malayalam film industry.
The movie, ‘Irakal’ of K.G. George is a crime thriller and had resemblance to several incidents that have unfolded in the state of Kerala recently while the movie was made three decades ago.
He had brought the best of out of actors like Mammotty and Bharath Gopi in his movie, ‘Yavanika’. ‘Lekhayude Maranam, oru Flashback’ based on the death of a film heroine was also a run away hit.
- 9/24/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
FilmsEach era has been witness to new waves in Malayalam cinema. But have themes and storytelling techniques ever been as novel as they are now?Image for representation / Courtesy PxfuelEight years ago, when we were watching Premam in the now-defunct Sri Visakh theatre in Thiruvananthapuram, my mother and my seven-year-old nephew both sat with gloomy faces. The seven-year-old wrapped the end of my shawl around him, choosing to drown his gloom in sleep. His grandmother stayed awake, straining to follow what the younger lot in the audience appeared to enjoy so much. It was not that she did not like the film, but that she could hardly make out what was being told. In the last decade or so, when movies in Malayalam rolled out in all different hues and forms, many things happened. Audiences, who had in the decade before that chose to stick to their television sets and give the theatres a miss,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Cris
- The News Minute
TributeIn a long personal note, the Malayalam superstar remembered his co-star Innocent, a veteran actor famous for his wit. Innocent passed away on March 26.Mammootty and Innocent in 'Vesham'Hours before Innocent breathed his last on Sunday, March 26, Mammootty, one of his oldest colleagues, had visited him at the Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi. Both the actors are beloved to Malayalam movie connoisseurs. Mammootty, who grew to a superstar status, wrote on his Facebook page that he had watched Innocent's earlier films in the 70s with interest, at a time when he used to note every minor character on the screen and try to find out about them. It was a time Mammootty was hoping to get into cinema, and Innocent had already donned a few minor characters in movies like Nellu, Nirthashaala, and Jesus. "I noticed him, wondering who this person was," Mammootty wrote in a personal note on his Facebook page on Tuesday,...
- 3/29/2023
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodBasil Joseph’s superhero flick ‘Minnal Murali’, which premiered on Netflix in December last year, features actors Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram in the lead.Tnm StaffInstagram/ Basil JosephMalayalam filmmaker and actor Basil Joseph shared on social media that he was elated to win the award for Best Director (Fiction) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards. He was conferred the award for his 2021 Malayalam film Minnal Murali starring Tovino Thomas in the titular role. The Asian Academy Creative Awards recognise the best content from 16 countries that are part of the Asia Pacific region. This year’s event was held at the Chijmes Hall in Singapore on Thursday, December 8. The awards ceremony is being held in person after a gap of two years since it was hosted online during the coronavirus pandemic. “I feel overwhelmed and honoured to be declared the Best Director among 16 countries at the Asian Academy Awards 2022. Today,...
- 12/9/2022
- by SaradhaU
- The News Minute
MollywoodWe list some, sadly rather few in number, well-written women characters in grey in Malayalam cinema who stuck to their guns till the end.Neelima MenonBindu Panicker as Seetha in RorschachKanchana’s eyes darken with desire as she stares at her sister-in-law’s karimani (black beads) chain. She hungrily tugs at the chain, describing its artistry at length to her awkward sister-in-law. When she is gifted a sari by her sister-in-law, she is torn between greed and jealousy, eventually succumbing to the latter emotion. Kanchana is an ordinary homemaker with lofty ambitions for material things, which her husband isn’t able to fulfil. At a time when the leading women in cinema were always divided into binaries, i.e., good or bad, Kanchana in Sathyan Anthikad’s Thalayanamanthram (1990) is a startling revelation. At least to begin with, more so because of the sublime nuances actor Urvashi lends to Kanchana. What...
- 10/24/2022
- by LakshmiP
- The News Minute
Flix FlashbackDirector Kg George’s 1990 film is a strange concoction for an investigative thriller. There are fascinating characters, intrigue and drama, but at its core it is a heart-breaking tale of love and loss.Neelima MenonAsianetA woman is found dead at her home. The police suspect murder and get on with the investigation, meticulously questioning and probing every possible suspect. Ee Kanni Koodi (Connecting the links), another gem from director Kg George, is one of the finest investigative thrillers in Malayalam, which also happens to be relatively less discussed, like most of his films. The frames are bleak, lifelike in characteristic Kg George style. The film, which released in 1990, begins with a long shot of a house with an iron gate enclosing the compound. A man knocks, jots down a note. A while later, another man enters the premises. When he gets no response after ringing the bell, he approaches the police.
- 8/16/2022
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
RepresentationFor a long time, Malayalam and Tamil movies have resorted to using dwarf persons for humour, which often borders on the cruel. Are we any better now, Tnm explores.Lakshmi PriyaMore than 40 years since its release, veteran Malayalam director Kg George’s 1980 film Mela has proved to be a milestone in many ways. Adapted to the screen from a book of the same name, written by circus artist and writer Sreedharan Champad, Mela tells the story of a 27-year-old dwarf person, who struggles with jealousy and insecurities after his marriage to a woman almost double his height. In his book ‘An Album of Indian Big Tops (History of Indian Circus)’, Sreedharan refers to Mela as the first film in the world to be made with a dwarf person as the hero: Puthenveli Sasidharan. Sasidharan eventually came to be known as Mela Raghu — a beloved screen name he received thanks to...
- 6/12/2022
- by LakshmiP
- The News Minute
MollywoodIt is in the most banal sequences of 'Yavanika' that Kg George’s directorial poise comes through.Sreehari NairKG George’s masterpiece Yavanika was released 37 years back. Revisiting the film, this author finds it is time to unravel the long stretches of dreary stage sequences to clearly see the strong foundations of a stage, a story and a narrative that all come together like a painting set to chaotic life’s music. When things get really bad at the movies, so bad that you can feel a crick in your neck, and when the little rings in your seat-arms appear too small for your hands and the soda-pop too flat, it’s worthwhile to think about the first reactions to old masterpieces. Sometime in the December of 1993, my 74-year-old great grandmother walked out of a theatre in Mavelikkara happy at having spent her time with a ‘lady possessed’ and the...
- 2/29/2020
- by Sowmya
- The News Minute
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