''I AM A CUNNING COMMERCIAL FILMMAKER'', DECLARES BALA

“I feel alienated from my true soul. I have lost a lot because of cinema”

“To be able to cry and laugh easily is the main criteria to become a creator”

“I don’t believe in good looks.Talent is beauty! Not external looks!”

                                                                                 - Director Bala

Blue Ocean Film and Television Academy (BOFTA) founded by G. Dhananjayan had Director Bala, an acclaimed filmmaker of our country for a master class for its students. From philosophy to cinema, every aspect of being human and still successful was discussed in an extremely detailed manner in this session.

What one clearly comprehends at the end of this session is, how important life experiences are for a creator to come up with scripts that truly touch the heart of every viewer. As he feels that watching several movies in an air-conditioned room might help a person to learn the technology involved in filmmaking but to make a film with an honest thought one needs to come out and observe different characters that exist. From Sethu to Paradesi, undoubtedly this must be the reason behind Bala illustrating characters that we have failed to notice in our usual daily lives.

Initially Bala explained his correspondence with legendary filmmaker Balu Mahendra and it turned out to be a tearjerker for him. He stated that, “Balu Mahendra sir didn't take me as his assistant because of my intelligence. My energy and willingness to do any task given to me impressed him”.

The way Bala has understood the industry awed every student including the moderator, Dhananjayan himself. He very strongly declared that people who come to invest money in our movies are here only to acquire monetary profit, not to serve the field of art by any means. By understanding this, Bala feels that a director will know how to include commercial elements seamlessly into his creation. He further called himself a cunning commercial filmmaker!

“Audience are more knowledgeable. They watch more than 1000 films but we might make only a maximum of 15 films. We must agree to this undeniable truth” said Bala while talking about why it is important to make films with genuine plots and avoid bumbling. This 2 hour long session was loaded with various life lessons and philosophy too. At every instance he made sure that his statements were only humble suggestions and not advices.

Director Bala is usually assumed to be reserved but in this session at BOFTA, he was found to be enthusiastically responding to every single topic he was questioned on. With the entire audience paying a standing ovation, director Bala signed off.