He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of unconventional themes and hard-hitting contemporary subject matter.

[3] Known among his colleagues as a tough task master,[4] he was credited with having nurtured numerous actors, notably Nagesh, Sujatha, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Jaya Prada, Sridevi, Jayasudha, Saritha, Renuka, Nassar, Prakash Raj, Ramesh Aravind and Vivek.

[2] At the age of twelve he was drawn to theatre and drama,[2] which eventually helped him develop an interest in acting, writing and directing amateur plays.

[8][10] His obsession towards theatre continued even while doing his graduation (in Zoology) at the Annamalai University, as he regularly took part in stage plays.

As the scope of English was highly limited in Madras, he re-wrote the play in Tamil, which ultimately became a "sensation" among the people.

Balachander's acting troupe consisted of people from the Tamil film industry such as Major Sundarrajan, Nagesh, Srikanth and Sowcar Janaki.

[8] Balachander while working in the Accountant General's office, was offered to write the dialogues for the film Dheiva Thaai (1964) by its lead actor M. G.

[2] Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar acquired the rights of his play Server Sundaram, and decided to make a film based on it.

[citation needed] During the 1970s, Balachander turned indie, making realist movies revolving around family and social issues.

[2] The film centred on the eldest daughter of a conservative Brahmin household who becomes a prostitute to settle her siblings and support her family.

[22] It is based on the Marathi play To Mee Navhech, revolved around a man who deceives and marries five women performing nine roles.

[22] Following that, Balachander's made Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974),[23] his second female-centric film after Arangetram that dealt with the story of a working woman who hails from a middle-class family.

[24] Inspired by the 1960 Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara,[25] it explored the emotions of a young woman who happens to be the sole earner for her family.

[28] Anthuleni Katha, a Telugu remake of Aval Oru Thodar Kathai had Jaya Prada in her first starring role.

Varumayin Niram Sigappu (1980) was a drama that charts the travails and conflict of being unemployed in a bombastic and harsh city.

47 Natkal (1981) traces the adversities of a newlywed Indian woman living with an scurrilous, expatriate husband in a Parisian suburb.

[citation needed] Balachander re-entered the Hindi film industry after Aaina through Ek Duuje Ke Liye in 1981.

[29] The project was a remake of his own Telugu film Maro Charitra had Kamal Haasan repeating his role as a lead actor.

Like the original, Ek Duuje Ke Liye emerged as a major box-office success and earned critical acclaim.

[citation needed] He made Sindhu Bhairavi (1985), which is about the intellectual collision and subsequent romance between a lofty Carnatic musician and his ardent critic.

The actors who were regular in his films in the period 1963 to 1990 were Gemini Ganeshan, Sowcar Janaki, Nagesh, Jayanthi, Sujatha, Saritha, Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan.

[37][38] Kailasam was an entrepreneur while Prasanna, a Chartered Accountant, is the managing director and CEO of a leading investment bank in India.

He was the head of the television production company Minbinbangal, and delivered memorable series in Tamil includes, Balachandarin Chinnathirai, Kaialavu Manasu, Rail Sneham, and Marma Desam.

Balachander had long associations with some senior artists in the South Indian film industry like Gemini Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Nagesh and Muthuraman.

After working in a few Kannada films, Prakash Raj was relaunched as an actor in Tamil cinema through his debut Duet (1994) and had also performed in some of Balachander's soap opera productions in the 1990s.