Bharathi made his directorial debut with Chinna Pulla (1994) under the pseudonym Baskaran.
An elephant called Appu was brought in from Thrissur in Kerala for the film, where the elephant formed one of a stable maintained by the famed Paaramekaavu temple, which forms the venue of the yearly Thrissur Pooram festival.
[2] The film was rejected by Indian censors, because of its potential to spark religious conflicts - with particularly a scene in which some Muslim extremists masquerade themselves as religious Hindus and join in the celebration of a major festival in a temple - being highlighted as a concern.
Bharathi's third film Maanasthan starring Sarathkumar was a delayed project and received mixed reviews.
[3][4][5] After a four-year gap, Bharathi directed Valluvan Vasuki starring newcomers, the story is about the Konar dynasty and much of the shooting was done in villages bordering the Kollidam River in Thanjavur district.