R. Balakrishnan, popularly known as R. Balki,[2][3] (born 16 April 1964) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and former Group Chairman of the advertising agency Lowe Lintas (India).

He is best known for directing the films Cheeni Kum (2007), Paa (2009), Pad Man (2018), Chup: Revenge of The Artist (2022), and Ghoomer (2023).

Balki wrote and directed the 2007 comedy-drama film Cheeni Kum, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu, which marked his directorial debut.

[9] His next directorial was the thriller Chup : Revenge Of The Artist, starring Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol and Shreya Dhanwanthary in lead roles.

[citation needed] For Pad Man, he won the award for Best Director at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in 2018.