RIP P Balachandran: An important part of Malayalam cinema

P Balachandran, who won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1989, passed away in Vaikom earlier today

Noted Malayalam actor and writer P Balachandran passed away on Monday at the age of 62. He had reportedly been suffering from health problem for quite some time.

He began his career with an uncredited role in Richard Attenborough's magnum opus Gandhi, which was released in 1982. He subsequently acted in films such as Trivandram Lodge and Thank You, carving a niche for himself. The actor turned writer with the Mohanlal-starrer Uncle Bun, a remake of the American comedy Uncle Buck. He went on to pen films such as Ulladakkam, Manasam, and Kallu Kondoru Pennu. P Balachandran garnered a fair deal of attention when he wrote the script for the 2005 release Police, starring Prithviraj and his brother Indrajith in the lead. It revolved around the dynamics between a ruthless cop and his more professional colleague.

The protagonists were presented as foils (contrasts) to each other, one of the basics of good storytelling. The film was directed by V K Prakash and had shades of the Sylvester Stallone-starrer Tango & Cash.

After proving his mettle as a writer, P Balachandran turned director with the Prakash Bare-starrer Ivan Megharoopan, a film based on the life of the noted poet P Kunhiraman Nair. He originally wanted V K Prakash to wield the microphone for the film but things didn't work out. P Balachandran ultimately directed the film, using the poet's autobiography Kaviyude Kalpadukal as a reference. He, however, maintained that the film was a fictionalised account of Nair's life and not a biopic.

P Balachandran also continued impressing fans with his work as an actor. The veteran essayed a supporting role in 2016 release Kammatipaadam, which hit the right notes with its Kochi setting. The film, written by P Balachandran himself, is regarded as one of the most challenging projects of Dulquer Salmaan's career. He also acted in Nithya Menen's critically-acclaimed movie Kolaambi. P Balachandran was last seen essaying the role of an MLA in the recently-released Mammootty movie One, which opened to a good response at the box office.

His death is a big loss for the Malayalam film industry