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Ananthakrishnan, better known as Ananthu, was an Indian screenwriter working on Tamil language films, often collaborating with K. Balachander. He was the mentor of actor Kamal Haasan.

Early life

Ananthu was born as Ananthakrishnan at a village called Kandiramanickam near Karaikudi and Thirupathur. His father Thiruvengadam was working in South Indian Corporation. He studied B. S. C. chemistry. He worked as demonstrator at colleges and then later worked as clerk at A. G. S. Office where he met Balachander. He worked as dialogue writer for Balachander's plays while also participating in story discussions.

Career

Ananthu was a screenwriter and close associate of director K. Balachander. He also worked with director C. Rudraiah on his two films. In the title card, Rudhraiya had dedicated the film Aval Appadithan to Ananthu. Ananthu was sub-dialogue writer with Chitralaya Gopu for the films Anubhavam Pudhumai and Galatta Kalyanam directed by C. V. Rajendran. Ananthu acted in the film Galatta Kalyanam with Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalitha after intermission.

In 1991, Ananthu directed Sigaram starring S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Anand Babu, Radha and Ramya Krishnan. A critic noted "with an eye for realism and a talent for profound dialogue, Ananthu makes this a memorable entry into the annals of parallel cinema."

Work experience with Kamal Haasan

Ananthu was considered by Kamal Haasan as a close associate and mentor. Through Ananthu, Haasan was able to maintain close ties with K. Balachander.

In the early 1970s, Kamal Haasan had become jaded and suicidal with the monotonous, low-key roles that he was receiving from Tamil cinema. He later credited Ananthu for reinvigorating his interest in films, after taking up his suggestion of moving to work on Malayalam films. During the period, Ananthu continued to nurture Kamal Haasan's talent by evaluating his on-screen performances and by introducing him to world cinema. Haasan has also credited Ananthu for teaching him screenwriting.

Ananthu continued to work closely with Haasan for a number of his films in the 1990s through various capacities. He was behind the title of Nammavar, a term also later adapted by Kamal Haasan in his political activities.

Following Ananthu's death in 1998, Kamal Haasan's first Tamil directorial venture Hey Ram (2000) was dedicated to Ananthu. After winning the Henri Langlois award in 2016, Kamal Haasan dedicated the award to Ananthu. An official portrait of Ananthu was inaugurated in 2019 at Kamal Haasan's offices as a part of celebrations marking the actor's 60th year in the film industry.

Partial filmography

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References

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5. "எனக்கு எல்லாமே சினிமா தான்!". Kalki (in Tamil). 29 December 1996. pp. 66–67. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
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9. "Sigaram". GeoCities. 19 January 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
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13. "Kamal Haasan's heart-to-heart with AISFM students!". AISFM Blog. 22 December 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
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15. Rangan, Baradwaj (17 October 2014). "Master of Arts". Baradwaj Rangan. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
16. "Henri Langlois award for Kamal Haasan". Sify. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
17. "Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth join hands to unveil their mentor K Balachander's statue". The Hindu. 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
18. "37 வருடத்துக்குப் பிறகு 'மீண்டும் கோகிலா' : இயக்குனர் நெகிழ்ச்சி". Puthiya Thalaimurai (in Tamil). 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
19. Vinoth Kumar, N (22 August 2020). "30 years of Keladi Kanmani, a film that established SPB as an actor". The Federal. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
20. ராம்ஜி, வி. (18 October 2020). "'திருப்பு திருப்புன்னான்', 'மீன் பிடிக்கிற கரண்டி', 'கேட்ச் மை பாயிண்ட்', 'கடன்பட்டார் நெஞ்சம் போல் கலங்கினான்', 'அங்கவஸ்திர ஜரிகை மாதிரி மளிகை லிஸ்ட்', 'இது இங்கிலீஷ் மீனாக்கும்!', 'பீம்பாய் பீம்பாய்'; - காமெடியில் தனி சரித்திரம் படைத்த 'மைக்கேல் மதன காமராஜன்' 30 ஆண்டுகள்!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
21. "Oru Veedu Iru Vaasal". The Indian Express. 7 September 1990. p. 7. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
22. Krishnaswamy, N. (25 January 1991). "Sigaram". The Indian Express. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
23. Rajendar, Gopinath (14 June 2018). "Santhana Bharathi talks about going in circles for 'Guna'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2020.

External links

• Ananthu at IMDb

• 1998 deaths
• 20th-century Indian screenwriters
• Film directors from Tamil Nadu
• Indian film directors
• Screenwriters from Tamil Nadu
• Tamil film directors
• Tamil screenwriters
• Tamil-language film directors