Director Vasanthabalan, known for directing films such as Veyil, Angadi Theru and Kaaviya Thalaivan, has been admitted to a hospital in Chennai after he tested positive for the coronavirus. The director himself shared the news on social media via his official page on Facebook.
“Dear friends, I have been affected by COVID-19 and admitted to a hospital. I have not been able to attend many of your calls because of that. I am surrounded by friends, doctors, relatives who love me and this gives me the strength of one thousand elephants. I will once again raise like the horse with 12 feet (sic),” he wrote in a message shared on Facebook. Updates regarding his health are awaited.
Vasanthabalan began his film career as an assistant to director Shankar, working with him in his debut film Gentleman. He worked with Shankar in three of his other early films namely Kaadhalan, Indian and Jeans.
Vasanthabalan tried to make his debut as director in the 2000s with a film starring Telugu actor Rajasekar. This however did not take off. He then made his debut with a film titled Album in 2002 starring Aryan Rajesh and Shruthika. Unfortunately, it failed at the box office. Vasanthabalan’s break came in 2006 with the film Veyil that brought him not just critical acclaim but also the National Award for Best Feature Film.
Veyil also became the first Tamil language film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. The film starred Pasupathi, Bharathi, Bhavana, Priyanka Nair and Sriya Reddy in lead roles.
Then in 2010 came another masterpiece, inspired by the lives of textile store workers in Chennai. Titled Angadi Theru, this film bought Vasanthabalan Filmfare and Vijay awards for Best Director. The film also won Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize. Actor Anjali’s performance in this film brought her great acclaim.
Vasanthabalan also made two other films called Aravaan and Kaaviya Thalaivan, the latter starring Siddharth. He is presently working on Jail with GV Prakash Kumar.