Balachander receives Dada Saheb Phalke award

The highest and most prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for 2010 has gone to noted writer, producer and director K Balachander. KB (80), as he is affectionately known, is the first trendsetter of Tamil cinema in the 60's and 70’s.

KB is the director who dared to be different and has introduced over 100 new faces to Tamil cinema. His most notable introduction are the two pillars of south cinema Rajinikanth, and Kamal Haasan.

KB as a filmmaker has given us classics such as Apoorva Raagangal, Neer Kumizhi, Thaneer Thaneer, Aval Oru Thodarkathai, Maro Charithra and Ek Dujje Keliye in Hindi.

Some of the other greats and his contemporaries from the South Indian film industry who have been honoured with Dada Saheb Phalke award are, LV Prasad, A Nageswar Rao, Rajkumar, D Ramanaidu and Sivaji Ganesan.