Filmmaker Vasantabalan has penned an emotional birthday message to his guru, director Shankar, crediting him for shaping his career and for being the reason behind his landmark film Veyil.
On Sunday, as Shankar turned 62, Vasantabalan took to social media and wrote, “Wishing you a happy birthday, Shankar sir. Only because of you was Veyil possible.” Playing with the metaphor of the Tamil word Veyil (which means sun), he further said, “It is only in the shadows of Veyil that I still rest today. Because of your great love for me, you continue to retrieve and raise me up.”
Vasantabalan began his career as an assistant to Shankar, working on blockbusters such as Gentleman, Kadhalan, Indian and Jeans. He made his directorial debut with Album, but it was his second outing, Veyil (2006), that established him as a filmmaker to watch out for.
Starring Bharath, Pasupathy, Bhavana, Priyanka Nair and Sriya Reddy, the film’s poignant tale of two brothers struck a chord with both audiences and critics. Veyil went on to win the National Award for Best Regional Feature Film (Tamil) and also became the first Tamil film to be screened at Cannes, under the Tous les Cinemas du Monde section. Its success even led to a Bangladeshi Bengali remake titled Antor Jala.
Apart from Vasantabalan, several other actors, directors and production houses also took to social media to shower birthday wishes on Shankar, one of Tamil cinema’s most influential filmmakers.
Vasantabalan last helmed Thalaimai Seyalagam, starring Kishore and Sriya Reddy in lead roles. Meanwhile, Shankar, who last made Indian 2, has Indian 3 coming up.
