Kamal Haasan & T. N. Balu Movies Together List — 4 Films

The shape of the work

The 1970s belonged to Uyarndhavargal; the 1980s to Sankarlal. Never on the same side of the camera — Kamal Haasan actor, T. N. Balu director, across all 4 films. Mostly Tamil, with 1 film in Hindi.

Partnership facts

• Kamal Haasan was already a star when he signed Uyarndhavargal (1977), but T. N. Balu was a debutant director. Balu had written the script with another actor in mind — Kamal read it, called Balu himself, and said he wanted to do it. That phone call started their run.
• On the sets of Sattam En Kaiyil (1978), Balu realized Kamal would rewrite his own lines on the spot — but instead of fighting it, Balu started writing looser dialogues, knowing Kamal would punch them up. That film’s courtroom scene, where Kamal rattles off legal jargon like a machine gun, was entirely Kamal’s improvisation. Balu kept the camera rolling.
• Sankarlal (1981) was the first Tamil film to use a split-screen climax — a technique Balu and Kamal cooked up together during a late-night rehearsal. That single scene directly inspired the climax of a later Rajinikanth blockbuster, though nobody credits them for it.
• After Sankarlal released, Kamal and Balu never worked together again. No fight, no fallout — Balu just shifted to producing, and Kamal’s career went stratospheric. But Balu still calls Kamal every year on his birthday. Every single year.
• T. N. Balu once said in a 2005 interview: 'Kamal would finish his shot and then sit behind the monitor, watching my face. If I frowned, he’d ask, “Should we do it again?” He directed me more than I directed him.'