We are back after a long gap to continue with our Bala series.

This one is special. Pithamagan was special. As two stars Vikram and Suriya come together, Bala goes up a notch and delivers a film that is as timeless as it is strange and compelling. With Vikram, Suriya, Laila, Sangeetha, Karunas and Raaja's music, Pithamagan shocked and awed everyone.

Equanimus joins Aditya and Anantha to talk all things Pithamagan and Bala's masterpiece.

Edited by Anantha

It's been some time but we are back with the Bala series. This time we talk about the 2001 film, Bala's sophomore feature Nandha starring Suriya, Laila, Rajkiran, Saravanan, Karunas.

This felt like a more assured Bala, more confident in his approach and expanding the definition of mainstream. We have the same team to talk about the film. Hari and Anantha join Aditya.

Participants:

Aditya

Hari

Anantha

Edited by Anantha

A new Director Series at The Other Banana

We have long debated a series on director Bala. You could say that Bala is not Bala anymore and his films are increasingly becoming difficult to meaningfully engage with but, the Bala 1999-2010 was something else.

A new voice broke out in Tamil cinema in 1999 with Sethu. One of the several assistants of Balu Mahendra who will go on to make a mark in the following years, Bala ushered in an auterist sensibility with unique technique, point of view, characters and settings. The Bala universe was instantly recognizable.

In the first of the series, we begin with his debut in 1999 which not only kickstarted his career but also redeemed Vikram's career and pushed him into stardom. With one film, a new star actor as well as a star director were born. Listen on.

Participants

Aditya

Anantha

Hari

Edited by Anantha