''SHANKAR IS RESPONSIBLE ALONG WITH RAJINIKANTH FOR TAKING TAMIL CINEMA OVERSEAS''

The prestigious category in Behindwoods Gold Medal Awards is the K Balachander Gold Medal for Excellence in Indian Cinema which was bagged by director Shankar this year. The award was presented by veteran Panchu Arunachalam.

It was definitely a momentous occasion which witnessed the presence of dignitaries Pushpa Kandaswamy (KB’s daughter) and her husband Kandaswamy, writer Jeyamohan, VFx specialist Srinivas Mohan and Manoj NS, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Behindwoods.com on the stage.

Jeyamohan congratulated Shankar and said, “Shankar is someone who makes use of technological advancements in cinema to the fullest. He knows the audience’s taste and requirements perfectly.”

Srinivas Mohan said that he has been associated with Shankar for more than 15 years and that he has learnt so much from him. He furthered, “It is easy to work in Hollywood where there is a specific department for every work. But, here, it is not so. A director has to take care of many responsibilities and I always marvel at the way in which Shankar handles them all. His vision is something unimaginable which makes the Hollywood technicians look at him in awe. I wish to reiterate that as regards VFx industry, Shankar is my Guru.”

Pushpa Kandaswamy added, “I am very glad that the award in my appa’s name has gone to the right person. I always find similarities between my appa and Shankar. Both of them treat every film of theirs as their first. While my dad dealt with personality disorder and mental depression in Agni Saatchi, Shankar handled it in Anniyan. Thanneer Thaneer and Indian were films with the social angle. Both of them are great perfectionists”.

When Manoj NS, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Behindwoods.com wished Shankar and mentioned that he is such a great inspiration for many. He also stated, “We are honored to present this award to you. Please continue to inspire us”.

Veteran Panchu Arunachalam mentioned that it was Shankar and Rajinikanth who had brought in visibility to Tamil cinema from all over. He stated, “Years ago, only Singapore and Malaysia used to screen Tamil films but now, thanks to Rajinikanth and Shankar, people all over the world know about Tamil films”.

Vikram who was seated in the hall, had words of praise about Shankar. He said, “Shankar’s ideas are world class. Hollywood technicians who worked with him in his films always wonder about him.   It’s Hollywood’s loss that he is not part of that industry and India’s gain”.

In his acceptance speech, Shankar said, “I am glad to be honored with K Balachander Gold Medal for Excellence in Indian Cinema. KB sir is my greatest inspiration. There were times at the beginning of my career when I used to start for his office to seek a position under him. But I was not sure if he would take me and I used to come back. When I entered the film industry, he was on top of his form for almost 30-35 years which is something phenomenal. I cannot even match the number of films he has made.

I would always try to ape KB sir’s touch in my films. When I made Gentleman, I wanted to show Suseela’s break up of heart through a soap bubble. It was very difficult and we had to compromise as those days CG had not advanced that much. Then I made up my mind to have my own touch as it was very difficult to bring in his style in my film.

I still recall with a lot of fondness about the two-page letter he wrote to me after seeing Enthiran. It is a treasured one for me”.

Shankar also had words of appreciation for behindwoods and said, “It is heartening to see a dignified awards function. Behindwoods writes only positive aspects and they are quite updated. I have heard people in my team mentioning that they would look into behindwoods to know the shooting locales and details, if they are not clear on the relevant information”.

(Photos of Behindwoods Gold Medals coming soon)