N. L. Balakrishnan hailed from Powdikonam near Chempazhanthy in Thiruvananthapuram. He was born as the only child of Narayanan and Lakshmi on April 17, 1942.[1] He obtained a diploma in painting from College of Fine Arts Trivandrum and trained in photography from various studios in Trivandrum including Metro Studio, Sivan Studio and Rupalekha Studio. K. Neelakanta Pillai of Rupalekha Studio introduced Balakrishnan to film producer Sobhana Parameswaran Nair who made him work as a still photographer in the super hit film Kallichellamma (1967).
Balakrishnan worked as a still photographer in about 170 films. He was the first to take still pictures while the film was being shot. The practice till then was to pose after the scenes were shot by the movie camera.[2] Veteran photographer R. Gopalakrishnan says: "He [Balakrishnan] was also the first one to take a picture without using the flash, and that made his stills natural. He also showed that better pictures could be taken using the 35mm camera, instead of the 120mm, which had been in vogue earlier."[2] According to noted film critic C. S. Venkiteswaran, Balakrishnan was much more than a photographer; he was a "historian in a photographer’s garb." Venkiteswaran says: "He [Balakrishnan] travelled with the most important filmmakers of Malayalam, captured their moods, the moments during the making of films and also the cultural and social ambience of the periods in which these films were made."[3]
Acting
Balakrishnan's first film was Rajiv Anchal's Ammanam Kili. Anchal says, "I had known him since the days of working with Aravindan for Oridath. When I turned an independent director with a children’s film Ammanam Kili, I decided to cast him as a gypsy who sold birds. It was a main role in the film and he did a fine job."[2]
As an actor, Balakrishnan had around 180 films to his credit. He is known for his work on films such as Orkkapurathu (1988), Joker (2000), Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal (1988) and Pattanapravesham (1988). Filmmakers used his bulky physique to comic effect. In many films he played the giant with a heart of a child. His last film Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus released in 2013 September.
Personal life
He worked as a photojournalist in Kerala Kaumudi for eleven years (1968–1979).[4] He was also the head of Forum for Better Spirit, a pro-drinking group formed with the aim of lobbying for subsidised and abundant supply of good liquor in Kerala.[5] Balakrishnan has published a book titled Black and White (2011).
