Teacher’s Day: A look at Kollywood celebs and their mentors

Being a teacher is easily the most toughest and prestigious job as well. It’s that time of the year when he realise how gifted we’re to have such wonderful teachers, who have shaped us all throughout. On the occasion of Teacher’s Day today, we look at some of our Kollywood celebrities and the rapport they share with their mentors.

Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, the two pillars of Tamil cinema, began their acting career in K Balachander’s troop. Yes, the legendary filmmaker introduced both of the superstars in his films. Over the years, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have attributed their successful to their mentor K Balachander. In fact, the duo has worked together in over 13 films, after which they decided not to collaborate together. Despite being on-screen rivals, the rapport Kamal and Rajini share is an open secret. Even today, Rajini-Kamal have remained friends and share great respect for each other. While Kamal Haasan went on to frequently work with Balachander, Rajinikanth is known for his association with another successful filmmaker SP Muthuraman. Interestingly, Kamal Haasan played a guest role in Balachander’s ‘Thillu Mullu’ starring Rajinikanth in the lead.

After churning out some fantastic films with the maestro Ilaiyaraaja, Mani Ratnam introduced a new music composer named AR Rahman, who would later bring in a whiff of fresh air in Indian cinema. Mani Ratnam worked with Rahman for the first time in ‘Roja’, which won multiple national awards when it released in 1992. The film also marked the beginning of a new journey, which would alter Tamil cinema forever. In a career spanning two decades, Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman have produced some magical films. In fact, the duo celebrated 25 years together last year when the romantic drama ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ hit the screens. On the work front, Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman are coming together for their next biggie ‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’, a multi-starrer venture, which is slated to release on September 28.

Dhanush is arguably one of the finest actors we have. Making his debut in the college drama ‘Thulluvadho Ilamai’, which was directed by his father Kasthuri Raja, Dhanush owes a lot to his brother Selvaraghavan, with whom he has closely worked. Dhanush joined hands with Selvaraghavan for the romantic thriller ‘Kadhal Kondein’, which opened to rave reviews from critics. The film was highly appreciated for its story and performance by Dhanush and became a successful venture at the box office. Following the success, the duo teamed up for the gangster drama ‘Pudhupettai’, which eventually became a cult classic among fans. Dhanush and Selvaraghavan also made ‘Mayakkam Enna’, which received critical acclaim. In several interviews, Dhanush has called Selvaraghavan as his ‘mentor’ and rightly so.

Everyone knows the fact that it was Bala, who gave the much-needed breakthrough to Suriya and Vikram. The latter wanted to quit cinema after a string of flops. It was Bala’s tragedy-drama ‘Sethu’ that turned the table for Vikram. ‘Sethu’ became a landmark film in Tamil cinema and won several awards as well. On the other hand, Suriya got his breakthrough after acting in Bala’s ‘Nandha’, which became a money spinner at the box office. The film shot Suriya to limelight and won critical acclaim for its screenplay and direction. Years later, Suriya and Vikram worked together for ‘Pithamagan’, which fetched the National Award for Best Actor for Vikram. ‘Pithamagan’ is also often cited as Suriya’s best performance till date. Both Suriya and Vikram owe a lot to Bala.

After majoring in English literature, Vetri Maaran joined as an assistant to the legendary filmmaker Balu Mahendra. According to Vetri, it was Balu Mahendra who shaped him as a filmmaker and inspired him to make ‘good’ cinema. Long before he became one of the finest filmmakers in Tamil, Vetri Maaran assisted Balu Mahendra in films like ‘Julie Ganapathy’ and ‘Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam’. Interestingly, it was only on the sets of ‘Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam’ where Vetri Maaran met Dhanush and narrated a script to the actor. In 2007, Dhanush and Vetri Maaran teamed up for the first time in ‘Polladhavan’, which became a successful venture at the box office. Later, they would once again collaborate for ‘Aadukalam’ in 2010, which won six national awards. With just three films old, Vetri Maaran has positioned himself as one of the best filmmakers in Tamil cinema.