Daniel Balaji is the name that comes to everyone's mind when we talk about some of the greatest villains in the rich history of Kollywood cinema. Over the decades, we have seen a series of exceptionally talented actors portraying villainous characters on the big screen with such perfection that they got typecast for negative characters. One such actor was Daniel Balaji, who cemented himself as a fearsome villain in South Indian cinema.
Daniel Balaji received most of the praise and recognition for his work in the Tamil film industry. However, he proved the mettle of his acting chops and onscreen presence in the Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada film industries. Another unique thing about the critically acclaimed actor is that he started his acting journey with television but went on to become a cinema legend.
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Legendary Tamil actor, Daniel Balaji was last seen in the film, Ariyavan, which was released on March 3, 2023. The actor played the antagonist, 'Thuraipandi', in the film and once again left a mark on the audience with his trademark intensity and chilling dialogues. It's disheartening that Ariyavan turned out to be his last film after just 12 months and 26 days since the film's release.
According to a report in The Times Of India, Daniel Balaji died at the age of 48 on March 29, 2024, at a private hospital in Chennai's Kottivakam. The actor suffered severe pain in his chest, after which he was rushed to the hospital. Even after reaching the hospital and medical intervention, doctors couldn't save Daniel Balaji.
As soon as the news of his demise went public, his name started trending on multiple social media platforms. From Instagram to Twitter, people posted their heartfelt condolences for the iconic actor's family and loved ones.
Ace director, Mohan Raja admitted that he was devastated after hearing about the sudden demise of Daniel Balaji. He even revealed that it was the late actor, who inspired him to join the film institute. Apart from Mohan Raha, Sanam Shetty, Ramesh Bala, Vidya Thakur, and many others mourned the loss of the legendary Kollywood villain.
Daniel Balaji was born on December 2, 1975, in Madras, Tamil Nadu. While his father was of Telugu descent, his mother was of Tamilian, which helped their son embrace both languages and their cultures. As he grew up, Daniel Balaji decided to become an actor and joined the Taramani Film Institute in Chennai, from where he studied a film direction course.
After getting formal training in acting, Daniel Balaji went out and struggled to make his way to the top. However, not everyone is aware of the fact that the late iconic film director and scriptwriter, S. Siddalingaiah was his uncle. Not only this, popular Tamil actor, Atharvaa is his nephew. With so many connections in the film industry, Daniel Balaji didn't hesitate to work in a production team for Kamal Haasan's film before making his acting debut on the big screen.
Only a few people know that Daniel Balaji worked in the production team of legendary actor, Kamal Haasan's unreleased historical film, Marudhanayagam. The late actor worked as a Unit Production Manager on the sets of the film, which never got released. It was unfortunate for the entire team that the film couldn't go through the various stages of production. Still, Daniel Balaji had learned a lot about film production and acting during his time on the sets of Marudhanayagam.
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After gaining some experience on the sets of Marudhanayagam and other movies, Daniel Balaji made his acting debut on television with the iconic show, Chithi. What's interesting is the fact that his character's name was also 'Daniel' in the show. After his commendable work in Chithi, Daniel's impressive acting caught the attention of director, Sunder K. Vijayan, who cast him in the show, Alaigal.
With his work in Chithi and Alaigal, it was the year 2002 when Daniel Balaji made his acting debut in the Tamil film industry with the film, April Maadhathil. After some years, Daniel made his acting debut in the Malayalam and Telugu film industries in a single year, which was 2004, with the films, Black and Samba. Since then, he has never looked back and gave a series of memorable performances in movies like Kaadhal Kondein, Kaakha Kaakha, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, Polladhavan, Chirutha, Muthirai, Bhagavan, Daddy Cool, and many more.
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It was the year 2006 when Gautham Vasudev Menon's film, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu was released in theatres. The film featured Kamal Haasan in the role of an IPS Officer, while Daniel played the film's main antagonist, 'Amudhan Sukumaran'. The film was released on August 25, 2006, and broke the headlines due to Daniel Balaji's exceptional acting.
Once, in an interview with BehindWoods, Daniel Balaji admitted that people started fearing him, but he took it as a compliment. The actor admitted that he had heard people saying that he scared them with his character of a serial killing psychopath. He said:
"After the initial fear and stigma, people now see me with respect as a good actor. I have heard some of them saying "What an actor, he scared the shit out of me."
There's no denying the fact that Daniel Balaji's performance in Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu made him 'the first choice' for negative roles in almost every director's eyes. In the coming years, he had done a lot of negative characters, but once, in an old 2014 interview, Daniel admitted that he was never bothered about being typecast. Sharing how he sees himself as a 'hero' and not 'villain', Daniel Balaji said:
"I see myself as a hero, and not as a villain. In fact, the guy who I am acting with is the villain for me. These tags don't bother me. I am happy as long as I do interesting roles."
Daniel Balaji's sudden demise has indeed left a massive void in the Kollywood industry. Do you think that he was one of the greatest on-screen villains in the history of the Tamil film industry? Let us know.
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