S. Balasubramanian Biography 
S. Balasubramanian, also known as S. S. Balan was a media personality and filmmaker from Tamil Nadu. An eminent journalist and political analyst who spent more than 6 decades in this field, he served as editor and managing director of Tamil’s leading magazine, Ananda Vikatan. He was also known as aviculturalist and agriculturalist. He also served as the managing director of famous Gemini film studios since 1950s. His father S. S. Vasan was also a leading media personality and filmmaker. After spending more than 60 years in the field of media, in the last phase of his life he served as the chairman emeritus of the Vikatan Group.
Balasubramanian was born on 28 December 1935 in Chennai, British India. He was born as the son of the prominent Tamil media personality, S. S. Vasan, who founded Gemini studios and Vikatan magazine. He had one elder sister. Following his father’s footsteps, he also reached the same field. His school and college education were completed in Chennai. During his younger days he actively participated in cricket matches and was also interested in wildlife and birds. Later this hobby developed into a serious passion.
When 1950s witnessed the domination of cinema and media, he was groomed by his father and he was made the joint managing director of both Gemini and Vikatan by his father. After his father’s death, he took over the reign of the media empire. S. S. Balan also mentored many famous writers in Tamil such as Manian, Shivashankari, Sujatha, Balakumaran, Crazy Mohan, Madhan etc. He also penned many novels and serial stories under the pen name Sevarkodiyon. He handled Gemini Studios, Gemini Picture Circuit, Ananda Vikatan, Gemini Color Lab and others.
He also produced and directed many movies belonging to Hindi and Tamil languages in the 1960s-1970s. Following the unexpected failure of his magnum opus in four languages - Ellorum Nallavare, Gemini studios got shut down in the second half of 1970s. He produced and directed Bollywood films - Teen Bahuraniyan, Lakhon Mein Ek, Sanjog, Shatranj and Nishaan. Balan was married to Saroja Balan and the couple had seven children. He died following a heart attack on December 2014 at the age of 78.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 19, 2016
