Bala is an Indian actor and director, who works in Malayalam and Tamil cinema. He made his debut in the Telugu film 2 Much (2002). He is well known for his supporting roles; in films such as Big B (2007), Sound of Boot (2008), Puthiya Mukham (2009), Hero (2012), Veeram (2014), Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015), Pulimurugan (2016), Aanakkallan (2018), Lucifer (2019), and Thambi (2019).

Early life

Bala was born into a family closely associated with the film industry, with his grandfather being the owner of the Arunachala Studios. His father, Jeyakumar, directed over 350 films and documentaries, while his brother Siva has worked as a director and cinematographer in south Indian films.^[1]

Career

He made his debut in Telugu with 2 Much (2002) and in Tamil with Anbu (2003). Since then he acted and found success in a number of Malayalam films. He received appreciation for his role in the 2009 film Puthiya Mukham. He made a comeback to Tamil cinema in 2014 with the Ajith Kumar-starrer Veeram.^[2] The film, directed by his brother Siva, the film was a critical and commercial success.^[3]

Bala made his directorial debut with the 2012 Malayalam action film The Hitlist, in which he played the leading role. In 2015 and 2016, he performed notable supporting roles in the period romantic drama Ennu Ninte Moideen and the action film Pulimurugan, and Lucifer in 2019, all three were the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

Personal life

On 27 August 2010, he married Idea Star Singer-fame Malayali singer Amrutha Suresh.^[4] They have a daughter, Avantika, born in September 2012.^[5] The couple divorced in 2019 after living separately for three years.

On 5 September 2021, he married Elizabeth Udayan, who is a doctor by profession. In an interview in 2023, Bala revealed he was living separately from Elizabeth.^[6]

Filmography

Malayalam films

Tamil films

Telugu films

Television