S. S. Balan

S. Balasubramanian (28 December 1935 – 19 December 2014), better known as S. S. Balan, was an Indian journalist, filmmaker, political analyst, and media executive. He was also involved in aviculture and agriculture.^[1]

S. Balasubramanian
Born	S. Balasubramanian (1935-12-28)28 December 1935 Madras, Madras Presidency, British India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	19 December 2014(2014-12-19) (aged 78) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Journalist, filmmaker & political analyst

Balan had a six-decade-long career in Indian media serving as the editor of the Tamil-language magazine Ananda Vikatan and as managing director of Gemini Studios starting in 1956.^[2] He later served as chairman emeritus of the Vikatan Group after retiring from active involvement.

Balan died on 19 December 2014 in Chennai, India.^[2]

Early life and education

Balan was born on 28 December 1935 in Madras (now Chennai) to S. S. Vasan and Pattammal Vasan (d. 1996). He was the couple's second child and only son, with an elder sister named Lakshmi Narayani. The family resided in their ancestral Edward Elliots Road home (later renamed Radhakrishnan Salai).^[3] The house was later converted into an office building.^[4]

Balan studied at Presentation Convent, Church Park, and P. S. High School, and went on to earn a B.Com. degree from Loyola College, Madras.^[5]

Magazine career

Ananda Vikatan, the flagship weekly magazine of Vikatan Publications, was founded in 1926 and acquired by Balan's father S. S. Vasan in 1928. It is one of the longest-running Tamil-language publications.^[6] Under family ownership, Vikatan grew in readership and influence within Tamil media, literature, and the arts.^[7]

Balan joined Ananda Vikatan as joint managing director and chief editor on 26 August 1956 at 19. He became managing director on 26 August 1969, following the death of his father, Vasan.^[8] His concurrent leadership of Ananda Vikatan and Gemini Studios led to his being colloquially referred to as "M.D." in Chennai media circles during the 1970s.^[9]

In 1987, Balan was involved in a freedom of the press controversy when the Privileges Committee of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly sentenced him to three months in prison over a cartoon satire published on the cover of Ananda Vikatan.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15]} Following public backlash, he was released after two days. In 1994, the Madras High Court ruled in his favor, awarding him ₹1,000 in compensation, which he reportedly framed and displayed in his office.^[11][10][16]

Balan introduced a mentorship program for student journalists, contributing to the development of many Tamil media professionals.^[17][18][19] He supported the careers of several editors, journalists, writers and is credited with helping Cho Ramaswamy launch Thuglak magazine.^[20]

Writers who credited Balan with mentorship include Manian, Sujatha, Balakumaran, Crazy Mohan, Madhan,^[21] and Rajesh Kumar.^[22][23] Vikatan expanded its operations to include the publication of multiple Tamil magazines and books. It was among the early Indian publishers to adopt computerized typesetting and launch digital platforms. One of its noted projects was publishing a Tamil edition of the Concise Encyclopædia Britannica.^[24] After Balan stepped down from his editorial role at age 70, changes in editorial direction drew criticism from some readers.^[25]

Filmography

Year	Films	Director	Writer	Producer	Language	Notes
1961	Gharana	No	Yes	No	Hindi
1963	Grahasti	No	Yes	No
1966	Motor Sundaram Pillai	Yes	No	No	Tamil
1967	Aurat	Yes	No	Yes	Hindi
1968	Teen Bahuraniyan	Yes	No	Yes
	Oli Vilakku	Yes	Yes	No	Tamil
1969	Shatranj	No	Yes	Yes	Hindi
1971	Lakhon Mein Ek	Yes	No	Yes
1972	Sanjog	Yes	No	No
1974	Siriththu Vaazha Vendum	Yes	No	No	Tamil
	Kannavaari Kalalu	Yes	Yes	No	Telugu
1975	Ellorum Nallavare	Yes	No	Yes	Tamil	Also released in Hindi as Ek Gaon Ki Kahani
1976	Maa Daivam	Yes	Yes	No	Telugu
1978	Nishan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Bengali

Personal life

Balan died of a heart attack on 18 December 2014 in Chennai, nine days before his 79th birthday.^[26]