# Bala (actor)
**Bala Kumar**, credited as Bala (Malayalam: ബാല; born 1982) is an Indian actor who works mainly in Malayalam and Tamil films, with credits also in [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema). Originally from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, he is best known to Malayalam audiences as a supporting actor in films such as *Ennu Ninte Moideen* (2015) and *[Lucifer](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucifer-2019-indian-film)* (2019), and as the actor-director of the Malayalam action film *The Hitlist* (2012)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636112/). He should not be confused with the Tamil director Bala, a different person nearly two decades older with a distinct filmography[3](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala/filmography.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Bala Kumar, credited as Bala[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography) |
| Born | 1982, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography) |
| Occupations | Actor; also producer, cinematographer, director, writer, editor, music[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography) |
| Film debut | *Anbu* (Tamil, 2003); Malayalam debut *Kalabham* (2006), opposite Navya Nair[4](https://ammakerala.com/meet-the-star/view/bala-kumar) |
| Known for | *The Hitlist* (2012), *Lucifer* (2019), *Irumugan* (2016)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636112/) |
| Output | 40 released films as actor, 2006 to 2025, according to the MalayalaSangeetham database[5](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Bala&category=actors) |
## Early life and family
Bala was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography). He is the son of the late director and producer Dr. Jayakumar, and his brother is [Siva](https://www.edgepedia.org/siva-director), a director in the Tamil film industry[6](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala-malayalam-actor/biography.html). In a 2024 interview, Bala described an agreement he had signed with producer [K. E. Gnanavel Raja](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-e-gnanavel-raja) before his brother's film *Kanguva*, for a Tamil film he intended to direct from his own script[7](https://www.asianetnews.com/entertainment-news/actor-bala-to-make-his-directorial-debut-will-be-produced-by-ke-gnanavel-raja-sg34f0).
## Acting career
**Start in Tamil and Telugu.** Filmibeat's English biography places his first screen appearance in the Telugu film *2 Much* (2002), followed by his Tamil debut with *Anbu* (2003)[6](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala-malayalam-actor/biography.html). The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) member directory likewise names *Anbu* as his debut film, while dating his Malayalam entry to *Kalabham*, in which he was paired with [Navya Nair](https://www.edgepedia.org/navya-nair)[4](https://ammakerala.com/meet-the-star/view/bala-kumar). The MalayalaSangeetham database treats 2006, the year of *Kalabham*, as his year of first movie[5](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Bala&category=actors), a differing date from the Filmibeat account of a 2002 Telugu start[6](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala-malayalam-actor/biography.html).
**Establishing himself in Malayalam.** In his own telling, roles offered in Malayalam came soon after his early Tamil films, but *Kalabham* did not achieve the success he expected, and he prepared to return to Tamil. The chance to appear with [Mammootty](https://www.edgepedia.org/mammootty) in [Amal Neerad](https://www.edgepedia.org/amal-neerad)'s *[Big B](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-b-film)* (2007) then came his way, and the film became a hit[8](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/actor-bala-reveals-an-interesting-memory-with-mammooty-while-shooting-on-the-big-b-movie-set-117495.html). He followed it with the villain role in *Puthiya Mugham* (2009)[8](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/actor-bala-reveals-an-interesting-memory-with-mammooty-while-shooting-on-the-big-b-movie-set-117495.html) and continued through titles such as *Sahasram* (2010), *Black Stallion* (2010), *Alexander The Great* (2010), and *Makaramanju* (2011)[5](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Bala&category=actors).
**Higher-profile supporting roles.** IMDb names *The Hitlist*, *Lucifer*, and *Irumugan* (2016) among his most recognized films[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636112/). His recent and upcoming Malayalam credits include *Shefeekkinte Santhosham* (2019), *The Case Diary* (2022), and *My Dear Machans* (2025)[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography).
## Directing
He is named as both producer and director of the film in the MalayalaSangeetham filmography[5](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Bala&category=actors). BookMyShow additionally lists him as director and writer of the Telugu horror thriller *Vasudhaika 1957*[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography). As of mid-2024 he was preparing his Tamil directorial debut[7](https://www.asianetnews.com/entertainment-news/actor-bala-to-make-his-directorial-debut-will-be-produced-by-ke-gnanavel-raja-sg34f0).
## Personal life
Bala married the playback singer Amrutha Suresh, a Malayalee, in 2010; the couple separated in 2019 and have a daughter, Avanthika. After two years of separation he married Elizabeth Udayan in 2021[6](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala-malayalam-actor/biography.html) • [4](https://ammakerala.com/meet-the-star/view/bala-kumar). IMDb lists a child named Avantika and identifies A. K. Velan as a grandparent[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636112/bio/).
## Distinction from the Tamil director Bala
The name Bala in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) also belongs to a separate filmmaker, born 1966 in Chennai, whose directing credits run from *Sethu* (1999) to *Vanangaan* (2025)[3](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala/filmography.html). Film databases under the bare name "Bala" sometimes mix the two, and Rotten Tomatoes, for example, attributes the director's credits such as *[Naan Kadavul](https://www.edgepedia.org/naan-kadavul)* and *[Tharai Thappattai](https://www.edgepedia.org/tharai-thappattai)* to the actor's page[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bala). The actor's own credits are those listed in the sections above, drawn from sources that identify him specifically as Bala Kumar[1](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography) • [4](https://ammakerala.com/meet-the-star/view/bala-kumar).
## References
1. [Bala Kumar – Movies, Biography, Filmography, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/bala-kumar/5424/filmography)
2. [Bala (III) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636112/)
3. [பாலா திரைப்பட பட்டியல் – Filmibeat Tamil (director Bala filmography)](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala/filmography.html)
4. [Bala Kumar – Meet the Star, Association of Malayalam Movie Artists](https://ammakerala.com/meet-the-star/view/bala-kumar)
5. [Bala / ബാല – MalayalaSangeetham.Info actor profile and filmography](https://en.msidb.org/displayProfile.php?artist=Bala&category=actors)
6. [https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala-malayalam-actor/biography.html](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/bala-malayalam-actor/biography.html)
7. [Actor Bala to make his directorial debut – Asianet News Malayalam](https://www.asianetnews.com/entertainment-news/actor-bala-to-make-his-directorial-debut-will-be-produced-by-ke-gnanavel-raja-sg34f0)
8. [Actor Bala on his Big B shoot memory with Mammootty – Malayalam Filmibeat](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/actor-bala-reveals-an-interesting-memory-with-mammooty-while-shooting-on-the-big-b-movie-set-117495.html)
9. [Bala – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636112/bio/)
10. [Bala – Rotten Tomatoes filmography page (with mixed credits)](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bala)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, 2000s onward › Surnames symbols to B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license