Entertainment Desk

Tamil actor Daniel Balaji died of a heart attack in Chennai on Friday night. He was 48. Daniel was reportedly rushed to the hospital after complaining of chest pain. The Tamil film industry is shocked by the news of his demise.

Born in December 1975, Daniel began his career as a unit production manager on the sets of legendary actor Kamal Haasan’s “Marudhanayagam” which was never released. The historical drama was directed and produced by Haasan. However, due to hurdles in production, it was delayed and eventually remains unreleased to this day despite several attempts to revive it.

The film also starred Vishnuvardhan, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Pasupathy.

Daniel found fame in the television show “Chithi” which earned him the screen name since his real name is TC Balaji. “April Maadhathil” was his first film in Tamil, followed by “Kaadhal Kondein”. However, his first meaty role was in “Kaakha Kaakha” where he essayed a police officer alongside the lead actor Suriya. Gautham Vasudev Menon directed the plot around a squad of policemen fighting organised crime in Chennai.

Menon collaborated with Daniel again for “Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu” - another cop drama with Kamal Haasan in the lead. Daniel essayed the role of the antagonist Amudhan which earned him appreciation and immense praise.

Furthermore, Daniel went on to star in films like “Polladhavan”, “Chirutha”, “Muthirai”, “Black” (Malayalam), “Bhagavan” alongside Mohanlal and “Daddy Cool” with Mammootty.

Daniel Balaji was last seen in the 2023 film “Ariyavan” directed by Mithran R Jawahar. The film stars Ishaaon and Pranali Ghogare in the lead roles.