Bharat Bala

Career

Bharat Bala first gained national attention for the patriotic music videos Vande Mataram (1997) and Jana Gana Mana (2000), created with long-time collaborator A. R. Rahman.

He was set to direct and produce an Indo-Japanese film, co-produced by Disney, called The 19th Step, written by and starring Kamal Haasan, but the project was later shelved. He went on to direct Hari Om (2004) and Maryan (2013).

In 2010, he directed the music video of the official song of the Commonwealth Games, Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto and also the opening ceremony of the games.

In 2019, he launched Virtual Bharat, an ongoing 1,000-film digital museum documenting India’s art, culture and landscapes. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he directed the four-minute short We Will Rise (2020), shot remotely across 14 Indian states.

At the 55th International Film Festival of India in November 2024, he spoke on the panel “Culture as Context for Cinematic Storytelling,” highlighting Virtual Bharat’s crowd-funded model.

Bala’s next feature, Mahasangam—set against the 2025 Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and scored by A. R. Rahman—entered post-production in early 2025.

Virtual Bharat highlights

• Thaalam (2019) – inaugural short filmed at the Kerala boat races.
• Ganga – Daughter of the Himalayas (2023) – first film in the Uttarakhand cycle.
• Several additional shorts released online between 2019 and 2025.

Filmography

Feature films

Selected short films / documentaries

• We Will Rise (2020) – short film
• Virtual Bharat series (2019–present)

References

References

1. (2025-07-12). "Bharat Bala on South Indian Identity, Cinema & Nostalgia". Red FM India.
2. (2017-01-14). "'The 19th Step' shelved?". Times of India.
3. (2003-12-08). "Bharat Bala hopes to create a buzz at Cannes with his English-French film 'Hari Om'". India Today.
4. (2013-07-20). "Cocktail of love and action". The New Indian Express.
5. (2010-10-16). "Meet the man responsible for CWG turnaround". Rediff.
6. (23 November 2023). "Bharatbala's ambitious Virtual Bharat project releases first film in Uttarakhand series". The New Indian Express.
7. (6 June 2020). "Filmmaker Bharat Bala captures lockdown experience in short film We Will Rise". The New Indian Express.
8. (25 November 2024). "Panel discussion at IFFI 2024 highlights role of culture in cinematic storytelling".
9. (27 February 2025). "Abhishek Banerjee, Shahana Goswami & Neeraj Kabi come together for Bharat Bala’s Mahasangam". Bollywood Hungama.
10. (5 September 2019). "'Patriotism is a personal emotion, doesn’t need to be told': Bharatbala". The New Indian Express.
11. (19 July 2013). "Maryan Movie Review". The Times of India.