Bala ; born 11 July 1966 is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, working in Tamil cinema. Bala is widely acclaimed for "revolutionizing Tamil cinema" through his realistic, dark and disturbing depiction of the working class on celluloid screen. He has received several awards and recognition for his work, including the National Film Award for Best Director for his fourth feature film Naan Kadavul (2009).