 Just within directing a handful of films, his movies went on to win 6 National Awards, 13 State awards, 15 Filmfare Awards, 14 International Festival Awards and numerous coveted state awards which created a storm within the Indian movie scene.Apart from the awards, actors who played lead roles were transformed into brand new avatars and became stars.Bala was introduced by lyricist Arivumathi to director Balu Mahendra.