Balaji Vembu Chelli

Balaji Vembu Chelli is an Indian Writer, Director, and Producer who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He was born and raised in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. After completing his general schooling, Balaji Vembu Chelli pursued his bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering from Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology, and Research Academy. He was interested in films and filmmaking from a young age and was determined to make a career out of his passions. Despite his Engineering degree, Balaji Vembu Chelli got a postgraduate diploma in Film and TV with a specialization in Screenwriting and Direction from the LV Prasad Film and TV Academy. 

Soon after graduating, Balaji Vembu Chelli got his first job as an assistant director for the film ‘Kalyana Samayal Sadham’ (2014). The film was directed by R S Prasanna and featured actors such as Prasanna and Lekha Washington Lekha Washington started her career as a video Joc >> Read More... in leading roles.  Over the course of nearly a decade, Balaji Vembu Chelli has embraced diverse roles in the film industry. His experiences include serving as the First Assistant Director for the 2013 Tamil Feature film, ' Kalyana Samayal Saadham Click to look into! >> Read More... ' (The Wedding Feast). Additionally, Balaji Vembu Chelli has contributed as a Creative Producer, Screen Writer, and Script Consultant for numerous short and feature-length films. His versatility extends to freelancing as a Cinematographer for corporate and wedding films.

Starting right from his college days at LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, Balaji Vembu Chelli used to write and direct his own short films. He released his first short film- ‘The Loop’ in 2010. The film featured Ashok Selvan Ashok Selvan is primarily a film actor, who has pl >> Read More... , Karthik Muthukumar Karthik Muthukumar is an Indian-origin cinematogra >> Read More... , and Vedaraman Sankaran in leading roles. Balaji Vembu Chelli then went on to write and direct other short films such as 'Tamme Duif' (2011), 'An Accident' (2011), 'Un-Expressed' (2012), 'Arivumathiyin Aazhmanathil' (2012), and the 'The Tremor' (2020). 

Balaji Vembu Chelli's passion for storytelling led him to establish the boutique film production company- Fly On The Wall Films in 2018. This venture aims to produce films that defy traditional narrative norms. The maiden project under Fly On The Wall Films, titled 'Nilanadukkam' (The Tremor), marked his directorial debut in feature films. For his movie 'The Tremor' (2020), Balaji Vembu Chelli received two nominations at the São Paulo International Film Festival in the categories of ‘People’s Choice Award’ and ‘New Directors Competition.’ His journey reflects a commitment to pushing creative boundaries and contributing meaningfully to the cinematic landscape.