Ramesh Balakrishnan graduated with an English literature degree, before going on to take a film making course at the Film and Television Institute of Chennai. He began his directorial career with the film Adharmam (1994) featuring Murali and Ranjitha in the lead roles, where cinematographer V. Manikandan also made his debut. His second film Pagaivan (1997) starring Ajith Kumar and Sathyaraj released three years later, with the makers experiencing delays after they fell out with the lead actress Anjala Zhaveri.which starred Sneha in the lead role.