Bharathiraja, a die-hard romantic, was born as Chinnasamy on July 17, 1941, in Alli Nagaram, a small village near Theni. He was the fifth child to his parents, Periya Maya Thevar and Meenatchiammaal alias Karuthammaal. His childhood passions were deer hunting and literature. As a full-blooded youth, he dreamt of making it to the dream world of filmmaking. He had an unremitting passion for acting and all the other theatrical pursuits right from his earliest days as a vagrant youth.
He was also a good platform speaker and went places spreading social awareness among the unlettered villagers. In 1963, he got a job as a Sanitary Inspector in the Public Health Department at a monthly salary of Indian Rs.75/-. Bharathiraja wrote, directed, and acted in his first dramas "Oor Sirikkirathu" (The Town Laughs) and "Summa Oru Kadhai" (Just a Story) in Theni Pazhani Chettiyapatti village during festival seasons. This kindled the creative spirit in him and gave him the confidence to look for an opening in the Tamil film industry.
As he moved to Madras to seek greener pastures and to give vent to his creative thirst, Bharathiraja staged his "Summa Oru Kadhai" and "Adhigaaram" (Power) with the help of his friends. He also took part in radio dramas and music programs. But since these opportunities were too infrequent to be depended upon for a living, he took up a job in a petrol bunk keeping his cinema ambitions intact.
After a fairly long struggle, Bharathiraja at last joined Puttanna Ganagal as an assistant director in 1967 and still considers him his Guru. Eventually working with Krishnan Nair, Avinasi Mani, and A.Jaganathan, he learned the grammar of filmmaking and got his first directorial opportunity in 1977.
Bharathiraja is married to Chandra Leelavathi, and they have two children - son Manoj, the hero of 'Tajmahal', and daughter Janani.
