The die-hard romantic Bharathiraja was born in Alli Nagaram, a small, sylvan village near Theni as Chinnasamy on 17 July 1941. 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 aspired to the dream world of filmmaking. He had an unremitting passion for acting and other theatrical pursuits from his earliest days. He also happened to be a good platform speaker and traveled around, spreading social awareness among the villagers. He got a job as a Sanitary Inspector in the Public Health Department in 1963, 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 his creative spirit and gave him the confidence to seek an opening in the Tamil film industry. As he moved to Madras to seek his creative future, 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 & Kallar Sangam]. 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.