Actor Boris Balakin died of a sudden heart attack at age 50 on set during the filming of director Vasily Shukshin's debut movie There Is Such a Guy. Balakin, who portrayed the driver Kondrat Stepanovich, had spent several days working while sick with a high fever from a cold. He refused to take sick leave because he did not want to let down the film crew.
The fatal moment occurred during the shooting of his character's matchmaking scene, where the sweat visible on Balakin's face was caused by severe illness rather than acting. Following several takes, the crew announced a break and left the set while Balakin remained inside the decorations. When colleagues returned, they found the actor lying on the floor after his heart suddenly stopped.
Balakin was a Soviet stage and screen actor, while director Vasily Shukshin was an acclaimed Soviet writer, actor, and filmmaker. Shukshin made his feature directorial debut with There Is Such a Guy after writing the screenplay himself based on four of his own short stories, Class Driver, Grinka Malyugin, Crankshafts, and Internal Content.
Dramatic Intent and Audience Reception
Shukshin originally conceived the film as a drama intended to show that true strength and intelligence appear through good deeds. However, audiences and film critics widely viewed the production as a lighthearted comedy centered on Pashka Kolokolnikov. Kolokolnikov is depicted as an open, talkative driver who eagerly offers advice and wants everyone around him to be happy, even when his well-meaning actions appear absurd.
The comedic interpretation extended to an international film festival, where organizers submitted the movie in the children and youth film category. Shukshin expressed deep dissatisfaction that critics and viewers treated his serious dramatic work as a comedy, although observers noted that every joke carries a grain of truth.
Casting Choices and Set Relationships
Shukshin insisted on casting actor Leonid Kuravlev as Pashka Kolokolnikov from the beginning and refused to consider any other actor for the lead role. His stubbornness stemmed from a long friendship with Kuravlev that began during their student years at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, known as VGIK. Popular singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky also sought the lead role, but could not persuade Shukshin to change his mind.
The production also featured poet Bella Akhmadulina, who appeared as a journalist interviewing Kolokolnikov in a hospital after the driver performed a heroic feat. Shukshin was involved in a brief romantic relationship with Akhmadulina at the time of filming.
