Gopalaratnam Subramaniam, known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He is one of India's most acclaimed and commercially successful filmmakers. Ratnam has won seven National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, and numerous awards at various film festivals across the world. In 2002, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, acknowledging his contributions to film.
Simran Bagga is an Indian actress, film producer, choreographer and playback singer who works predominantly in Tamil films. She has also appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is one of the most prolific actresses of Tamil cinema. She is the recipient of numerous accolades including three Filmfare Awards South and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran, commonly known as Balu Mahendra, cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked in various Indian film industries, primarily in Tamil and Malayalam cinema. Born in Sri Lanka, Mahendran developed a passion for photography and literature at a young age, after witnessing the shoot of David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) during a school trip in Sri Lanka, he was drawn towards filmmaking. After graduation he joined as an Aerial photographer in the Sri Lankan Government. In 1966, he moved to India and gained admission to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) to pursue a course in motion picture photography. Upon completion of his diploma, he entered Malayalam cinema as a cinematographer in the early 1970s.
Kannathil Muthamittal is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language musical war film written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. It was based on a short story, "Amuthavum Avanum" by Sujatha. The film stars R. Madhavan, Simran and P. S. Keerthana with Nandita Das, J. D. Chakravarthy, Prakash Raj and Pasupathy portraying other pivotal characters. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, while Ravi K. Chandran handled the cinematography. Mani Ratnam presents the story of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage adopted by Indian parents, whose desire is to meet her biological mother in the midst of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was released on 14 February 2002.
Aloysius Vincent was an Indian cinematographer and director known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi language films. From the mid-1960s on, he directed some 30 movies including the landmark Malayalam films Bhargavi Nilayam, and Murappennu.
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor known for his works across Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards including seven wins for Best Editing which is a record in that category. He also won five Kerala State Film Awards, two Andhra Pradesh state Nandi Awards, and four Filmfare Awards among others.
Sabu Cyril is an Indian film production designer. Having worked in 72 feature films and 500 ad films. He has won four National Film Award for Best Production Design, four state awards, six Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction, five International Indian Film Academy Awards, and many other awards. His work in Enthiran won him international recognition. Over the years, he has emerged to be the most celebrated art director in the country.
Indian cinematographers work in a number of regional film centres: Mumbai for films in Marathi and Hindi, Hyderabad for Telugu films, Chennai for Tamil films, Kochi for films in Malayalam, Kolkata for Bengali films, Bangalore for Kannada films, etc. Most Indian cinematographers are known for their work with one regional industry. Some cinematographers belong to various professional organisations and trade unions.
Chota K. Naidu is an Indian cinematographer, best known for his distinct style of cinematography for films like, Matru Devo Bhava, Choodalani Vundi, and Kotha Bangaru Lokam. Naidu is part of the Indian Society of Cinematographers, the South Indian Cinematographers Association and the Telugu Cinematographers Association. He received two state Nandi Awards for Anji, Kotha Bangaru Lokam and two Filmfare Awards South for Kotha Bangaru Lokam, Damarukam for his cinematography. His contributions to the Indian film and television industries as a Director of Photography (DOP) for Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films, as well as in television, have been widely appreciated for over 30 years.
S. Ravi Varman is an Indian cinematographer, filmmaker, producer and writer. He has predominantly works in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi film industries. Ravi Varman began his career in Malayalam films. He directed a romantic film in Tamil titled Moscowin Kavery (2010). Honorary member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) (2024). In 70th National Awards he won for best cinematography In Ponniyan Selvan I(2022)
Chinmayi Sripada is an Indian singer and voice actress who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility,She rose to fame for her critically acclaimed song "Oru Deivam Thantha Poovae" from Kannathil Muthamittal, directed by Mani Ratnam and composed by A. R. Rahman. She was 15 years old when she made her singing debut in Kannathil Muthamittal. She debuted as a voice actress in Sillunu Oru Kaadhal rendering her voice for Bhumika Chawla, after being referred by one of A. R. Rahman's sound engineers. She debuted as a composer with a short lullaby titled Laali, which she also sang and released as part of Instagram's #1MinMusic.
Ayananka Bose is an Indian cinematographer for Bollywood films. He studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu in Chennai. He won the best cinematographer of Zee Cine Awards for the film Kites in 2011.
Manoj Paramahamsa is an Indian cinematographer, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films.He have done 25 films cinematography. His notable works include Eeram (2009), Ye Maaya Chesave (2010), Nanban (2012), Race Gurram (2014), and Radhe Shyam (2022) Leo (2023).
K. Ramachandra Babu was an Indian cinematographer of over 125 films, out of which most are Malayalam films. He also worked for films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Arabic and English languages. He served as the cinematographer for several documentaries and advertisement films as well. He was the founder of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
R. D. Rajasekhar is an Indian cinematographer who predominantly works in films of Indian languages such as Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi. He is a recipient of the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer and Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer – Tamil. He is the member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
Nirmalyam is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and stars P. J. Antony, Sumithra, and Ravi Menon. P. J. Antony won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1974 for his performance as a velichappadu in this movie. The film received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and Kerala State Film Award for Best Film in 1974. It is one of the classics in Malayalam cinema. The film was based on M. T. Vasudevan Nair's short story Pallivaalum Kaalchilambum.
Ashok Kumar Aggarwal was an Indian cinematographer who worked mainly in the South Indian film industry. In a career that spanned nearly four decades, he worked in over 125 feature films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi languages. Aggarwal was a member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
K. U. Mohanan is an Indian film cinematographer who primarily works in the Bollywood and Malayalam film industries. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He has worked in several documentaries and Non feature films in his early days. He is a member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
