Shaji Neelakantan Karunakaran, better known as Shaji N. Karun, is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the executive chairman of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award-winning films Piravi (1988), Swaham (1994), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2009). He won the National Award for Best Director for his debut film Piravi. He also won two Kerala State Film Awards for Best Director for his films Swaham and Vanaprastham. Currently, he is the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation.
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.
Sunil Kumar, known by his stage name Narain, is an Indian actor, who has starred in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. He made his debut in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Nizhalkuthu (2002), followed by performances in Malayalam films 4 the People (2004), Achuvinte Amma (2005), and Classmates (2006). Narain's Tamil and Telugu debuts were in Mysskin's Chithiram Pesuthadi (2006) and Jayaraj's Yuvasena (2004).
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).
Manju Pillai is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television shows. She is best known for portraying comedic roles to character roles.
Venugopal Pillai, popularly known as Venu, is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and CMS college Kottayam. He has been the recipient of four National Film Awards, including three for Best Cinematography and one Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director, and four Kerala State Film Awards. He is a founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
Amal Neerad is an Indian film director, cinematographer and producer who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata. He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Cinematography in 2001 for his diploma film Meena Jha.
Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films. After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his career by assisting in the Malayalam film, Pranayavarnangal (1998) shot by Santosh Thundiyil. He debuted as a cinematographer with the film Chandni Bar (2001), when he was launched by producer R. Mohan when the original cinematographer Venu had date clashes. The film was directed by Madhur Bhandarkar.
Ravi Vallathol was an Indian actor, mainly noted for his acting in many famous serials, including the first serial in Malayalam.
Jomon T. JohnISC is an Indian cinematographer and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Jomon made his debut with Chaappa Kurishu (2011). Jomon won the 2015 Kerala State Film Award for Best Cinematography for the films Nee-Na, Ennu Ninte Moideen, and Charlie.
Ayaal is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Suresh Unnithan. Lal, Lena, Ineya and Lakshmi Sharma play the lead roles. The story, screenplay and dialogue of the film is written by Dr. K. Ampady. The film is produced by Madhusoodanan Mavelikara and M. T. Dileep Kumar. The cinematography is by Sujith Vasudev. Ayaal was earlier titled Nagabandham. The film was released on 28 June 2013.
Jeethu Joseph is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 2007 police procedural, Detective. He is best known for creating the Drishyam franchise. Drishyam became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, at its time of release. It was the first Malayalam film to cross the ₹50 crore mark, at the box office. Drishyam 2 was released directly through Amazon Prime Video, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the prequel, it was highly acclaimed and appreciated, worldwide.
Drishyam (transl. Visual) is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It stars Mohanlal alongside Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Roshan Basheer and Neeraj Madhav. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under Aashirvad Cinemas. The film follows the struggle of Georgekutty and his family, who come under suspicion when Varun Prabhakar, the son of the IG Geetha Prabhakar, goes missing. A sequel titled Drishyam 2 was released in 2021.
Girish GangadharanISC is an Indian cinematographer known for his work in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is the recipient of the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in the 2019 film Jallikkattu directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, which was India's official entry to that year's Oscars. Additionally, he has also worked on Tamil-language blockbusters like Sarkar and Vikram.
James & Alice is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy romantic drama film written and directed by Sujith Vaassudev, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Vedhika in the lead roles. The music was composed by Gopi Sundar. The film was released on 5 May 2016.
Alagappan N is an Indian cinematographer who works primarily in Malayalam Cinema. He received graduate diploma in cinematography from the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai. In 2013, he made his directional debut Malayalam film Pattam Pole.
Autorsha is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed and filmed by Sujith Vaassudev, and starring Anusree as a female auto rickshaw driver.
The 37th Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, honouring the best Malayalam films released in 2013, were announced in January 2014.
The 45th Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, honouring the best Malayalam films released in 2021, were announced in October 2022.
