SignIn
Kerala Kaumudi Online
Thursday, 13 February 2025 8.51 AM IST

A glorious film career

Increase Font Size Decrease Font Size Print Page
shaji-n-karun

Shaji N Karun, who brought Malayalam cinema to the world stage, has been selected for the state government's highest film award, the JC Daniel Award. This is a matter of joy.

This recognition of the state is coming to Shaji, who started as a cinematographer and grew to become a world-famous director, after he completed half a century of film service. The jury judged that the films directed by Shaji, who infused creative energy into the new wave of Malayalam cinema as the cinematographer of famous director G Aravindan, have won prestigious recognitions for Malayalam cinema at the international level.

Shaji shifted to direction after making a name for himself in Indian cinema as a cinematographer. Shaji was the one who handled the camera of Aravindan's Kanchana Sita, Thampu, Kummatty, Esthappan, Pokkuveyil and many other great films. Shaji also won national and state awards for best cinematographer. After studying cinematography at the Pune Film Institute, Shaji joined the State Film Development Corporation as a film officer. Shaji made his debut as a cinematographer with KP Kumaran's 'Vishnu Vijayam' and before becoming Aravindan's cinematographer. The Aravindan-Shaji partnership paved the way for great artworks just like the Satyajit Ray-Subrata Mitra combo.

Shaji's directorial debut was in 1988 with the film 'Piravi'. The film made Shaji one of the faces of Indian cinema due to its timeless theme. 'Piravi' garnered international accolades including the Sir Charles Chaplin Award to commemorate the centenary of Chaplin's birth. The film Piravi, which depicts the disappearance of a young man and the desperate waiting and longing of a father, carries a strong political message. 'Piravi' was selected in the official category at the Cannes Film Festival. Shaji's next film 'Swaham' was screened in the competition category at Cannes in 1994. Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine as Light' is the next Indian film selected for the competition category, which happened only this year. 'Vanaprastham' also reached Cannes after 'Piravi' and 'Swaham'. With that, Shaji achieved the rare feat of three consecutive films by a director being selected in the Official category at Cannes.

Kutty Srank, The Voiding Soul (Swapanam), Nishad and Oolu are other notable films of Shaji. Shaji also made many documentaries including about AKG and Aravindan. When the Kerala government formed the first state film academy for cinema in India, Shaji became its helmsman. He played an important role in giving direction to the International Film Festival of Kerala. He is now the Chairman of the State Film Development Corporation.

The French government has honoured Shaji with the international recognition of 'The Order of Arts and Letters' for his contribution to the field of arts and culture. For us, this award is a recognition of a member of the 'Kerala Kaumudi' family. We take this opportunity to congratulate our dear friend Shaji and wish him all the best in his future artistic endeavours.

TAGS: SHAJI
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
KERALA KAUMUDI EPAPER
X
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.