K. V. Anand | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Karimanal Venkatesan Anand[1] (1966-10-30)30 October 1966[2] Madras,Madras State, India |
| Died | 30 April 2021(2021-04-30) (aged 54) Chennai,Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | DG Vaishnav College,Arumbakkam,Chennai |
| Occupation(s) | Cinematographer,Film director,Writer,Photographer |
| Years active | 1994–2021 |
| Spouse | Sasikala[citation needed] |
| Awards | National Film Award for Best Cinematography (1994) |
Karimanal Venkatesan Anand (30 October 1966 – 30 April 2021) was an Indian cinematographer, film director and photojournalist, worked mainly in theTamil film industry. After a short period as a photojournalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working on about fifteen films in the Southern andHindi cinema industries. Anand won theNational Film Award for Best Cinematography for his debut film as a cinematographer,Thenmavin Kombath. In 2005, Anand turned film director with the critically acclaimedKana Kandaen. He was a founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).[3]
Anand was born inChennai, in the state ofTamil Nadu in India on 30 October 1966 to Karimanal Munuswamy Venkatesan and Anusuya Venkatesan.[4] His childhood days were spent inPulicat. He graduated with abachelor's degree in Physics fromDG Vaishnav College in June 1986,followed by amaster's degree inVisual Communications fromLoyola College, Chennai.[5] During his college days Anand participated in annualtrekking expeditions in the Himalayas. His exploratory trips to various remote locations in India triggered his passion forphotography. Anand participated in inter-collegiate, state and national level photography contests. His visual images earned him numerous photography awards.[6]
Anand worked as afreelancephoto journalist for leading newspapers and magazines such asKalki,India Today,Illustrated Weekly, Aside and other national publications.[4] Within a short period of time, his photos were published in more than 200 magazine covers and had taken photos of 10 Chief Ministers in close quarters. Anand continued to freelance in industrial photography, advertisements and cover pages for fictional Tamil novels.[7][8]
Anand met cinematographerP. C. Sreeram and expressed his interest to work for him as an assistant. He joined him, serving as an apprentice for Sreeram's film such asGopura Vasalile,Amaran,Meera,Thevar Magan andThiruda Thiruda. He had initially joined as the sixth assistant to Sreeram whenJeeva, another prominent figure in cinematography was the first assistant to Sreeram.[9] When directorPriyadarshan had approached P. C. Sreeram to work on his Malayalam film,Thenmavin Kombath (1994), he was unavailable and thus recommended Anand to be given the opportunity.[8] The film received positive reviews and Anand won theNational Film Award for Best Cinematography for his debut venture, with the award committee noting he showed "outstanding cinematography executed with sincerity, imagination and flexibility".[10] Anand's first Tamil film was the romantic dramaKadhal Desam (1996), which also won critical acclaim for showcasing Chennai in a futuristic mould. He also then teamed up with directorShankar for the production of the political thrillerMudhalvan (1999), winning appreciation for his experimental camera ramping and the general grandeur.[11]
Anand has wielded the camera for 14 films in languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. His final work as a cinematographer came withSivaji (2007), theRajinikanth-starrer directed byShankar, the most expensive Tamil film ever made at the time of release.[7][12]
Anand turned a film director withKana Kandaen (2005), a thriller film starringPrithviraj Sukumaran,Srikanth andGopika. The film opened to favourable reviews from critics, with a reviewer from Rediff.com noting "Anand has succeeded in making an extremely watchable, highly thrilling film with a 'different' story".[13][14] Despite the success of the film, Anand opted to return to cinematography to fulfil commitments forRajinikanth'sSivaji (2007) directed byShankar, which became the most expensive Tamil film ever made at the time.[7][12]
Anand then collaborated withAVM Productions andSuriya inAyan (2009), an action entertainer set on the backdrop of the Indo-African drug smuggling trade.[15] In order to prepare the script, Anand did a lot of research and is said to have spoken to a lot of custom officers to understand the modus operandi of smuggling.[16][17] The film opened in April 2009 to positive reviews, and became one of the year's highest-grossingTamil language films.[18] A critic from Rediff.com called the film a "must-watch" adding "what gets you by surprise is the thread of logic that laces practically every encounter, and the way Anand's screenplay covers all the angles".[19] A reviewer from Sify.com stated "Anand pushes the commercial cinematic envelope and brings a savvy freshness in treatment and packaging hitherto unexplored inAyan".[20]
His third directorial venture,Ko (2011), narrated the tale of photojournalists caught up in a political corruption scandal. StarringJiiva,Ajmal Ameer,Karthika Nair andPiaa Bajpai, the film also received a positive from film critics and the box office. A reviewer fromThe Hindu described the film as a "tale with a realistic twist" and mentioned that Anand "strikes gold withKo". The critic added "blending the commercial with the realistic is a challenge, but Anand proves adept at it."[21] Likewise,The Times of India noted "WithKo, director Anand gives notice of his immense talent once again, making a movie that is all set to lord over the box office this summer".[22]
Anand worked with Suriya again inMaattrraan (2012), and was inspired to make the film after watching a documentary about the conjoined twinsChang and Eng Bunker. While preparing the script, he worked closely with a team of doctors to ensure the medical condition of open-heart transplant, as shown in the film, could be showcased as realistically as possible.[11] He later made a mythical thriller film,Anegan (2015) starringDhanush, and another political thriller film,Kavan (2017), withVijay Sethupathi.[23][24] His final filmKaappaan (2019), starringMohanlal,Suriya andArya told the tale of aSpecial Protection Group (SPG) officer who protects the Prime Minister.[25]
Anand collaborated with composerHarris Jayaraj, editorAnthony and the writer duoSubha for several of his ventures, describing them as "constant fixtures". While noting he shared a good rapport with Jayaraj, he stated that Anthony was like his "alter ego" and "his biggest critic", with the pair often working closely during the post-production stages of films. He met the writer duo Suresh and Bala of Subha, during his stint as a photojournalist withIndia Today. ActorJagan has a part in most of his films. Despite being a cinematographer himself, Anand opted not to wield the camera for his directorial ventures and actively tried to select different cinematographers for each of his projects, althoughSoundararajan andAbhinandhan Ramanujam each worked with him on more than one project.[11][26]
During the script-writing process, Anand often finished up to six drafts, though he rarely "lock[ed]" his scripts as they were always open to changes for improvisations on the shooting spot. He often rephrased dialogues, and sometimes invented titles during the drafting process, being constantly on the lookout for short and crisp titles. His film titles were usually in chaste Tamil, such asKana Kandaen,Ayan,Ko,Anegan andKavan.[11][23]
| Collaborator |
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| Harris Jayaraj |  | | | | | ||
| Anthony | | | | | | | |
| Subha | | | | | | | |
| Jagan | | | | | |||
| D. R. K. Kiran | | | | | |||
| Suriya | | (cameo) | | | |||
| AGS Entertainment | | | |
Anand died in Chennai in the early hours of 30 April 2021 following acardiac arrest.[27] At the time, he was tested positive forCOVID-19.[28]
| Year | Film | Language | Cinematographer | Director | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Meera | Tamil | No | No | Yes | Vikram's friend (uncredited) | |
| 1994 | Thenmavin Kombath | Malayalam | Yes | No | No | Debut film as a cinematographer National Film Award for Best Cinematography | |
| Minnaram | Yes | No | No | ||||
| 1995 | Punya Bhoomi Naa Desam | Telugu | Yes | No | No | ||
| 1996 | Kadhal Desam | Tamil | Yes | No | No | ||
| 1997 | Nerukku Ner | Yes | No | No | |||
| 1998 | Doli Saja Ke Rakhna | Hindi | Yes | No | No | ||
| 1999 | Mudhalvan | Tamil | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2000 | Josh | Hindi | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2001 | Nayak: The Real Hero | Yes | No | No | |||
| 2002 | Virumbugiren | Tamil | Yes | No | No | ||
| The Legend of Bhagat Singh | Hindi | Yes | No | No | |||
| 2003 | Boys | Tamil | Yes | No | No | 1 song only | |
| 2004 | Khakee | Hindi | Yes | No | No | ||
| Ghilli | Tamil | Yes | No | No | 1 song only | ||
| Chellamae | Yes | No | No | ||||
| 2005 | Kana Kandaen | No | Yes | No | Debut film as a director | ||
| 2007 | Sivaji: The Boss | Yes | No | Yes | Guest appearance | Final film as a cinematographer | |
| 2009 | Ayan | No | Yes | No | |||
| 2011 | Ko | No | Yes | No | |||
| 2012 | Maattrraan | No | Yes | Yes | Guest appearance | ||
| 2015 | Anegan | No | Yes | No | |||
| 2017 | Kavan | No | Yes | Yes | Tea seller | ||
| 2019 | Kaappaan | No | Yes | No | Final film as a director |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Thenmavin Kombath | National Film Award for Best Cinematography | Won | [10] |
| 1996 | Kadhal Desam | Screen Award for Best Cinematography | Won | |
| 2000 | Josh | Screen Award for Best Cinematography | Won | |
| 2002 | The Legend of Bhagat Singh | SICA Award for Best Cinematography | Won | |
| 2007 | Sivaji | Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer – Tamil | Won | |
| 2009 | Ayan | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Ko | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Maattrraan | SIIMA Award for Best Director | Nominated |
Cinematographers, Writers, and Directors such asS. Soundararajan,Richard M. Nathan, P. Chelladurai, Vijay Ulaganath, Deekay, R. M. Muthu Ganesan had worked as assistant, associate directors and assistant cinematographers under Anand.
