Shaji N Karun was a unique talent who helmed Malayalam cinema at both national and international levels.
Renowned film director and cinematographer Shaji N Karun passed away at the age of 73, on Monday. He died at his home, ‘Piravi’ in Thiruvananthapuram. Reportedly, the filmmaker was undergoing treatment for cancer for quite sometime now. It is reported that his health was deteriorating since this morning. For the unversed, Shaji was serving as the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC).
Shaji N Karun was a unique talent who marked Malayalam cinema at both national and international levels. He was born in 1952. He was educated at Pallikkara School and Thiruvananthapuram University College. Later, he joined the Pune Film Institute and obtained a diploma in cinematography in 1975. He spent some time in Madras and joined the State Film Development Corporation as a film officer. During this time, Shaji worked closely with renowned director G Aravindan. Subsequently, he handled the camera in films of eminent personalities like KG George and MT Vasudevan Nair.
Shaji has contributed artistically significant films to Malayalam, including Piravi, Swapnam, Swam, Vanaprastham, Nishad, Kuttisarank, and AKG, after completing the cinematography for almost 40 films. State and national honours for best cinematographer have gone to Shaji N Karun. He became an internationally acclaimed director after winning the Golden Camera Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival for his debut film, Piravi. For the unversed, Piravi is the Malayalam film with the most international awards. The film ‘Swam’ is the first Malayalam film to be screened in the main competition section of the Cannes Film Festival.
If reports are to be believed then, the filmmaker passed away at approximately 5 PM on Monday. Shaji N Karun is survived by his wife, Anasuya Devaki Warrier, and children, Appu Karun and Karun Anil.
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