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Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Opinion From ‘Piravi' to ‘Olu', the visual poetry of Shaji N Karun's films
The departure of Shaji N Karun marks the exit of a great master of celluloid cinema, whose cinematographic and directorial oeuvre holds a unique position in the history of Indian and Malayalam cinema. After graduating from FTII (Film and Television Institute of India), he collaborated with G Aravindan on a slew of films. These films had a distinct mood and pace, giving Malayalam 'new wave' cinema a fresh look and feel. For Shaji, cinematography was not merely a technique or a profession, but an all-engrossing art. As a director, he belonged to the post 'new-wave' generation of Malayalam cinema. His first directorial venture Piravi was made in 1988 when the art cinema movement was at its fag end and the television era was just beginning. But Shaji succeeded in carving out a niche for himself as an auteur through a series of significant films over the next few decades. His narrative world was dark. Tragic in outlook, his films mostly dealt with human suffering, pain, loss and longing. He only made seven films during his career, but they are all testimony to his unique cinematic vision; though their themes were deeply rooted in their respective milieu, they were universal in their appeal. All his films except Nishad (2002) are set within the Malayalee milieu and culture, most of them dealing with particular art forms, artists and art practices like kathakali, chenda or chavittu natakam. It is the protagonist-artiste who embodies and enacts the most elemental of human dramas, full of conflicts within and without. In a way, the artistes in Shaji's films are blessed with art, but also 'cursed' by it — through its power to entice the artiste into vanity, lure them with fame or money; or binding them in the chasm between the life of an ordinary human being and the persona of an admired actor. Being a cinematographer par excellence, what would strike a viewer immediately in his films would be their visual compositions. No other filmmaker was so fascinated by the watery expanse of Kerala: the vastness and mystery of water loomed over most of his narratives that unfolded near rivers, lakes, backwaters or the sea, with rains as a perpetual presence. Thematically, his basic concerns were human predicaments driven by certain instincts, artistic or otherwise, that eventually get caught in tragic situations. His most talked-about movie, Piravi (The Birth/1989), won the Camera d'Or at Cannes Film Festival in 1989. It was based on a real incident that happened in Kerala during the Emergency, when an engineering student was taken into custody by the police and tortured to death. His whereabouts were never found, nor was his body recovered. Though several films have dealt with the theme of missing persons or people who are made to disappear, Piravi remains the most poignant and haunting human document of such dark times anywhere in the world. It also stands apart because of the great performance by the veteran actor Premji, who plays the aged father waiting endlessly for the return of his only son. His next film, Swaham (One's Own/1994), was again a tragic story about a mother who loses her son, the only hope in her life. His next film Vanaprastham (The Last Dance/1999) featured one of the most celebrated actors in Malayalam cinema, Mohanlal. He performed the role of a kathakali actor whose life falls apart, despite talent, fame and empathy. Though he overcomes hurdles like caste and lineage through his art, he is eventually forced to sacrifice himself at its altar by the ghosts of his own actions and passions. Nishad (Octave/2002), set in a north Indian border town during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, is the story of a couple — a government doctor (Rajit Kapoor) and a teacher at a Tibetan school (Archana) — who despite several tragedies in their life, try to hold on to their faith in life and the world. On the one side, their life at the placid Himalayan valley is troubled by the war waged at the border and, on the other, illuminated by the calm spiritual atmosphere of the Buddhist monastery. But the world responds cruelly to their personal virtues with another tragedy, this time the death of their son at the battlefront. Kutty Srank (The Sailor of Hearts/2010) featured the other superstar of Malayalam cinema, Mammootty, in the lead role. In the film, he plays three different characters in three different storylines and locales. The story of his life unfolds through the memories of three women who were part of his life at different places. In Swapaanam (The Voiding Soul/2014), Shaji portrays the conflicts and dilemmas in the life of an artist-couple, a chenda player and a Mohiniyattam dancer. Like in Vanaprastham, here, too, the protagonist is haunted by several ghosts, including the mystery that surrounds his parentage and the passions generated by his art. He is caught in the swirl of emotions and events that finally push him from artistic ecstasy to personal doom. Shaji's last film Olu (She/2019) also revolves around an artist, a painter living in a remote island, who betrays his muse for the sake of fame and money, and realises his mistakes too late. One of the finest celluloid cinematographers, Shaji was instrumental in the making of great cinematic works by Aravindan like Kanchana Sita (1978), Thampu (1978), Kummatty (1979), Esthappan (1980), Chidambaram (1985), Pokkuveyil (1982), Oridathu (1986) and Marattam (1988). Other memorable films include those by eminent directors in Malayalam like M T Vasudevan Nair, Padmarajan, Lenin Rajendran and Hariharan. Shaji also made several documentaries on luminary artistes like G Aravindan, K G Subramanyan and Namboodiri. Apart from being a cinematographer and director, he also played a key role in conceiving and establishing the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and the International Film Festival of Kerala. He also headed the Kerala State Film Development Corporation and was the chairperson of Progressive Arts and Literary Organisation. Shaji's cinematographic images and narratives, and the universal human predicaments he grappled with, will continue to enthral cineastes across the world for decades to come.
Gulf Today
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
A gentle auteur
Shaji N. Karun's standing as a Malayalam cinema doyen does not rest upon a huge body of work. Quality over quantity was what he strove for and achieved. The handful of narrative features that Shaji directed had a profound impact on cinema in Kerala. His films, marked by a unique sensibility and elevated by a delicate and distinctive visual palette, were not only rooted in specific cultural ethos but were also driven by a deeply humanist vision. Shaji also influenced cinema and its dissemination in his home state as the founder chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. He was among those who were instrumental in giving shape to the International Film Festival of Kerala, which quickly evolved into the country's most-loved event of its kind. Later in his life, Shaji served as the Kerala State Film Development Corporation. His passing at the age of 73 at his home in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday has left a void that will be hard to fill. Shaji made only seven feature films in a career that began in the mid-1970s. His first three features – Piravi (1988), Swaham (1994) and Vanaprastham (1999), made over a period of a decade and a bit – were all selected for the Cannes Film Festival, a rare feat for an emerging filmmaker. In 1989, his debut film, Piravi (The Birth), about an aged father who waits in vain for his missing son to return home, won the Camera d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the Cannes Film Festival, besides a large number of other awards at festivals across the world. A still from the movie 'Piravi' by Shaji N Karun. In 1994, Swaham (My Own), about a boy who seeks an job to help his mother and sister tide over the family's financial troubles but loses his life in an incident at the military camp, competed for the Cannes Palme d'Or. Vanaprastham (The Last Dance), which revolves around a lower-caste Kathakali dancer who has an affair with an upper-caste woman, made it to the festival's Un Certain Regard section. Shaji's subsequent films may not have flown as high on the global stage, but every cinematic essay that he crafted, notably Kutty Srank, starring Mammootty, and Olu, his last feature, bore testimony to his exceptional technical and storytelling skills. His filmmaking style and artistic credo were firmly rooted in the land of his birth and the idiom he employed sprang from a creative space entirely his own. It is understandable why the soft-spoken, self-effacing Shaji would often lament the derivative methods that some of Kerala's younger filmmakers adopted. Shaji (right) with G Aravindan during a shoot. Shaji's own roots lay in the cinema of the iconic G. Aravindan, with whom he collaborated over a long period. Before he became a director, the Film and Television Institute of India alum worked as the cinematographer for eight of Aravindan's films, including Kanchana Sita (Golden Sita, 1977), Thampu (The Circus Tent, 1978), Esthappan (1980) and the absolutely exquisite Chidambaram (1985). One of the most remarkable collaborations between Aravindan and Shaji was Pokkuveyil (Twilight, 1982). Aravindan recorded the film's background score first with Hariprasad Chaurasia on the flute and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan disciple Rajeev Taranath on the sarod. He and Shaji then composed the visuals on the basis of the musical notations. A consummate master of his craft, Shaji also cranked the camera for films helmed by other noted Malayali filmmakers like K.G. George (Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback and Panchavadi Palam), MT Vasudevan Nair (Manju) and P. Padmarajan (Koodevide? and Arappatta Kettiya Gramathil), starring Mammootty and Suhasini in her Malayalam debut, and Lenin Rajendran (Meenamasathile Sooryan). Shaji went on to work with both actors after he turned director, with Mammootty heading the cast of Kutty Srank and Suhasini playing a key role in Vanaprastham, which starred Mohanlal as the male lead. Shaji also shot a couple of Hindi films, Ek Chadar Maili Si (1986) and Antim Nyay (1993), both directed by Sukhwant Dhadda, who subsequently produced the only Hindi film that Shaji directed, Nishad, starring Rajit Kapur and Archana. One of the most ambitious films of Shaji's career never got made due to budget constraints — Gaadha, an international co-production based on a T. Padmanabhan short story. The film was to star Mohanlal. In his director's statement for still-born Gaadha, Shaji wrote: 'Music is a miracle, where enchantments attain silence. Such mystery is also an important sensation to understand the beauty of human life. We miss such kind films in our time.' He added: 'For the first time in Indian film history, this film will explore Indian classical music intermingling with western opera and symphony.' Gaadha was in the works for several years before it was abandoned. It would have been his magnum opus, the crowning glory of an illustrious career that deserved another global breakthrough to round it off. That was not to be, but even if Shaji had not made anything after Vanaprastham, the benchmark he set with his first three films would have assured him immortality. The writer is an award-winning Indian film critic.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Opinion Shaji N Karun, Malayalam cinema's master of shadows and silences
In 1988, when Shaji N Karun debuted as a director, Malayalam cinema was lush with talent. Even as K G George, Bharathan and Padmarajan breathed a new storytelling confidence into the mainstream, the distinctive sensibilities of filmmakers like G Aravindan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and John Abraham carved out a space for a parallel cinema. In what is now celebrated as the golden age of Malayalam films, Karun, who died this week at the age of 73, made a mark with films like Piravi (1988), Swaham (1994) and Vanaprastham (1999). His unique visual language — textured with shadows and silences — made him one of the most prominent representatives of Indian cinema. Before he became a celebrated director, Karun was already a highly regarded cinematographer, collaborating with eminent filmmakers — his work with Aravindan shaping his sensibilities and teaching him, as he would say later, the expressiveness of silence. This is on full display in, for example, M T Vasudevan Nair's Manju (1983), and in Aravindan's Chidambaram (1985), the natural beauty of whose setting amplifies the desire, forbidden and fatal, that drives the plot. By the time Karun made Piravi — an Emergency-era tale of a father's wait for his missing son — he was in command of his gifts. Piravi won Best Film and Best Director at the National Film Awards that year and the Camera d'Or (Special Mention) at Cannes in 1989.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Letters to The Editor — April 30, 2025
Continue immunisation The warning sounded by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance), in the context of World Immunization Week, April 24-30, of 'increases in vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks threatening years of progress', is one that should not be ignored under any circumstances. Neglecting this could be catastrophic for the world. All children and adults (especially women) should be immunised according to the latest national immunisation schedule sanctioned by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and ICMR. The Government of India must ensure that there is no slowing down of immunisation coverage. Dr. Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana, Punjab Stray dog issue As an octogenarian veterinarian, I have been keenly following the narratives on the stray dog problem. Unfortunately, implementation of vaccination and sterilisation has not been as robust as it should have been, with concerns about inadequate outreach and sterilisation rates. A significant proportion of dogs remain reproductively active. As human health and life are important, this is an issue that has to be tackled through a more stringent and practical approach. Dog shelters can be set up in each corporation zone, roping in even corporates under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. In many countries even pets are not allowed loose on a street. Dr. T.N. Varadarajan, Chennai Shaji N. Karun Shaji N. Karun, one among the pantheon of great film-makers, has become a glowing chapter in Kerala's rich film history. As a director and cinematographer, he excelled in both worlds. With his classic films such as Swaham, Piravi and Vanaprastham, he made an indelible mark in world cinema. And, while at the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy and Kerala State Film Development Corporation, he proved to be an institution builder. Ayyasseri Raveendranath, Aranmula, Kerala
New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Painful frames linger on, as master auteur Shaji N Karun bids adieu
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An array of frames that capture the poignancy of pain, be it the pathos of an unending wait, eternal search for the unknown, heartfelt silence, a deep sense of solitude or an intense interior yearning. Master auteur Shaji N Karun, who chose to tread his own path in Indian cinema, often defying norms of not just popular but parallel cinema too, is no more. The 73-year-old, who was battling cancer breathed his last at his Vazhuthacaud residence in the state capital on Monday. The funeral will be held at Santhikavadam on Tuesday. A cinematographer-turned-filmmaker who brought global acclaim to Malayalam cinema with a brilliant kaleidoscope of films spanning over a five-decade-long career, bid adieu hardly two weeks after receiving the JC Daniel award. Shaji has the rare achievement of three back-to-back films making it to Cannes - Piravi, Swaham and Vanaprastham. Pain was ever the leitmotif - the pain of the unspoken, solitude and yearning that lingers on. He chose to portray them through a brilliant interplay of silence and the cinematic medium. "Politics has its base in pain. See, my movies document pain and its mytiad portrayals. That's how political my movies are," he once said. Often he chose a narrative interpersed with long silences and pauses that conveyed so much better than loud frames and ponderous dialogues. His stories were subtle yet tinged with prophetic vision. In his directorial debut, Piravi, which tracks the gruelling pain of a father's wait, the compelling narrative left the audience speechless and overcome with an ache that defied description. The movie serves to be a caustic pointer to the disturbing saga of custodial deaths. Swaham too depicts waiting, but of a different kind. Vanaprastham, which elicited one of the career-best performaces from Mohanlal, too was another sketch of yearning - this time that of a Kathakali artist, who goes through the myriad hues of love, life, isolation amidst a complex societal structure. Shaji was an extremely selective filmmaker when it came to his cinematic creations. He was immune to the glitter of the industry. Even the well-established norms of arthouse movies failed to woo him. He was someone who refused to remain stagnant. "I tend to forget a film, once it's done. If not, I would have to carry its baggage," was his motto. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, Shaji quickly established himself as a master of visual story-telling. He blossomed well in thr company of masters with whom he joined hands - be it G Aravindan, KG George or MT Vasudevan Nair, with whom he worked for films like Manju. That he successfully wielded the camera for the widely-popular, yet artisically brilliant KG George movies too, showed his multiple talents. Yet it was the Aravindan- Shaji combo that presented Malayalam some of the evergreen classics of the 70s. Right from Kanchana Seetha, to Thamp and Kummatty, each silently conversed with the audience through well-lit frames that captured the magic of a black-and-white era. "Aravindettan used to share just four-five pages. Thamb had no screenplay at all. So, I turned the camera into a common man's perspective. That's where it got its form," Shaji once shared with TNIE on the making of Thamp, and the peculiar bond that he shared with the master auteur. They used to understand each other so well. His contributions to Malayalam cinema are not limited to his movies alone. Shaji played a significant role in the setting up of the State Chalachithra Academy. Similarly, the filmmaker played an undeniable part in establishing the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Ironically, Shaji N Karun was seldom mentioned among the top league of art-house filmmakers in Malayalam, despite being a filmmmaker who unleashed visual magic through his wide panoramic canvasses. He's known for his almost-meditative black and white frames. The lights fade, yet the shadow lingers on!
