Veteran cinematographer A. Vincent, who teamed up with late film director C.V. Sridhar in his masterpieces such as Kalyanaparisu , Sumai Thangi , Nenjil Or Aalyam , Then Nilavu and Kathalikka Neramillai died here on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife, two cinematographer sons-Jayanan Vincent and Ajayan Vincent-and a daughter.
Vincent, born in Calicut, was a product of Gemini Studios and a student of Kamal Ghosh. He dominated the Tamil film world since the 1950s also became a most-sought after cinematographer in Telugu and Hindi.
“He had an eye for technical details. As far as I know he was one of the best cinematographers. He is so good that his name became inseparable from Sridhar and the duo was know as Sridhar-Vincent combination,” said Chitralaya Gopu, who worked in Sridhar’s unit as screen play writer and renowned for his comedy tracks.
Vincent first shot into fame with the release of Uthamaputhiran starring Sivaji Ganesan in double-role. “Even in black and white, one can see his artistic mind,” says Mr Gopu.
Cinematographer Babu said it was Vincent who first proved the existence of camera and its role in making of the film and he always experimented with the instrument.
“During the days of black-and-white, the background colour of settings was only in saffron as other colours would reflect, making the job difficult for cameramen. He boldly challenged the colours,” said Mr Babu, who had worked with A.P. Nagarajan, K.S. Gopalakrishnan, and S.P. Muthraman and for many films of Rajinikant.
Vincent’s first film with Sridhar was Kalyanaparisu , a box-office hit known for its fine storyline and melodious songs. His next film was Meenda Sorgham . While the film was not a success, it was talked about in the industry for its technical aspects introduced by Vincent.
“The portrayal of the song “ Sonnathu Neethana Sol Sol ” in the film Nenjil Oru Allayam speaks volumes about Vincent’s talents. Long before the arrival of steadicam, he had pictured the scene that will etch in the memory of the audience,” said writer and film director Suka.
Vincent was with Sridhar till Kaathalikka Neramillai , a romantic-comedy, in which he worked with his assistant P.N. Sundaram. “After the film he left Sridhar to become freelancer and achieved great success in Telugu. He also earned a name in Hindi films,” said Mr Gopu.
Mr Babu said in Meenda Sorgham , he filmed Padmini spinning around in a scene by letting a camera, hung from abouthanging a camera.
“He tightened the rope attached to the camera and loosened it giving it an amplitude to rotate. Padmini also circled perfectly without missing the eyes of the camera. You must see the film to understand his creativity,” said Mr Babu.
