M.J. Radhakrishnan, who died of cardiac arrest at the age of 61 in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, was one of the finest cinematographers in Malayalam cinema.
That he won seven State film awards — only Mankada Ravi Varma has won as many — is proof enough of his calibre. To get a fair idea of his remarkable talent, one only has to watch just a few sequences of films such as Kaliyattam and Thirakkatha . He did not win the award for either, though.
Those who have seen Kaliyattam may still remember how beautiful the frames were in director Jayaraj’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello . The night shots were among the highlights. Only a skilled cinematographer could make all those shots of Theyyam so natural and capture the emotions on the faces of Manju Warrier, Suresh Gopi, and Lal so well.
Making a film look good using natural light was, in fact, one of the greatest strengths of Radhakrishnan.
“I do not think any other cinematographer in our cinema was as adept at shooting in natural light as him,” said Manoj Pillai, one of the young cinematographers whom Radhakrishnan influenced. “I still remember watching Kaliyattam while I was learning the job under Santosh Sivan, and getting bowled over. What he did in that film was brilliant, and I believe it was his best work.”
Radhakrishnan was admired not just by young cinematographers, but by young directors as well. “I enjoy working with young filmmakers,” he had once told this writer.
First choice
He was also often the first choice of art house directors. “He would not only come up with beautiful frames, but he could do it within a small budget,” said Manoj.
“And he was such a nice human being too, very easy to get along with; that must have been one of the reasons why many young directors wanted to work with him.”
The most seasoned and celebrated directors too preferred him. He was the cinematographer of two films directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Naalu Penngunal and Oru Pennum Randaanum.
In a career that spanned over four decades, he worked in about 70 films. His last release was Olu , directed by Shaji N. Karun.
