Ramachandra Babu (1947–2019) was an Indian cinematographer who made over 130 films in multiple languages. His work was mainly in the Malayalam film industry. His notable films are Nirmalyam (1973), Chamaram (1980), Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), and Kanmadham (1998). He is one of the founding members of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC), established in 1995. He died on 21 December 2019 of fatal heart failure.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Kunjan Ramachandra Babu was born on 15 December 1947 (age 72 at the time of death) in Maduranthakam, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu. Their zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He was a brilliant student who received double promotions in different grades in school. He completed school at the age of 14. He graduated in Chemistry from Loyola College, Chennai in 1966, after which he obtained a Diploma in Cinema (Motion Picture Photography) from the Film Institute of India in Pune (now, the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune).
Ramachandra Babu as a student at FTII
Family
He belongs to a Keralite family settled in Marudanthakam, Tamil Nadu.
parents and siblings
Ramachandra Babu’s parents are Kunjan Pillai and Padmini Amma. Both his parents are from Alappuzha, Kerala. He is the eldest of their seven children.
Ramachandra Babu with his parents, siblings and a friend
His youngest brother Ravi K. Chandran is an established cinematographer and film director. He is known for his films Virasat (1997), Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Saawariya (2007).
Ravi K, brother of Ramachandra Babu. Chandran
wife and children
Ramachandra Babu in 1982 K. Married to Lathika Rani. His child Abhishek R. Babu and Abhilash R. It is Babu.
Other
His nephew Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran is a cinematographer and most of his work is in Bollywood. Some of his works are the Malayalam films Two Countries (2015), Baaghi 2 (2018), and Kabir Singh (2019).
Santhana Krishnan, nephew of Ramachandra Babu
religion/religious views
Ramachandra Babu belongs to a Hindu family.
Caste
He belongs to the Kerala Pillai community, which is part of the Nair caste.
signature/autograph
Signature of Ramachandra Babu
livelihood
film
It was during the third year of his Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) course, when he made his film debut as a lensman for the film Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile (1971). The film was directed by John Abraham, one of his seniors at FTII. His work was greatly appreciated.
Poster of the movie Vidyarthi Kaale Ithile Ithile
He was the cinematographer of MT Vasudevan Nair’s directorial debut Nirmalyam (1973). It starred PJ Antony, Sukumaran and his batchmate Ravi Menon in lead roles. It won many awards.
Ramchandra Babu during the shooting of the film Nirmalyam.
He was also the cinematographer of KG George’s directorial debut Swapnapadanam (1976). It featured Rani Chandra and Dr. Mohan Das in lead roles. Both these films established Ramachandra Babu in the field of cinematography in the film industry.
Ramchandra Babu during the shooting of the film Swapnadanam
Ramachandra Babu’s first color film was Dheepu (1977), directed by Ramu Kariat. It won him the Best Cinematographer award at the Kerala State Film Awards.
A scene from the movie Dweepu
He introduced many technological upgrades in the field of cinematography. Although he was the first to do a CinemaScope film Alauddin Alabhuthavilakkam (1979), its release was delayed. So, even though on record, Thacholi Ambu (1978) is the first CinemaScope film in Malayalam, it was Ramachandra Babu who was the first to work on it. He was also the cinematographer of Malayalam’s first 70 mm film, Padayottam (1982).
Ramachandra Babu with 70 mm film equipment
Her first Tamil film was Agraharathil Kazhuthai (1977) directed by John Abraham. His first Telugu film is Tholireyi Gadichindi (1977). He was the cinematographer for Rajeev Aanchal’s English-language film Beyond the Soul (2003). His Arabic film Al Boom was directed by Khaled Al Zidjali.
Ramachandra Babu during the shooting of the film Beyond the Soul
He also won awards for Rathinirvedam (1978), Chamaram (1980), and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989). The film Professor Dinkan was his directorial debut but unfortunately, he passed away before the film was completed.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 1976, Ramachandra Babu won the Best Cinematography Award at the Kerala State Film Awards for the film Dheepu.
- In 1978, he won the Kerala State Best Cinematography Award for the film Rathinirvedam.
- In 1980, the film Chamaram earned him the Kerala State Best Cinematography Award.
- In 1981, he won the Best Cinematography award at the Kerala Film Critics Awards for the film Nidra, directed by Bharath.
- In 1989, he won the Kerala State Best Cinematography Award for the film Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha.
- In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern India Cinematographers Association (SICA).
Ramachandra Babu received lifetime achievement award
- In 2010, he won the Best Cinematography award at the Kerala Film Critics Awards for the film Kadaksham.
Death
Ramachandra Babu was looking for a location in Kozhikode when he died of a fatal heart attack. Even though he was taken to hospital, he died on 21 December 2019. He was cremated with full state honors at Shanthi Kavadam in Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram.
Facts/General Knowledge
- The author of the book Celluloid Swapnadakan is Ramachandra Babu. The book, published by Mathrubhumi Publications, is an autobiography of his cinematography career.
Cover page of Ramchandra Babu’s book
- The first shot of his career was a close-up shot of actress Jayabharathi for the film Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile. He expressed concern over Ramachandra Babu’s lighting technique, as it was not the usual pattern he had seen so far in the industry.
- Jaya Bhaduri, Danny Dengzopa, Ravi Menon and KG George are his batchmates from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
- He was an avid reader and wrote poems and blogs. He was also a painter.
One of Ramachandra Babu’s paintings
- He combined creativity with technology by developing Cineku, a platform for short film production. The name Sineku is inspired by short poems called haiku.
- His first published photograph was one that was submitted during his admission to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). It was published in the Tamil magazine Kalki. The model was one of his younger brothers.
First published photograph of Ramachandra Babu
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn