K. Ramachandra Babu, who died of cardiac arrest here on Saturday at the age of 72, did some revolutionising work as a cinematographer in the 1970s and 80s. He shot some of the landmark films of Malayalam, and Indian, cinema.
He may not have been celebrated as much as he deserved; just going through the list of his films you would get an idea of the magnitude of his contribution. Nirmalayam, Yavanika, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Swapanadanam, Agraharathil Kazhuthai and Padayottam were all shot by him.
Babu was one of the earliest cinematographers to work in Malayalam cinema after graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Through films such as Nirmalyam, M.T. Vasudevan Nair's first venture as a director, he introduced to Malayalam cinema the kind of shots it was not used to.
Nirmalyam, which won the national award for the best film in 1974, remains one of the greatest Malayalam films.
Dramatic frames
Some 16 years later, another brilliant script by M.T. was translated beautifully into film by Babu's camera. If director Hariharan's masterpiece Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha has become one of the most loved of all Malayalam films, its talented cinematographer could take a lot of credit. From the action sequences, through the picturisation of lovely songs to the dramatic scenes, you could see the signature of a consummate craftsman who had an eye for beauty.
“In terms of cinematography, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha is among the finest in Malayalam cinema,” says Manoj Mundayat, a Mumbai-based cinematographer and alumnus at the FTII. “It was so refreshingly different from the films based on Vadakkan folklore. Babu was a cinematographer who used his camera more naturally and subtly at a time when the camera was a bit louder.”
Such outstanding work was recognised by the State film award jury of the time. Babu won four State awards, for Dweepu, Rathinirvedam, Chamaram and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha.
He, however, could not live long enough to see the release of his maiden film as a director, Professor Dinkan.
The celebrated cinematographer of Bollywood Ravi K. Chandran is his younger brother.
