Shivaramaiah Ramachandra Aithal (; 16 November 194810 January 2011), popularly known as S. Ramachandra, was a National Award-winning

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n cinematographer. In 2006, he was honoured with Lifetime Contribution to Kannada Cinema Award at the

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

. He was recognised as a gifted cinematographer and as a force behind the offbeat films in

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...

Career

After securing fifth rank in the Pre-University Course, Ramachandra went to the National Film and Television Institute in

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

to learn Cinematography. Upon returning he worked as the Assistant Cameraman for U.M.N. Sharif, who shot Vamsha Vriksha directed by

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian playwright, actor, film director, Kannada writer, and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi films. His rise as a playwr ...

and B.V. Karanth. It was during the shooting of Vamsha Vriksha that P.V. Nanjaraja Urs, who identified Ramachandra's talent, asked him to work for his feature film "Sankalpa" which was Ramachandra's first venture as an Independent Cinematographer. He later worked with B.V. Karanth for the Award Winning film Chomana Dudi. He also worked in commercial films with directors like Nagabharana and K.V.Jayaram. S. Ramachandra's work in films directed by

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...

brought him accolades. His association with

began with the National Award-winning film Ghatashradhdha. Later he worked on ''Akramana'', ''Mane'', ''

Kraurya ''Kraurya'' () is a 1996 Indian Kannada language drama film directed by Girish Kasaravalli, based on a story written by T. N. Seetharam about an old woman who has to deal with complex relationships with people of different generations she is put ...

'', '' Naayi Neralu'', ''Hasina'' and ''

Gulabi Talkies ''Gulabi Talkies'' is a 2008 Indian Kannada language drama film by acclaimed Indian director Girish Kasaravalli. The film stars Umashree in the title role, M. D. Pallavi and K. G. Krishna Murthy. It is based on a short story by the same name by Ka ...

''.

Professional

Ramachandra was the President of Karnataka Cinematographer's Association for nearly a decade, where he worked to secure the future of Cinematographers of the Kannada Film Industry He was a founding member of Chitrasamuha, a filmmakers' platform for appreciation of cinema aesthetics and he remained an active contributor until his death.

Critical acclaim

Following quotes are about S. Ramachandra and his work.

Awards

* 1977:

National Film Award for Best Cinematography The National Film Award for Best Cinematography is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kamal (S ...

for Rishya Shringa * 2006: Lifetime Contribution to Kannada Cinema Award * Karnataka State Film Award for Best Cinematography ** 1972–73: Sankalpa ** 1976–77: Rushya Shringa ** 1978–79: Grahana ** 1989–90: Mane

Death

S. Ramachandra was suffering from cancer. He was admitted to the Bangalore Institute of Oncology where he was pronounced dead on 10 January 2011. Chitra Varsha: Cinematography of Ramachandra, a year long festival of his films was organised by Chitra Samuha and K. V. Subbanna Aptha Samuha in 2011. At least one film 'Thallana' is dedicated to him.Thallana
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Filmography

Television

Films

An incomplete list of S. Ramachandra's Films also highlights his association with Award-winning Films

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramachandra Kannada film cinematographers 2011 deaths Filmfare Awards winners Best Cinematography National Film Award winners 1948 births Artists from Bengaluru Cinematographers from Karnataka 20th-century Indian photographers 21st-century Indian photographers Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2004