Mankada Ravi Varma
Encyclopedia
Ravi Varma better known by his stage name Mankada Ravi Varma, was an India
n Malayalam
cinematographer and director. He is exclusively known for his association with renowned film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan
. He has associated with other major directors such as G. Aravindan
and P. N. Menon
. He has also directed two films. He has won two National Film Awards
and seven Kerala State Film Awards in various categories.
in Malappuram
district to K.K. Thampuratti and A.M. Parameswaran Bhattathiripad on 4 June 1926. Varma was keenly interested in photography since a child. He had his graduation from Victoria College, Palakkad and later learned motion picture photography at the Institute of Film Technology (FTII) in Chennai.
(1970), directed by P. N. Menon
and scripted by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
. It was a landmark film in Malayalam as it was the first Malayalam film to be shot entirely outdoors. Varma remembered those days, "We exploited the available light. The framing and composition of the film were totally different from other feature films. I tried to accommodate all the tones that were available in black-and-white, and shot the film. As I had shot documentaries in very adverse conditions, I decided to make use of all those experiences in a feature film. Usually in poor light, a cinematographer stops shooting. What I did was use it to my advantage."
His other notable works as a cinematographer include Dikkatra Parvathi (1973) by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Uttarayanam (1974) by G. Aravindan
, and almost all the works with Adoor Gopalakrishnan
.
and Ravi Varma started. Whenever Adoor came down to Kerala, he would make a stop over in Madras and meet him. The friendship that started in the 60s became a professional association in the early 70s when Adoor Gopalakrishnan made Swayamvaram
(1971).
When Adoor Gopalakrishnan watched Olavum Theeravum, he decided that when he made a film, it was Mankada Ravi Varma who would shoot it. When he was ready to make Swayamvaram, he asked Ravi Varma whether he would do the cinematography. But he had no intention to shoot another feature film after Olavum Theeravum, as it had affected his regular work. But he couldn't say 'no' to Adoor. Swayamvaram was their first effort, one of the first serious films made in Kerala, a film that started a revolution and changed the way films were made in Kerala. The film won not only several National Awards but international acclaim too. Mankada also won the National Award for cinematography. Elippathayam
(1981) was one of the most acclaimed films came out of their association. In this magnum opus film, Varma even had to draw electric power from the mains of the house they were shooting in, as they had no money to hire a generator.
Other major works by Varma with Adoor include Kodiyettam
(1977), Mukhamukham (1984), Mathilukal
(1990), Vidheyan
(1993) and Nizhalkuthu
(2002). He has associated with Adoor in all his films, before he fell ill in 2002. Nizhalkuthu was their last film. Varma could not complete this work as he fell ill soon after the filming had started. Later, this film was completed by Sunny Joseph
. Adoor rates this film as the best work by Varma. In an interview he said: "I would rate Nizhalkuthu, as Raviettan's best ever work, 30 years after we started our journey together with Swayamvaram."
He also wrote a book Chitram Chala Chitram about cinematography which won him the State award for the best book on cinema.
. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease
for many years.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
in an obituary to Mankada Ravi Varma has said: "I never asked him why he only worked only with me, as he used to say he wanted to do only good films. Raviettan is the only person to whom I used to courier my script before they were made. His response and clarity on my script encouraged me a lot."
Feature films as a cinematographer
Documentary films as a cinematographer
This is a partial list of Non-feature documentary films for which Ravi Varma was the cinematographer.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
cinematographer and director. He is exclusively known for his association with renowned film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
. He has associated with other major directors such as G. Aravindan
G. Aravindan
Govindan Aravindan who was popularly known as G. Aravindan was a national award winning film director, screenwriter, musician and cartoonist from Kerala, India. He was known for his unorthodox way of film-making; he changed his cinematic forms consistently and experimented in story telling without...
and P. N. Menon
P. N. Menon
P. N. Menon was an Indian film director and art director in Malayalam cinema.-Early life:Born in a poor family in a small town called Vadakkaanchery in Kerala, he completed his studies at Thrissur and from School of Art in Chennai. He came to Chennai when he was only 20 years old...
. He has also directed two films. He has won two National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
and seven Kerala State Film Awards in various categories.
Early life
Ravi Varma was born at MankadaMankada
Mankada is a hillside village in the Malappuram district of Kerala state. It is part of the Malappuram parliament constituency, now represented by E. Ahammed MP, the Minister of State for Indian Railways. In the previous UPA cabinet he was handling the Ministry of External Affairs portfolio...
in Malappuram
Malappuram
Malappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...
district to K.K. Thampuratti and A.M. Parameswaran Bhattathiripad on 4 June 1926. Varma was keenly interested in photography since a child. He had his graduation from Victoria College, Palakkad and later learned motion picture photography at the Institute of Film Technology (FTII) in Chennai.
Career
After his studies from FTII, he worked as a cinematographer for several documentaries and short films. His debut film was Aval (1966) was directed by Aziz, another student from the institute. His first notable work was Olavum TheeravumOlavum Theeravum
Olavum Theeravum is a 1970 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. It has been credited with helping to bring about a "flowering of art-house films that have today become the defining quality of Malayalam cinema", with being Malayalam cinema's "breakthrough into realism", and as "a watershed in the...
(1970), directed by P. N. Menon
P. N. Menon
P. N. Menon was an Indian film director and art director in Malayalam cinema.-Early life:Born in a poor family in a small town called Vadakkaanchery in Kerala, he completed his studies at Thrissur and from School of Art in Chennai. He came to Chennai when he was only 20 years old...
and scripted by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
. It was a landmark film in Malayalam as it was the first Malayalam film to be shot entirely outdoors. Varma remembered those days, "We exploited the available light. The framing and composition of the film were totally different from other feature films. I tried to accommodate all the tones that were available in black-and-white, and shot the film. As I had shot documentaries in very adverse conditions, I decided to make use of all those experiences in a feature film. Usually in poor light, a cinematographer stops shooting. What I did was use it to my advantage."
His other notable works as a cinematographer include Dikkatra Parvathi (1973) by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Uttarayanam (1974) by G. Aravindan
G. Aravindan
Govindan Aravindan who was popularly known as G. Aravindan was a national award winning film director, screenwriter, musician and cartoonist from Kerala, India. He was known for his unorthodox way of film-making; he changed his cinematic forms consistently and experimented in story telling without...
, and almost all the works with Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
.
Association with Adoor
Ravi Varma had written an article on films in a magazine called Sameeksha which Gopalakrishnan, a student at the FTII happened to read. He wrote to Ravi Varma asking him to write another piece for a magazine that he was editing from the institute. That was how the association and friendship between renowned director Adoor GopalakrishnanAdoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
and Ravi Varma started. Whenever Adoor came down to Kerala, he would make a stop over in Madras and meet him. The friendship that started in the 60s became a professional association in the early 70s when Adoor Gopalakrishnan made Swayamvaram
Swayamvaram
Swayamvaram is a 1972 Malayalam feature film co-written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan starring Madhu and Sharada in the lead roles. Notable smaller roles are filled by Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, Adoor Bhavani, Bharath Gopi, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The film was produced by the Chitralekha...
(1971).
When Adoor Gopalakrishnan watched Olavum Theeravum, he decided that when he made a film, it was Mankada Ravi Varma who would shoot it. When he was ready to make Swayamvaram, he asked Ravi Varma whether he would do the cinematography. But he had no intention to shoot another feature film after Olavum Theeravum, as it had affected his regular work. But he couldn't say 'no' to Adoor. Swayamvaram was their first effort, one of the first serious films made in Kerala, a film that started a revolution and changed the way films were made in Kerala. The film won not only several National Awards but international acclaim too. Mankada also won the National Award for cinematography. Elippathayam
Elippathayam
Elippathayam is an Malayalam Film written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is critically considered by many to be one of the most outstanding piece in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's filmography....
(1981) was one of the most acclaimed films came out of their association. In this magnum opus film, Varma even had to draw electric power from the mains of the house they were shooting in, as they had no money to hire a generator.
Other major works by Varma with Adoor include Kodiyettam
Kodiyettam
Kodiyettam is a 1977 Indian feature film production written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is in Malayalam. The film notably does not feature any kind of film score.-Plot:...
(1977), Mukhamukham (1984), Mathilukal
Mathilukal
This article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love...
(1990), Vidheyan
Vidheyan
Vidheyan is a 1993 Indian Malayalam film directed and co-written by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is a cinematic adaptation of the novel Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum by Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia. The film explores the master-slave dialectic in a South Karnataka setting...
(1993) and Nizhalkuthu
Nizhalkuthu
Nizhalkuthu is a 2002 Indian film directed, written and co-produced by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The film explores the recesses of the human consciousness. The film stars Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Narain , Murali, Sukumari, Reeja, Nedumudi Venu, Vijayaraghavan, Jagathi Sreekumar and Tara Kalyan...
(2002). He has associated with Adoor in all his films, before he fell ill in 2002. Nizhalkuthu was their last film. Varma could not complete this work as he fell ill soon after the filming had started. Later, this film was completed by Sunny Joseph
Sunny Joseph
Sunny Joseph, ISC is an Indian Cinematographer and director from Kerala, most known for his work in Shaji N. Karun classic, Piravi, for which he won the 1988 Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography. He has Post Graduate Diploma in Cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of...
. Adoor rates this film as the best work by Varma. In an interview he said: "I would rate Nizhalkuthu, as Raviettan's best ever work, 30 years after we started our journey together with Swayamvaram."
Career as a director
In 1984, he directed his first film, Nokkukuthi, which won him another National Award and a State award. It was based on a poem by noted Malayalam poet, M Govindan. "I made it for my own satisfaction. People who are like me will also get satisfaction of watching my film", says Varma. He also directed Kunjikoonan in 1989.He also wrote a book Chitram Chala Chitram about cinematography which won him the State award for the best book on cinema.
Death
Ravi Varma died on 22 November 2010 evening in ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
for many years.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
in an obituary to Mankada Ravi Varma has said: "I never asked him why he only worked only with me, as he used to say he wanted to do only good films. Raviettan is the only person to whom I used to courier my script before they were made. His response and clarity on my script encouraged me a lot."
Filmography
Feature films as a director- Nokkukuthi (1984)
- Kunjikoonan (1989)
Feature films as a cinematographer
- Nizhalkkuthu (2002)
- KathapurushanKathapurushanKathapurushan is an award-winning feature film directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The film is in Malayalam. It stars Vishwanathan, Mini Nair, Aranmula Ponnamma, Narendra Prasad and Urmila Unni. It won the Golden Lotus Award for Best Film at the National Film Awards in 1996...
(1996) - VidheyanVidheyanVidheyan is a 1993 Indian Malayalam film directed and co-written by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is a cinematic adaptation of the novel Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum by Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia. The film explores the master-slave dialectic in a South Karnataka setting...
(1993) - MathilukalMathilukalThis article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love...
(1990) - AnantaramAnantaramAnantaram is a 1987 Malayalam feature film production written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Mammootty, Ashokan and Shobhana star in the lead. The film is structured like a monologue. It develops through a commentary by the protagonist about himself in the first person...
(1987) - Mukhamukham (1984)
- ElippathayamElippathayamElippathayam is an Malayalam Film written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is critically considered by many to be one of the most outstanding piece in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's filmography....
(1981) - KodiyettamKodiyettamKodiyettam is a 1977 Indian feature film production written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is in Malayalam. The film notably does not feature any kind of film score.-Plot:...
(1977) - Uttarayanam (1974)
- Dikkatra Parvathi
- SwayamvaramSwayamvaramSwayamvaram is a 1972 Malayalam feature film co-written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan starring Madhu and Sharada in the lead roles. Notable smaller roles are filled by Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, Adoor Bhavani, Bharath Gopi, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The film was produced by the Chitralekha...
(1971) - Olavum TheeravumOlavum TheeravumOlavum Theeravum is a 1970 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. It has been credited with helping to bring about a "flowering of art-house films that have today become the defining quality of Malayalam cinema", with being Malayalam cinema's "breakthrough into realism", and as "a watershed in the...
(1970) - Aval (1966)
Documentary films as a cinematographer
This is a partial list of Non-feature documentary films for which Ravi Varma was the cinematographer.
- Yakshagana (1979)
- Chola Heritage (1980)
- Koodiyattam (2001)
- Kalamandalam Gopi (1995)
- Krishnanattam (1982)
Awards
- 1970: Kerala State Film Award for Best PhotographyKerala State Film Award for Best PhotographyThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Cinematographer winners:-References:**...
- Olavum TheeravumOlavum TheeravumOlavum Theeravum is a 1970 Malayalam film directed by P. N. Menon. It has been credited with helping to bring about a "flowering of art-house films that have today become the defining quality of Malayalam cinema", with being Malayalam cinema's "breakthrough into realism", and as "a watershed in the... - 1972: National Film Award for Best CinematographyNational Film Award for Best CinematographyThe National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
- SwayamvaramSwayamvaramSwayamvaram is a 1972 Malayalam feature film co-written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan starring Madhu and Sharada in the lead roles. Notable smaller roles are filled by Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, Adoor Bhavani, Bharath Gopi, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The film was produced by the Chitralekha... - 1972: Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography - Swayamvaram
- 1974: Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography - Uttarayanam
- 1983: National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film) - Nokkukuthi
- 1983: Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography - Nokkukuthi
- 1984: Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography - Mukhamukham
- 2002: Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography - NizhalkuthuNizhalkuthuNizhalkuthu is a 2002 Indian film directed, written and co-produced by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The film explores the recesses of the human consciousness. The film stars Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Narain , Murali, Sukumari, Reeja, Nedumudi Venu, Vijayaraghavan, Jagathi Sreekumar and Tara Kalyan...
- 2005: J. C. Daniel Award (Honorary)
- Kerala State Film Award for Best Book on CinemaKerala State Film Award for Best Book on CinemaThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Book on Cinema winners:-References:**...
- Chitram Chala Chitram