M. J. Radhakrishnan

M. J. Radhakrishnan Biography

M. J. Radhakrishnan is a noted cinematographer of Malayalam cinema who has been associated with both off-beat and commercial movies. He received state award for best cinematographer 6 times thus becoming one of the leading names in the field of cinematography. He received state award for the movies – Deshadanam (1996), Karunam (1999), Ottakkayyan and Adayalangal (2007), Bioscope (2008), Veettilekkulla Vazhi (2010) and Akasathinte Niram (2011). In 2010, he shared the award with Shahanad Jalal (movie – Chithrasoothram). He also won South Asian Film Award for the film Bioscope. He is shortly called MJ by his dearest ones.

He started his career as a still photographer in the Eighties. In a career spanning to three decades, apart from experienced film directors, he has also worked mostly with many young directors in their maiden ventures. Through the movies, Naalu Pennungal and Oru Pennum Randaanum he got opportunity to work with the renowned filmmaker, Adoor Gopalakrishnan. He is known for helping many young film makers of Malayalam film industry, by working with them in their maiden ventures. Kaliyattom directed by Jayaraj and Bioscope by new comer K M Madhusoodanan are noted works. When his work Bioscope, shot in natural light was sent to Mumbai for processing, he received the comment that it was one of the finest works they have done in the past 15 years. Though manipulations in screen shots are done nowadays, Bioscope is one of his best works which never required such alterations.

This director is known for his lenience towards low budget movies. In his opinion, he gets more satisfaction in a visually rich movie with a shoe string budget than mainstream projects. Ek Alag Mausam by K P Sasi is one of his Bollywood projects.

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Updated: April 18, 2014