Sunny Joseph

Sunny Joseph Biography

Sunny Joseph is a famous Indian cinematographer associated with Malayalam cinema. He is better known for National award winning movie Piravi in 1988, for which he won state award for best cinematographer. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Cinematography from prestigious FTII, Pune. Currently he is the General Secretary of Indian Society of Cinematographers. Apart from Piravi, his critically accalimed works include - Alicinte Anveshanam (1989), Vasthuhara (1991), Mangamma (1997), Daya (1998), Oru Cheru Punchiri (2000), Daivanamathil (2005) and a few more. He has also been associated with a few commercial Malayalam movies. He also finished the cinematography works of Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Nizhalkuthu (2002), following the illness of Mankada Ravi Varma, who has been associated with all Adoor movies.

This immensely talented cinematographer shot to international fame with Shaji N Karun’s debut movie ‘Piravi’ in 1987. Still it remains as the best work of Sunny. He has also done the camera work of Train to Pakistan, the Hindi movie adapted from Khushwant Singh's historical novel by the same name. His commercial movies include – Ottayal pattalam, Kshanakathu, Ottayadi pathakal, Eenam Maranna Kattu, Pooram, America America, Ore Thooval Pakshikal, Unni, Theertham etc. till now he has done camera for about 40 films across 10 languages.

After graduating from FTII, he worked as a Producer in the Christian Medical College, Vellore. After a couple of years, he returned to India and worked as assistant under Madhu Ambat, Shaji N Karun and Venu during 1980’s. Before Piravi happened to him, he has already done three movies though they were not noticed. He has also directed diploma film ‘The Clown and the Dog’, which won him appreciation.

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Updated: April 17, 2014