Legendary Malayalam filmmaker Shaji N Karun dies at 73, Mohanlal and Mammootty pay tribute

Ace filmmaker Shaji N Karun passed away at his home in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday He was ailing for a while after being diagnosed with cancer Karun was a cinematographer producer and director all moulded into one which eventually made him the highly respected elder film statesman from KeralaThe 73yearold acclaimed cinematographer was later known for his directorial skills which won him both national and international awards He has cranked the camera for 40 films which include towering directors like G Aravindan KG George and MT Vasudevan Nair to name a few Later he began directing and of the seven films he directed three of them won national awards and not to mention international awards tooMammootty and Mohanlal remember Shaji N KarunBoth the big Ms of Malayalam cinema owe it to Karun for giving them one of their most memorable charactersMohanlal shared a heartfelt tribute on social medialdquoThe one who brought Malayalam cinema to the pinnacle of world cinema the one whom every Malayali embraced with pride Shaji N Karun sir has left us Mohanlal recalled his collaborations with Shaji N Karun in films like Neram Pularumbol Panchagni and Onnamoothal Poojyam Vare where his roles were brief but significant Shaji served as the cinematographer for all three films and later directed Vanaprastham a milestone in Mohanlalrsquos careerA filmmaker who made us truly experience what it means to compose poetry with the camera Mohanlal said recalling them visiting Cannes with their film Vanaprastham Mohanlalrsquos performance in Vanaprastham earned him both the National Film Award and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1999 The film remains a defining moment for both actor and directorMammootty also paid his respects on social media sharing a photo of Shaji N Karun along with the message Heartfelt tributes to dear ShajiMammootty had collaborated with Shaji in Kutty Srank a film that went on to win the National Award for Best Feature Film in 2010Tributes pour in for Shaji N KarunCondolences have started pouring in from several quarters Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan was among the first to pay a heartfelt tributeHe wrote on X A defining era in Indian Cinema comes to an end with the passing of Shaji N Karun His remarkable contributions as a cinematographer filmmaker and policymaker refined and enriched our cinematic culture elevating our cinema to the global stage A creative voice who remained steadfast in his progressive convictions Shaji N Karun leaves behind a glorious legacy Heartfelt tributesA defining era in Indian Cinema comes to an end with the passing of Shaji N Karun His remarkable contributions as a cinematographer filmmaker and policymaker refined and enriched our cinematic culture elevating our cinema to the global stage A creative voice who remainedhellip pictwittercomQC4Fvb5eGlmdash Pinarayi Vijayan pinarayivijayan April 28 2025He was also an able administrator as he was the first chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and was the live wire during the now popular International Film Festival of Kerala Karun was presently the chairman of the Kerala State Film Development CorporationToday we bid farewell to Shaji N Karun a pioneer a dreamer and a mentor mdash The first Chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and the guiding spirit of IFFKYour journey from lsquoPiravirsquo to the stars will forever illuminate our hearts pictwittercom3IdEOXscLimdash International Film Festival of Kerala iffklive April 28 2025We are deeply saddened by the passing away of cinematographer filmmaker and longtime guide of the NFDCNational Film Archive of India ShajiKarun With an extraordinary filmography as a cinematographer and filmmaker he began his filmmaking journey as a student of FTII pictwittercomHTFgpe3TVOmdash NFDCNational Film Archive of India NFAIOfficial April 28 2025About Shaji N KarunThough born in Kollam he was settled in the state capital city After his graduation he joined the prestigious Pune Film Institute in 1971 to learn cinematography In his long career he has bagged seven national awards which include three best film awards Piravi Vanaprasatham and Kutty Srank It was in 1977 that he won the first of the eight Kerala State Film Awards for the best cinematographer in the film lsquoKanchana Sitarsquo In 1979 Karun won his first national award for camera work in the black and white film lsquoThampursquo He was also decorated with the Padma Shri for his contribution to filmsAt the Cannes Film Festival in 1989 Shajirsquos film lsquoPiravirsquo which he produced and directed won a Special Mention and in 1994 he did one shade better when his film lsquoSwahamrsquo won the best film awardHis films have also bagged honours at the London Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival and several others Incidentally it was just earlier this month that he was presented the most prestigious JC Daniel Award for his outstanding contribution to Malayalam filmsShaji N Karun is survived by his wife and two sons and he will be given a state funeral to be held here on Tuesdaywith inputs from IANSatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params