The Tamil film industry is grieving over the death of one of the most acclaimed cinematographers, filmmakers, and writers R. Chezhiyan, the renowned cinematographer, filmmaker, and writer who died in Chennai at the age of 57 after a long illness. He died Friday while in a private hospital in Chennai’s Taramani in the wake of continued treatment of cancer.
R. Chezhiyan was well-known for his realistic cinematography, poetic visual storytelling, and commitment to real and meaningful cinema. Over the years, he became one of Tamil cinema’s most celebrated cinematographers, renowned for his ability to convey feeling through natural lighting, carefully composed frames, and authentic locations. His work stood apart from the mainstream commercial movie industry and attracted many aspiring filmmakers and cinematographers.
Chezhiyan, who was born in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, and studied civil engineering, later turned to cinema and became a cinematographer with the great cinematographer P. C. Sreeram and became one of the best visual storytellers of his generation. The best films he made were the ones that were so much more than just one of his but also a whole lot of great movies to which he was a producer.
Kalloori, Thenmerku Paruvakaatru, Paradesi, Joker, and To Let are some of his most celebrated movies. His cinematography in Bala’s Paradesi won him a lot of awards and recognition from the BFI London Film Festival. His directorial project To Let also won national recognition for the truth of the hardships of a family living among the middle class and struggling to find a home in a rapidly changing city.
Chezhiyan was not only a great filmmaker and author but also a very good teacher in cinematography and a very good storyteller who would teach me movies for free. His writings on cinema were appreciated by both students and professionals, and so he was a great voice in Indian cinema beyond the job he did behind the camera.
Tributes poured in from the Tamil film community after actor V. Vijay Sethupathi and the great directors and many big filmmakers wished to see him as a man who has done so much for Tamil cinema and who has so much to give people a taste for cinema.
Chezhiyan, I learned from colleagues, was a filmmaker who felt cinema should be based on real life; it would have to be honest and compassionate. His ability to link technical acumen and emotional depth made his movies visually memorable and socially relevant.
R. Chezhiyan is dead, and the end is near for Tamil cinema. But his films, essays, and artistic vision will spur the next generation of filmmakers to work in the field in India. His contribution to Indian cinema will be felt forever through every frame he made and every storyteller he influenced.
Comments
Please to leave a comment on this article.