Ravi Varman | |
|---|---|
) Varman in 2011 | |
| Born | 9 May 1972 Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Director of photography, Film Director |
| Years active | 1999—present |
S. Ravi Varman (born 9 May 1972) is an Indian cinematographer, filmmaker, producer and writer. He has predominantly worked in films of Indian languages such as Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. Known for his realistic and poetic framing sense, Ravi Varman began his career in Malayalam films. He has directed a romantic film in Tamil titled Moscowin Kavery and also filmed the music video for the song "Bird Flu" by British Tamil songwriter M.I.A..
Early life
Ravi Varman was born in a village called Poyyoundarkudikkadu near Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. Varman lost his mother at a young age. Just before she died there was a wedding in his neighborhood and his mother’s image was accidentally captured by the wedding photographer in one of the photos. Varman went to the studio and asked for a picture to be enlarged and learnt what "out of focus" meant. Thus, he developed an interest in photography and grew up with a passion for watching movies – though at the time, he never considered working in film as a possible career.[1]
Career
He started his career by assisting cinematographer Ravi K Chandran. After working in Malayalam films since 1999 for three years, he worked in Bollywood for the film Yeh Dil in 2003. He later worked in the Telugu film Jai and received more offers in Hindi, such as Armaan, Bee Busthar, Ramji Londonwale, and Phir Milenge, His next project is going to be with Maniratnam.[2]
Though a Tamilian, it was not until 2002 when he started to work in Tamil films, with his first one being Susi Ganeshan's Five Star. He continued to work with popular directors as cinematographer in Tamil films, including S. Shankar's Anniyan, Gautham Menon's Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, K. S. Ravikumar's Dasavathaaram and Villu, which was directed by Prabhu Deva.[3] Besides feature films, he has credit of working on more than 500 Television Commercials, Music Albums, Short Films and Documentary. Nonetheless, his flair for literature has led him to embark on writing for an on-line literary magazine 'Yavarum kelir' for Tamiz studio.
Awards and honours
- 23rd EME France Film Festival Best Cinematographer Award for Santham Malayalam (2000)
- Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award for Anniyan (2006)
- Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer for Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2007)
- Vikitan Best Cinematography Award (South) for Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2007)
- ITFA Best Cinematographer Award for Dasavathaaram (2009)
- Star Guild Awards for Best Cinematography for Barfi! (2012)
- Screen Awards for Best cinematography for Barfi! (2012)
- TOIFA Awards for Best Cinematography for Barfi! (2012)
- IIFA Awards for Best Cinematography for Barfi! (2012)
- Zee Cine Awards for Best cinematography for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2014)
- Vijay Award for Best Cinematography for Kaatru Veliyidai (2017)
- SIIMA Award for Best Cinematography for Kaatru Veliyidai (2017)
Filmography
As director
- Moscowin Kavery (2010)
- Treasure Music Video (2011) Also as Cinematographer and Lyricist
As producer
- Azhagu (2010)
- Vellaiya Irukiravan Poi Solla Maatan (2015)
As cinematographer
Films
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Jalamarmaram | Malayalam | |
| 2000 | Sathyam Sivam Sundaram | Malayalam | |
| 2000 | Santham | Malayalam | |
| 2001 | Valliettan | Malayalam | |
| 2001 | Vakkalathu Narayanankutty | Malayalam | |
| 2002 | Five Star | Tamil | |
| 2003 | Yeh Dil | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Jai | Telugu | |
| 2003 | Armaan | Hindi | |
| 2003 | Kilichundan Mampazham | Malayalam | |
| 2003 | Bee Busthar | Malayalam | |
| 2004 | Five by Four | English | |
| 2004 | Phir Milenge | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Autograph | Tamil | Collaborated with Vijay Milton |
| 2005 | Anniyan | Tamil | Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer – South[a] |
| 2005 | Ramji Londonwale | Hindi | |
| 2006 | Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu | Tamil | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer |
| 2008 | Dasavathaaram | Tamil | |
| 2009 | Villu | Tamil | |
| 2010 | Kandahar | Malayalam | Collaborated with Velraj |
| 2011 | Badrinath | Telugu | |
| 2012 | Barfi! | Hindi | |
| 2013 | Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela | Hindi | Zee Cine Awards 2014 - Best Cinematography |
| 2014 | Ugramm | Kannada | |
| 2015 | Tamasha | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Kaatru Veliyidai | Tamil | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards for Best Cinematography Vijay Award for Best Cinematographer Behindwoods Gold Medal for Best Cinematographer |
| 2017 | Jagga Jasoos | Hindi | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Cinematography |
| 2017 | Heartbeats | English | |
| 2018 | Sanju | Hindi | |
| 2019 | Mission Mangal | Hindi | |
| 2019 | Kolaambi | Malayalam | |
| TBA | Bole Chudiyan | Hindi | |
| TBA | Ponniyin Selvan  | Tamil | Filming |
As guest cinematographer
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Vaali | Tamil | |
| 2001 | Minnale | Tamil | 2 songs |
| 2011 | 7aum Arivu | Tamil | 1 Song |
As partial cinematographer
- Indian 2 (for only 1 schedule)
Music videos
Documentaries
- Child Environment
Legacy[4]
Ravi Varman is one of the finest cinematographer in India. Top stars like Shah Rukh Khan are ready to adjust their dates to work with Ravi.
SRK also advised his son Aryan to start his career by assisting Ravi Varman. He also directed a film (Moscowin Kavery).The film wasn't a great success at box office but the heroine he introduced, found her way to fame (Samantha).
Notes
- ^ Jointly awarded with V. Manikandan
References
- ^ "Interview with cinematographer Ravi Varman". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ https://raatnam.com/mani-ratnams-heads-overseas-for-a-marathon-shoot/
- ^ "RAVI VARMAN - The Director, Cinematographer - Sunday special Interview on Dasavatharam Cinematographer Ravi Varman". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/ravi-k-varman-on-how-he-become-a-cinematographer-and-why-mani-ratnam-is-his-favourite-director-7275941.html
External links
- Ravi Varman at IMDb