Mahadevan Thampi was recently in the news for bagging the Pearl Award of the Custom Content Council for the Best Still Photographer of 2013. He was the man behind the alluring stills of Kamal Hassan’s mega work Vishwaroopam. This happened by accident. Mahadevan happened to meet Kamal on the sets of Four Friends. Impressed by Mahadevan, Kamal hired him to do the stills for Vishwaroopam.
“It was an unbelievable dream come true,” says Mahadevan. “Each day with Kamal sir was a learning experience.”
Thereafter, Mahadevan has now got an opportunity to work in Bollywood. In fact, he is the first lensman of the Malayalam film industry to get such a chance.
Mahadevan begin his career in photography, at age 17, when he assisted N L Balakrishnan, a renowned photographer and actor. At 19, he became an independent still photographer. In eight years, he has worked in 32 films.
Some of the movies include Ivar Vivaahitharayaal, Happy Husbands, Pokkiri Raja, Tournament, Payyans, Three Kings, Nallavan, and Janapriyan. He was praised for his extraordinary stills in Ivar Vivaahitharayaal.
“One can achieve only if one is in love with the profession,” says Mahadevan. “My camera is my first love, I had always dreamt of this position where I stand now.”
Mahadevan is sure of the power of photography. “It is the only language that can be understood anywhere in this world,” he says. “Images can convey more than a thousand words.”
Mahadevan has done all sorts of photography: stills for films, portraits, festivals, faces and weddings. “I grow as a photographer with each picture I click!” he says. His dream frame is to capture the expressions of actress Manju Warrier in her Bharathanatyam attire.
The Pearl Award is not Mahadevan’s first win. In 2012, he won the Kalakeralam Award 2012 for the movie, Janapriyan. His next projects include Angry Birds and Maharajas College. “My ultimate goal is to direct a movie in which I do the still photography,” he says.
Mahadevan was in love with photography as a child. This happened when he borrowed a camera from his uncle.
The very first camera which he bought with his pocket money was a Kodak. He took a photo of his pet cat. A lifelong passion began there. “When your passion becomes your work, incredible things happen!” says Mahadevan, and he signs off.