KOCHI: Remembering MJ Radhakrishnan, director Jayaraj said nights and days were never captured with such beauty by anyone other than Radhakrishnan in Malayalam cinema.
Deshadanam was an experimental venture. Actually, Azhakappan was supposed to handle the camera for the movie. However, due to a date clash, MJR was chosen.
"Within three days of work, I realised MJR’s craft. He cranked the camera for Deshadanam, Kaliyattam, Thalolam, Makalkku, Karunam, Ottaal, Gulmohar. We have worked together for nearly 10 films,” said Jayaraj.
He said MJR’s cinematography always elevated the total mood and total rhythm of all his movies.
“He cranked the camera for some of the movies which I shot on a shoe-string budget. Even in those movies, he worked with great enthusiasm and dedication,” said Jayaraj.
Fondly called MJR, Radhakrishnan breathed his last on Friday. The enticing visuals in various movies stand testimony to his creative prowess.
Kaliyattam was an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play Othello and director Jayaraj selected Radhakrishnan as his cameraman. The movie was told in the backdrop of theyyam (a ritualistic art form of Malabar) and there are many sequences which were shot at night. As a result, in many scenes, embers and lit torches are shown.
“MJR never depended on too much lighting techniques to enhance the beauty of scenes. He always preferred natural lighting. He was totally against camera gimmicks. Frames should maintain cinematic grammar and natural light has its own majesty, he always said,” said actor/director M G Sasi.
Sasi was Kaliyattam’s assistant director.
For his debut movie Adayalangal (2007) as an independent director, it was MJR who cranked the camera. “While shooting Kaliyattam, both MJR and I stayed together in a house in Palakkad. We were good friends and, of course, when I made my debut as a director, he was my first and last choice as cameraman,” said Sasi.
MJR won the state award for best cinematographer for his work in Adayalangal. Altogether, he has won seven state awards and has handled the camera for nearly 75 films.
He was the cinematographer for Veyil Marangal directed by Dr Biju which won the award for ‘Outstanding Artistic Achievement’ at the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival in June this year.