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Shaji N. Karun is a Director, Scriptwriter, Producer, Director of Photography and Cinematography Indian born on 1 january 1952 at Kollam (Inde)

Shaji N. Karun

Shaji N. Karun
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Birth name Shaji Neelakantan Karunakaran
Nationality Inde
Birth 1 january 1952 (72 years) at Kollam (Inde)
Awards Padma Shri

Shaji Neelakantan Karun (Malayalam: ഷാജി എന്‍. കരുണ്‍; born 1 January 1952) is a National Award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d'Or - Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the Premiere Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the Executive Chairman of International Film Festival of Kerala from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award winning films Piravi (1989), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2010).

Biography

Shaji N. Karun was born on New Year's Day, 1952 as the eldest son of Mr. N. Karunakaran and Mrs. Chandramati in present day Kollam district in the former state of Travancore state (now Kerala), India. The family moved to Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state in 1963. He did his schooling in Palkulangara H.S. and took a Bachelor's degree from University College, Thiruvananthapuram. In 1971 he entered the Film and Television Institute of India where he took his diploma in Cinematography. His Diploma film Genesis (1974) directed by Rahul Dasgupta got many awards and he started his career. He won the President's medal on passing out in 1975. He is married to Anasuya Warrier, daughter of P. K. R. Warrier, who was his neighbour in Trivandrum for quite some time. After a brief stint in the south Indian city of Madras, he returned to Thiruvananthapuram in 1976 where he got an appointment as film officer in the newly formed state Film Development Corporation. His first son Anil was born on 19 June 1976. His association with the legendary Malayalam film maker G. Aravindan began at this time. Then he continued working with notable directors like G. Aravindan, K. G. George and M. T. Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer.

Usually with

G. Aravindan
G. Aravindan
(8 films)
Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu
(9 films)
Bharath Gopi
Bharath Gopi
(6 films)
Mohanlal
Mohanlal
(4 films)
Sreekar Prasad
Sreekar Prasad
(5 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Shaji N. Karun (22 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

Swapaanam
Swapaanam (2014)

Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Jayaram, Siddique, Vineeth, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Indrans, P. Sreekumar
Rating68% 3.4318953.4318953.4318953.4318953.431895
The rhythm of life, even for a master drummer, is at the same moment disrupted and harmonized by the love, passion, jealousy, hate and spite of those around. Unequaled in the art of playing the Chenda, Unni (Jayaram), and Nalini (Kadambari), peerless in Mohiniyattam, are drawn to each other by an affection that transcends the devotion to their arts and the love for each other. The pulse of their passion cannot hold up against the tumults of Unni’s life. A brother and a father figure, whose love sours to jealousy and hate, a wife who despises his drumming and a mother from whom the truth about his birth is not forthcoming all hasten the tempo of a mental imbalance rooted in Unni’s childhood to an inevitable dark end.
Kutty Srank
Kutty Srank (2010)

Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama, Fantasy
Actors Mammootty, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Padmapriya, Saikumar, Siddique, Suresh Krishna
Rating69% 3.484113.484113.484113.484113.48411
Kutty Srank (translated as junior boat captain in Malayalam) is a film about a mariner who operates a cargo vessel near the sea port of Kodungalloor near Kochi, once a roaring port town in Kerala.
Nishad
Nishad (2002)
, 1h58
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Rajit Kapur, Archana, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Talluri Rameshwari
Rating58% 2.928292.928292.928292.928292.92829
Sati Gujaral is a music teacher in a school for Tibetan children run by the Tibetan government-in-exile and her husband Gopi Gujaral is a doctor in a government hospital. Their only son, Ashok is a pilot with the Indian Air Force. The atmosphere is tense with the possibility of a war between India and Pakistan. Ashok calls home unerringly every week bringing joy and some comfort to the anxious mother. One day she gets a mistaken call from a young boy trying desperately to reach his mother. The anxiety is compounded when her own son's call doesn't arrive at the appointed hour. The next call reveals that the child has died.
Vanaprastham
Vanaprastham (1999)
, 3h19
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Origin German
Genres Drama
Actors Mohanlal, Suhasini Maniratnam, Kalamandalam Kesavan, Bindu Panicker, Raveena Ravi
Rating81% 4.090024.090024.090024.090024.09002
The story revolves around a male Kathakali dancer Kunhikuttan (Mohanlal), an admirable and respected performer but a member of a lower caste. He struggles to come to terms with the rejection and estrangement of his father, a member of an upper caste who denies his son. Poor, unhappy, and stuck in an arranged marriage that provides no relief, he gets by for the sake of his daughter. One night, whilst performing as Arjuna from the epic Mahabarata on stage, his dance is witnessed by Subhadra (Suhasini), a well educated member of an upper caste family. Defying the norms of India's rigid caste system, they have a son, but it soon becomes clear that Subhadra loves the character Arjuna from his stage performances, and not Kunhikuttan the dancer. More in love with the valiant, noble hero of the Mahabarata, than the dancer Kunhikuttan, she rejects him and refuses to let him see his son. Denied access to his son, and rejected by his father, Kunhikuttan returns to the stage, leaving behind his hero roles to play demonic characters, reaching within the dark corners of his mind, becoming increasingly resentful and full of anger, until one last dance which brings the feature to a stunning end.
My Own
My Own (1994)
, 2h21
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Actors Ashwini Bhave, Bharath Gopi, Mullanezhi Neelakandan
Rating70% 3.524573.524573.524573.524573.52457
Annapoorna lives with her son and daughter, and struggles to get by, trying to earn a living from the teashop near a railway station once owned by her now deceased husband. Her son Kannan does whatever he can to help whilst trying to continue his education, however this proves difficult and he fails his exams. His mother sends him to a military recruitment camp, hoping he will find employment. This seems to be the family's only hope, however this option is expensive. Eventually Kannan is admitted after Annapoorna pays a hefty sum of money to a man associated with the camp. Later, Kannan is killed in a stampede at the camp, and his bereaved mother brings his body back home in an ambulance. Annapoorna's daughter waits anxiously for the return of her mother and brother.
Piravi
Piravi (1988)
, 1h50
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Archana, Premji, V K Sreeraman, Mullanezhi Neelakandan, Sanakaran Gopalakrishnan
Rating78% 3.90323.90323.90323.90323.9032
Raghu is one of two children born to Raghava Chakyar (Premji) and his wife. Born quite late in his parents' marriage, Raghu is brought up with immense devotion and love until adulthood.

Scriptwriter

Swapaanam
Swapaanam (2014)

Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Jayaram, Siddique, Vineeth, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Indrans, P. Sreekumar
Roles Story
Rating68% 3.4318953.4318953.4318953.4318953.431895
The rhythm of life, even for a master drummer, is at the same moment disrupted and harmonized by the love, passion, jealousy, hate and spite of those around. Unequaled in the art of playing the Chenda, Unni (Jayaram), and Nalini (Kadambari), peerless in Mohiniyattam, are drawn to each other by an affection that transcends the devotion to their arts and the love for each other. The pulse of their passion cannot hold up against the tumults of Unni’s life. A brother and a father figure, whose love sours to jealousy and hate, a wife who despises his drumming and a mother from whom the truth about his birth is not forthcoming all hasten the tempo of a mental imbalance rooted in Unni’s childhood to an inevitable dark end.
Nishad
Nishad (2002)
, 1h58
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Rajit Kapur, Archana, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Talluri Rameshwari
Rating58% 2.928292.928292.928292.928292.92829
Sati Gujaral is a music teacher in a school for Tibetan children run by the Tibetan government-in-exile and her husband Gopi Gujaral is a doctor in a government hospital. Their only son, Ashok is a pilot with the Indian Air Force. The atmosphere is tense with the possibility of a war between India and Pakistan. Ashok calls home unerringly every week bringing joy and some comfort to the anxious mother. One day she gets a mistaken call from a young boy trying desperately to reach his mother. The anxiety is compounded when her own son's call doesn't arrive at the appointed hour. The next call reveals that the child has died.
Vanaprastham
Vanaprastham (1999)
, 3h19
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Origin German
Genres Drama
Actors Mohanlal, Suhasini Maniratnam, Kalamandalam Kesavan, Bindu Panicker, Raveena Ravi
Rating81% 4.090024.090024.090024.090024.09002
The story revolves around a male Kathakali dancer Kunhikuttan (Mohanlal), an admirable and respected performer but a member of a lower caste. He struggles to come to terms with the rejection and estrangement of his father, a member of an upper caste who denies his son. Poor, unhappy, and stuck in an arranged marriage that provides no relief, he gets by for the sake of his daughter. One night, whilst performing as Arjuna from the epic Mahabarata on stage, his dance is witnessed by Subhadra (Suhasini), a well educated member of an upper caste family. Defying the norms of India's rigid caste system, they have a son, but it soon becomes clear that Subhadra loves the character Arjuna from his stage performances, and not Kunhikuttan the dancer. More in love with the valiant, noble hero of the Mahabarata, than the dancer Kunhikuttan, she rejects him and refuses to let him see his son. Denied access to his son, and rejected by his father, Kunhikuttan returns to the stage, leaving behind his hero roles to play demonic characters, reaching within the dark corners of his mind, becoming increasingly resentful and full of anger, until one last dance which brings the feature to a stunning end.
My Own
My Own (1994)
, 2h21
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Actors Ashwini Bhave, Bharath Gopi, Mullanezhi Neelakandan
Rating70% 3.524573.524573.524573.524573.52457
Annapoorna lives with her son and daughter, and struggles to get by, trying to earn a living from the teashop near a railway station once owned by her now deceased husband. Her son Kannan does whatever he can to help whilst trying to continue his education, however this proves difficult and he fails his exams. His mother sends him to a military recruitment camp, hoping he will find employment. This seems to be the family's only hope, however this option is expensive. Eventually Kannan is admitted after Annapoorna pays a hefty sum of money to a man associated with the camp. Later, Kannan is killed in a stampede at the camp, and his bereaved mother brings his body back home in an ambulance. Annapoorna's daughter waits anxiously for the return of her mother and brother.
Piravi
Piravi (1988)
, 1h50
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Archana, Premji, V K Sreeraman, Mullanezhi Neelakandan, Sanakaran Gopalakrishnan
Rating78% 3.90323.90323.90323.90323.9032
Raghu is one of two children born to Raghava Chakyar (Premji) and his wife. Born quite late in his parents' marriage, Raghu is brought up with immense devotion and love until adulthood.

Producer

My Own
My Own (1994)
, 2h21
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Actors Ashwini Bhave, Bharath Gopi, Mullanezhi Neelakandan
Roles Producer
Rating70% 3.524573.524573.524573.524573.52457
Annapoorna lives with her son and daughter, and struggles to get by, trying to earn a living from the teashop near a railway station once owned by her now deceased husband. Her son Kannan does whatever he can to help whilst trying to continue his education, however this proves difficult and he fails his exams. His mother sends him to a military recruitment camp, hoping he will find employment. This seems to be the family's only hope, however this option is expensive. Eventually Kannan is admitted after Annapoorna pays a hefty sum of money to a man associated with the camp. Later, Kannan is killed in a stampede at the camp, and his bereaved mother brings his body back home in an ambulance. Annapoorna's daughter waits anxiously for the return of her mother and brother.
Piravi
Piravi (1988)
, 1h50
Directed by Shaji N. Karun
Genres Drama
Actors Archana, Premji, V K Sreeraman, Mullanezhi Neelakandan, Sanakaran Gopalakrishnan
Roles Producer
Rating78% 3.90323.90323.90323.90323.9032
Raghu is one of two children born to Raghava Chakyar (Premji) and his wife. Born quite late in his parents' marriage, Raghu is brought up with immense devotion and love until adulthood.

Cameraman