Indian Cinematographer and movie Director
Birth
P.C.Sreeram was born on 26th January 1956 in Chennai in Tamil Nadu. He was born as the third child in his family. He has two sisters.
Personal Life
P.C.Sreeram got married and he has two Children. His children are Swetha and Skanda. His daughter died in the year 2010. P.C.Sreeram’s niece Preetha Jayaraman is also a Cinematographer in the Tamil Cinema, who got the inspiration from her uncle.
Education
He completed his schooling at the Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School in Mylapore in Chennai. Later, he joined the Madras Film Institute to study a cinematography course.
Life career of P.C.Sreeram
P. C. Sreeram had an interest in Photography, but not in studies. However, he passed his exams, inspite of his interest in Cinema. He had a desire towards the movies from his childhood. In 1979, he got a Diploma in Motion picture photography from the Madras Film Institute. He made his debut in 1980. In 1981, he began his career through the movie “Vaa Indha Pakkam”. Then he had been working in the Cinema for nearly forty years.
For the first time, P.C.Sreeram worked with Mani Ratnam in the film Mouna Ragam in 1986. This film gave recognition to both P.C. Sreeram and Director Mani Ratnam. They jointly went on to work again in the film Nayagan in 1987. This movie Nayagan had won three National Film Awards at the 35th National Film Awards. P.C.Sreeram along with his colleagues C.Rudhraiya, Kamal Hasan, Radharavi, Bharathi, R.C.Sakthi and some of them were called as Sanmac group. He was the Cinematographer for all the Mani Ratnam films till the movie Geetanjali in 1989.
For his movie Agni Natchathiram, he brought in new techniques with the Camera for which he got the appreciation. His film Agni Natchathiram went well in the theatres collecting box-office amount and won several awards. In 1995, he made the direction of his second movie Kurthipunal, which was film with a police story based on the Hindi movie Drohkaal. This movie got the official entry to the Oscars in the year 1996. After eight years from its release, this film went to the Rotterdam International Film Festival below the “Director in Focus” category.
In 2004, the film Vaanam Vasappadum under his direction was the first Indian movie to use the high-definition digital technology. This High-definition digital technology produces the videos of higher standard and resolution than the normal standard, using which the movies can be seen clearly.
He had been the mentor for many of the famous Indian cinematographers like M.S.Prabhu, Jeeva, Ramji, K.V.Anand, Chezhiyan, Balasubramaniam, Tirru, Nirav Shah, Arvind Krishna and K.V.Guhan.
Movie Career of P.C.Sreeram
He made the cinematography for the movies like Vaa Indha Pakkam, Nandri, Oru Varisu Uruvagiradu, Meendum Varuga, Poove Poochudava, Koodum Thedi, Mouna Raagam, Nayakan, Nee Thana Antha Kuyil, Dhoorathu Pachai, Agni Natchathiram, Geethanjali, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Idhaya Thamarai, Meera, Gopura Vasalile, Thevar Magan and Amaran.
His other movies include the Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai, Roja, Mouna Ragam, Thiruda Thiruda, Shanti Shanti Shanti, May Madham, Subha Sankalpam, Mugam, Kadhalar Dhinam, Alaipayuthe, Mugavaree, Kanda Naal Mudhal, Varalaru, Kushi and Psycho in which he was the cinematographer.
P.C.Sreeram had worked in many Hindi movies like Cheeni Kum, 13B, Paa, Shamitabh (2015), Ki and Ka (2016) and Pad Man(in 2018). He had been the cinematographer for the other South Indian movies like Ishq, O Kadhal Kanmani, Naa Nuvve and Praana.
Then the Tamil movies which came under his direction are Meera, Kuruthipunal and Vaanam Vasappadum. He also directed the Telugu movie Drohi. Since 1979, he is one of the notable alumni in the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute.
Honor (P.C.Sreeram awards)
P.C.Sreeram is among the members of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC). He became the elected President of the South Indian Film Cinematographers Association in January 2016.
In 1987, he won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for the movie Nayakan. For the film Geethanjali, he won the Nandi Award in 1990. Then in 2000, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer in South for the film Alaipayuthey. He got the CineMAA Award under the Best Cinematography category for the movie Ishq in 2013. He won the CineMAA Award for Life Time Contribution in the same year. At the Golden Jubilee of the International Film Festival of India, P.C.Sreeram, the Cameraman Legend of the Indian Cinema got the honor from the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.