Priyadarshan shocked by the untimely demise of KV Anand

By: Mohnish Singh

With the sudden demise of Tamil cinematographer-turned-filmmaker KV Anand, Indian cinema has lost yet another gem. Anand passed away on Friday in Chennai due to Covid-19 related complications. He was 54.

Well-known filmmaker Priyadarshan is in shock over his untimely demise. It is said that when Priyadarshan approached award-winning cinematographer PC Sreeram for his 1996 romantic comedy film Thenmavin Kombath, the latter recommended KV Anand’s name to him and the duo went on to work together on several notable films over the years.

Sharing some memories associated with Anand, Priyadarshan told a publication, “I am yet to come to terms with the news that Anand is no more. With his demise, I have lost another dear brother who worked with me. Jeeva was another talented cinematographer who I introduced, who, too, passed away at such a young age. I did both of my best works with them. Both of them were assisting PC Sreeram when I was doing Gopura Vasalile. I wanted PC to crank the camera for Thenmavin Kombathu, but he was busy working for Mani Ratnam's film. By then I had worked with Jeeva. I remember PC saying, “I will give you another talented boy, Anand. You can take him.” Anand had made history; he won a National Award for cinematography for his debut work. I don't think the feat has been achieved by anyone before and after that. Moreover, it was the first time a National Award was given for a cinemascope film.”

He went on to add, “Balu Mahendra had once said to me that he had never seen such pleasing cinematography before. I worked with Anand in more films, in Malayalam and Hindi, apart from many ad films. There are a few people with whom you share a special bonding; Anand was one such person. He always had so much respect for me as a brother and as a mentor. He wanted me to join the audio event of Kaappaan, but I could not attend it. Anand always had a smiling face and was so silent on set that you would never know that a cinematographer was there.”

KV Anand also worked on several successful Hindi films, including Josh (2000), Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), and Khakee (2004).