Santosh Sivan (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

, film director, producer and actor known for his works in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. Santosh graduated from the

Film and Television Institute of India The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...

and has to date completed 55 feature films and 50 documentaries.

Career

Santosh, a founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers and the most awarded Director of Photography in India, graduated from the

and completed 45 feature films and 41 documentaries. As a director, Santosh won his first National Award in 1988 for the ''Story of Tiblu'' (1988). His film ''

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

'' was honoured at the 43rd

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

as the Best Children's Film and Best Sound. Santosh became the first

in the Asia-Pacific region to join the

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

membership. As a cinematographer, he has won five

– including four for Best Feature Film Cinematography. As of 2014, he has received eleven

, and 21 international awards for his works. He was awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

for his contributions to

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

in 2014.

Late 1999s and present

In an interview, he said that some films he chose, not mostly because of the story but due to the very fact that he was comfortable with the director, a bigger pay cut and friendship things.

Documentary

His 2007 release ''

Prarambha ''Prarambha'' (translation: Beginning) is a 2007 Indian short film directed by Santosh Sivan and funded by Bill Gates foundation. The film stars Prabhu Deva, Skandha and B. Saroja Devi in the lead roles. The movie premiered at Toronto Internati ...

'' won the

National Film Award for Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film The National Film Award for Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. ...

at the

55th National Film Awards The 55th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2007. Three different committee ...

Filmography

As actor

Awards

;

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

s * 1992 – ''Aham'' – Best Cinematography (Colour) *1994 – ''

Pavithram ''Pavithram'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar and written by P. Balachandran from a story by Balachandran and Kumar. The film stars Mohanlal and Shobana in lead roles. Vinduja Menon, Thilakan, S ...

'' – Best Cinematography * 1996 – '' Kalapani'' – Best Cinematography * 2005 – '' Anandabhadram'' – Best Cinematography ;

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...

* 1992 – ''

Roja Roja may refer to: * ''Roja'' (film), a 1992 Tamil-language film by director Mani Ratnam * ''Roja'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film * Roja Selvamani Roja Selvamani (born Sri Latha Reddy; 17 November 1972), also known as R. K. ...

'' – Best Cinematography * 1996 – '' Indira'' – Best Cinematography * 2010 – '' Raavanan'' – Best Cinematography ;

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

* 1995 – '' Barsaat'' – Best Cinematography * 1998 – '' Dil Se..'' – Best Cinematography * 2000 – ''

'' – Best Film (Critics) * 2001 – ''

Asoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

'' – Best Cinematography ;Filmfare Awards South * 1997 – ''

Iruvar ''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop ...

'' – Best Cinematographer – South * 1999 – ''

Vanaprastham ''Vanaprastham: The Last Dance'' (french: Vanaprastham: La Dernière Danse) is a 1999 Indo-French psychological drama period film in Malayalam-language that was directed by Shaji N. Karun. It was produced by Pierre Assouline and co-produced b ...

'' – Best Cinematographer – South ;IIFA Awards * 2002 – ''

'' – IFFA Best Cinematographer Award ;

Star Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...

* 2005 – '' Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities'' – Best Cinematography ;

Zee Cine Awards The Zee Cine Award (ZCA) is an Indian awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. They were instituted in November 1997 to award "Excellence in cinema - the democratic way". They were first held in Mumbai until 2004, when the ZCA went internat ...

* 2005 – '' Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities'' – Best Cinematography

International

Won: *1998 – '' The Terrorist'' – Best Director at

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year si ...

*1998 – ''The Terrorist'' – Golden Pyramid at

*1999 – '' Malli'' – Adult's Jury Award for Feature Film and Video (second place) at

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

*1999 – ''The Terrorist'' – Grand Jury Prize at

Cinemanila International Film Festival The Cinemanila International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manila, Philippines. It was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999. The focus of the festival is on the cinema of the Philippines as well as Southea ...

*1999 – ''The Terrorist'' – Lino Brocka Award for Best Film at

*2000 – ''Malli''– Poznan Goat for Best Director at

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival is an international movie event held in Poznań in Poland since 1969. The festival focuses on more ambitious cinema addressed to children and young people. The main organizer of the festival is ' ...

*2000 – ''The Terrorist'' – Panorama Jury Prize for Honorable Mention at

Sarajevo Film Festival The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings internation ...

*2000 – ''Malli'' – Emerging Masters Showcase Award at Seattle International Film Festival Awards *2004 – ''Malli'' – Audience Award for Best Feature Film at

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema

*2005 – ''Navarasa'' – Monaco International Film Festival (Monaco) ** Won – Best Supporting Actor – Bobby Darling ** Won – Angel Independent Spirit Award – ''Navarasa'' – Santosh Sivan *2008 – ''

Before the Rains ''Before the Rains'' is a 2007 Indian-British period drama film directed by Santosh Sivan. The film is adapted from a story from the 2001 anthology Israeli film '' Asphalt Zahov''. It was filmed on location in Kerala, India and was released in ...

'' – Grand Award for Best Theatrical Feature at WorldFest Houston International Film Festival *2008 – ''Before the Rains'' – Crystal Kodak award for best cinematography. *2009 – ''Tahaan'' won a High Commendation in Children's Feature Film section at the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards Nominated: *2001 – ''The Terrorist'' –

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

for Best Foreign Film *2001 – ''The Terrorist'' – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial FacebookSantosh Sivan's blog on PassionForCinema.com
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivan, Santosh Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram alumni Malayalam film directors Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram 1964 births Living people Film and Television Institute of India alumni Tamil film cinematographers Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam film cinematographers Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Malayalam film producers Best Cinematography National Film Award winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Filmfare Awards South winners 20th-century Indian film directors Filmfare Awards winners Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram 21st-century Indian film directors Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian photographers 21st-century Indian photographers 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Indian male film actors Cinematographers from Kerala Directors who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award Directors who won the Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation National Film Award