Venkatarama Pandit Krishnamurthy (26 November 1923 – 7 April 2014) known professionally as V. K. Murthy, was 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 ...

. Murthy, a one-time violinist and jailed freedom fighter, was

Guru Dutt Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998''Encyclopedia of Indian ...

's regular cameraman on his movies. He provided some of Indian cinema's most notable images in starkly contrasted black and white. He also shot India's first

cinemascope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

film, ''

Kaagaz Ke Phool ''Kaagaz Ke Phool'' () is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Guru Dutt, who also played the lead role in the film along with Waheeda Rehman. It is the first Indian film in CinemaScope and the last film off ...

''. For his contribution to film industry, particularly Indian film industry he was awarded the IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. In 2010, he was honoured with the

Dada Saheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcas ...

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 ...

Early life

Murthy was born in

brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

family on 26 November 1923 in

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. He studied at the Lakshmipuram school, where he chose music as his elective subject and learned to play the violin. He obtained his Diploma in Cinematography from Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic (the present

Government Film and Television Institute The Government Film & Television Institute, Bangalore (formerly a part of S.J.Polytechnic) is believed as the first government institute in India to start technical courses related to films. It is one of the few government film institutes in Ind ...

) in Bangalore in 1946. As a student, he took part in the

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

and was jailed in 1943. Feeling strongly attracted to the visual medium and wishing to pursue a career in the field, he quit his studies and left for

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

(now Mumbai).

Career

Murthy began his career in films with ''Maharana Prathap''. He worked as an assistant to cinematographer V. Ratra in the 1951 film '' Baazi'' which was

's first as a director. Dutt, impressed by Murthy's smooth and fluid captures with the camera, took him on for his next film '' Jaal'' (1952), which was Murthy's first film as a chief cinematographer. Murthy, then became a part of the

Guru Dutt team The Guru Dutt team is a group of filmmakers formed by Guru Dutt for some of his works. Some well-known films that the team created include ''Chaudhvin Ka Chand'', ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'', ''Kaagaz Ke Phool'', and ''Pyaasa''. In 2005 ''Pyaasa'' ...

, till the latter's death in 1964. In 1959 came

's''

'', a film critically acclaimed as one of the director's best. More than anything else, it won many accolades for its cinematography and created unparalleled history in the field. V. K. Murthy, as the cinematographer won widespread praise and received the

Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer The Filmfare Best Cinematography Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The category was first awarded in 1954. Superlatives Most Awards Kamal Bose – 5 Radhu Karmakar – 4 Jal Mist ...

. He repeated the feat with ''

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'' () is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language Drama (film and television), drama film that was directed by Abrar Alvi and produced by Guru Dutt, who also co-stars in it alongside Meena Kumari, Rehman (actor), Rehman, and Waheeda ...

'' winning the award again in 1962. He worked exclusively with Dutt until the director's death. Some of Murthy's best work came in

's movies like ''

Pyaasa ''Pyaasa'' (; ) is a 1957 Indian Hindi drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, who stars alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. Set in Calcutta, it focuses on the disillusioned Urdu poet Vijay (Dutt), whose ...

'', ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'' and ''

Aar Paar ''Aar Paar'' () is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language noir comedy film. Directed by Guru Dutt, it has music by O.P. Nayyar and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. ''Aar-Paar'' stars Johnny Walker, Shyama, Shakila, Jagdeep, Jagdish Sethi. Raj Khosla and A ...

''. Following Dutt's death, Murthy worked with

Kamal Amrohi Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet. His Hindi films include '' Mahal'' (1949), ''Pakeezah'' (19 ...

on his masterpiece, ''

Pakeezah ''Pakeezah'' (; ) is a 1972 Indian Hindustani-language musical romantic drama film that was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow ...

'' and '' Razia Sultan''. Post Guru Dutt, he like many of the director's team was not able to give any pinnacle work. In later years, he worked with directors like

Pramod Chakravarthy Pramod Chakravorty (15 August 1929 – 12 December 2004) was an Indian Hindi film producer and director. Career Chakravorty is best known for directing Hindi film classics like ''Ziddi'', ''Love in Tokyo'', '' Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai'' in romanti ...

( Naya Zamana, Jugnu),

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received ...

and

Govind Nihalani Govind Nihalani (born 19 December 1940) is an Indian film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Hindi cinema. He has been the recipient of six National Film Awards, and five Bollywood Filmfare Awards. In 1 ...

( Tamas). Murthy was also the cinematographer for one of the most acclaimed Kannada film ''

Hoovu Hannu ''Hoovu Hannu'' () is a 1993 Indian Kannada-language drama film based on the novel by Triveni of the same name. The film stars Lakshmi, Rajesh Gundurao, Vyjayanthi and Baby Shamili. It was directed by Rajendra Singh Babu and produced by Vaibha ...

'', a directorial production of

Rajendra Singh Babu S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu (born 22 October 1952) is an Indian filmmaker and occasional actor who works primarily in Kannada cinema. He was born and brought up in Mysore. His father Shankar Singh produced many films under the banner Mahatma Pict ...

and also appeared in that film in a role. Murthy was also the principal cinematographer of the widely acclaimed television series produced by Doordarshan and directed by

, ''

Bharat Ek Khoj ''Bharat Ek Khoj'' () is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book ''The Discovery of India'' (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru that covers a 5,000-year history of India from its beginnings to independence from the British in 1947. The dr ...

''.

Trivia

* Created some notable film works for the Indian Black and White era films. Created the sun breaking through studio roof shot in

with the use of a pair of ordinary mirrors to get a parallel beam. It won him the

Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award The Filmfare Best Cinematography Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The category was first awarded in 1954. Superlatives Most Awards Kamal Bose – 5 Radhu Karmakar – 4 Jal Mi ...

for 1959. * Was principal cinematographer for the first CinemaScope film in India –

* While on training stint in London to work on color films worked with the crew of The Guns of Navarone * Got break in Hindi films by doing a chance shot for

in Baazi.

Abrar Alvi Abrar Alvi (1 July 1927 – 18 November 2009) was an Indian film writer, director and actor. Most of his notable work was done in the 1950s and 1960s with Guru Dutt. He wrote some of the most respected works of Indian cinema, including ''Sahib ...

Guru Dutt's key writer also got a break from the same movie, he gave a chance opinion on a scene for Baazi. According to author and eminent musicologist Rajesh Subramanian, the to-be-famous Cinematographer V K Murthy was initially refused admission to the Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic College in Bangalore, which had started offering a course in film-making, and was offered a seat only after much pleading. The aspirant went on to shoot India's first CinemaScope movie Kaagaz Ke Phool 1959.

Awards

–

(1959) *

–

(1962) * IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award – Amsterdam, 2005. *

for 2008

Retirement and death

Aged 80, Murthy moved back to

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in 2001 to lead a retired life. He died of natural causes aged 91 on 7 April 2014 at his residence in Bangalore.

Selected filmography

(1993) (One and only Kannada movie) # Deedar (1992) # Khule Aam (1992) #

Kalyug Aur Ramayan ''Kalyug Aur Ramayan'' () is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language drama film starring Manoj Kumar, Madhavi, Prem Chopra, Om Prakash, Bindu and Rajiv Goswami. The film, a modern adaptation of the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana'', was directed by Babub ...

(1987) # Nastik (1983) # Jugnu (1973) # Naya Zamana (1971) # Suraj (1966) #

Love in Tokyo ''Love In Tokyo'' is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed and produced by Pramod Chakravorty. The film was a hit at the box office. Plot A young man Ashok's (Joy Mukherjee) mother makes him go to Tokyo, Japan in search of h ...

(1966) #

Ziddi ''Ziddi'' may refer to: * ''Ziddi'' (1948 film), a Hindi film * ''Ziddi'' (1964 film), a film by Pramod Chakravorty * ''Ziddi'' (1973 film), a Pakistani film in Punjabi language * ''Ziddi'' (1997 film), an Indian action film starring Sunny Deol and ...

(1964) #

(1962) #

Chaudhvin Ka Chand ''Chaudhvin Ka Chand'' () is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language Muslim social film directed by Mohammed Sadiq. This film was a super-hit at box-office, and became one of the top-grossing films of 1960. A production of Guru Dutt, the film centers on a ...

(1960) #

(1959) # 12 O'Clock (1958) #

(1957) # C.I.D. (1956) # Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) # Aar-Paar (1954) # Jaal (1952) # Baazi (1951)

Notes

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murthy, V. K. Filmfare Awards winners Artists from Mysore 1923 births 2014 deaths Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Kannada film cinematographers Cinematographers from Karnataka Indian violinists 20th-century Indian musicians 20th-century Indian photographers Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2004