Venkiteswaran Chittur Subramanian (born 23 May 1959) is an Indian film critic, professor, documentary filmmaker, and writer. He is born in Chalakudi, Kerala, India. He won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2009 and the National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film in 1995.

Career

He has written about the social aspects of cinema and their artistic expression. His writings and reviews on film and media, in both English and Malayalam, have appeared in journals including ''Deep Focus'', ''Film International'', ''Cinema in India'', ''Bhashaposhini'', ''Pachakuthira'', ''Indian Express'', ''The Hindu'', ''Mathrubhumi'', and ''Madhyamam.'' He wrote the column ''"Rumblestrip"'' (1999–2008) in ''Indian Express'', which covered films and media in Kerala. He authored a book on filmmaker K. R. Mohanan titled ''Samanthara Yathrakal – K R Mohanante Cinema'' and co-edited ''A Door to Adoor'', a book on

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, with Lalit Mohan Joshi. Three books containing Venkiteswaran's articles on trends and developments in Malayalam cinema were published by DC Books at the DC International Book Fair and Cultural Fest in 2011. The book ''Malayala Cinema Padanangal'' won a Special Jury Mention in the State film awards for the year 2011. He has interviewed film personalities including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, T.V. Chandran,

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and

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

. He is a documentary filmmaker and won the National Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film in 1995 along with M.R. Rajan for ''Pakarnattam – Ammannur, The Actor'', the lyrical cinematic documentation of the life of Ammannur Madhava Chakyar, the exponent of the ancient classical Sanskrit theatrical artform of ''

Koodiyattam Koodiyattam (; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of ''Koothu'', an ancient performing art from the Sangam era. It ...

''. This film won the Kerala State Award for the Best Documentary category in the same year. His article "Tea-shops In Mayalam Cinema" was included in the revamped Kerala SCERT Class X English textbook in 2011. He is the Artistic Director of the Signs film festival for short films and documentaries. He was a jury member for best writing on cinema at the 60th National Film Awards. In July 2018, he resigned from the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy as a gesture of protest against the state government's decision to invite

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...

as the chief guest for the event. Venkiteswaran is also a subtitler, done subtitles for around 150 films.

Awards

* 2023:

Kerala State Film Awards 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 ...

– Best Book on Cinema. * 2011:

. - Special Jury Award for Best Book on Cinema * 2009:

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

- Best Film Critic * 2005: Kerala State Film Award for Best Article on Cinema * 1995: National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film - ''Pakarnnattam – Ammannur the actor'', shared with M.R. Rajan * 1995: Kerala State Film Award for Best Documentary – ''Pakarnnattam – Ammannur the actor'', shared with M.R. Rajan

Bibliography

*''Malayala Cinema Padanangal'' , DC Books, 2011

Filmography

*''Matha to Ma'' (2002) ''-'' Documentary on Mandakini Narayanan."Matha to Ma, the odyssey of a Naxalite"
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venkiteswaran 1959 births Living people Indian documentary filmmakers Indian film critics Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam-language writers Film directors from Thrissur Scholars from Kerala People from Chalakudy Writers from Thrissur district 20th-century Indian biographers 20th-century Indian male writers Koodiyattam exponents Best Critic National Film Award winners