Veteran cinematographer Ramachandra Babu passed away at a state-run hospital in Kozhikode on Saturday. He was 72 years old.
A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Babu worked with legendary Malayalam filmmakers such as John Abraham, IV Sasi, Bharathan, Maniratnam, and Sasikumar to name a few. In a career spanning close to four decades, he cranked the camera for over 130 films — mostly in Malayalam, although he worked in other South Indian languages, too.
He has won four Kerala State Film Awards. He won his first state award for Ramu Kariat’s Dweepu in 1977. The later awards came for Rathinirvedam (1978), Chamaram (1980) and Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha (1989).
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while condoling the death of the master craftsman, recalled Babu as a legend of his own by reigning supreme during a long period in his career.
