Photo via Onmanorama - EntertainmentCinematographer Shaji Kumar dies days before Athimanoharam release; Mohanlal film’s fate uncertain
Shaji Kumar is dead. 57. Kochi hospital. Tuesday morning. Collapse in the corridor.
Just walking to the washroom. That’s how it ended. Not on a set. Not in front of a lens.
In a hallway. A man who spent decades framing lives, now gone. His last film? Athimanoharam. Mohanlal stars.
December 24 release. The date still stands. But what does it mean? No word yet from producers.
No official statement. Only silence. And the weight of a camera that won’t roll again. He was working on a Dileep film in Alappuzha two days before.
Fell ill. Emergency care. Shifted to Kochi. ICU.
Then a room. Progress. Until it wasn’t. Over fifty films. Malayalam first.
Tamil and Hindi too. Pulimurugan — the one that lit up screens. Naran. Odiyan. Ramaleela. Mallu Singh. Thudarum. Vellinakshatram. Bandra. Pathonpatham Noottandu. Ring Master. Nasrani. Robin Hood. Baba Kalyani. Adbuthadweep. Madhura Raja. All shot by him. All shaped by his eye. He didn’t just light scenes.
He built them. Vysakh. Shaji Kailas. Joshiy.
Anil-Babu. These were his directors. His collaborators. His rhythm.
He worked with them all. Even Ponnar Shankar, a Tamil film that earned him praise beyond Kerala. Not a name you’d forget. Not a face you’d miss.
Now he’s gone. Colleagues are gathering at a friend’s flat in Kochi. To say goodbye. To hold space.
To remember. The final frames of Athimanoharam were shot under his watch. The last image he saw. The last frame he approved.
It’s out there. Waiting. For a world that no longer has him.
This article was written by the CutMirchi desk from the reporting above. Facts are attributed to their original publishers.
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