Renowned Malayalam cinematographer Shaji Kumar, who brought some of the industry’s biggest cinematic spectacles to life through his lens, has died. He was 57. He was working on the set of a Dileep-starrer movie when he complained about some discomfort. He was rushed to the nearby hospital in Kochi where he died.
His sudden death has left the Malayalam film fraternity in shock, with filmmakers and colleagues mourning the loss of one of the industry’s most accomplished cinematographers.
Shaji Kumar, who began his career as an assistant to celebrated cinematographer Vipin Mohan, went on to establish himself as a sought-after director of photography, working with some of Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars and leading filmmakers.
In a career spanning more than two decades, he was behind the camera for several commercially successful and critically appreciated films, including Naran, Pulimurugan, Pokkiri Raja, Odiyan, Madhura Raja, Ramaleela, Vellinakshatram, Robin Hood and Thudarum.
His association with director Vysakh produced some of Malayalam cinema’s biggest commercial successes, most notably the Mohanlal-starrer Pulimurugan (2016), which became the first Malayalam film to cross the Rs 100-crore mark at the box office.
Shaji Kumar was equally comfortable working across genres, from action-packed commercial entertainers to family dramas and period films.
His filmography included Veruthe Oru Bharya, Seniors, Mallusingh, Sound Thoma, Ring Master, Cousins and Pathonpatham Noottandu.
One of his defining strengths was his ability to adapt to technological changes in filmmaking.
Having started his career when films were shot on celluloid, he successfully transitioned to digital cinematography, constantly updating his techniques in lighting, colour composition and framing.
At a time when the transition to digital filmmaking posed challenges for several established technicians, Shaji Kumar continued to deliver major commercial successes, earning a reputation for his technical expertise and distinctive visual style.
He worked with several generations of directors, including Joshiy, Shaji Kailas, V M Vinu, M Padmakumar, Vysakh and Tarun Moorthy.
His recent work included the Mohanlal-starrer Thudarum (2025), directed by Tarun Moorthy.
The upcoming Mohanlal film Athimanoharam and Suresh Gopi’s Ottakkomban were among the last projects he worked on.
Beginning his career as an independent cinematographer with films such as Uthaman in 2001, Shaji Kumar went on to build an extensive filmography that included Malayalam, Tamil and other South Indian productions.
The FEFKA Directors’ Union expressed its condolences over his death, paying tribute to a technician whose contribution to Malayalam cinema extended across generations of filmmakers.
His death marks the loss of a cinematographer whose visual storytelling helped shape some of the most memorable commercial films in modern Malayalam cinema.
