Karimanal Venkatesan Anand

K. V. Anand was an Indian cinematographer, film director and photojournalist, who worked mainly in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as a freelance photojournalist for leading magazines and newspapers, and then became an assistant to renowned cinematographer P. C. Sreeram. He made his debut as a cinematographer with the Malayalam film Thenmavin Kombath (1994), for which he won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography. He went on to work as a cinematographer for about fifteen films in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema, collaborating with directors such as Shankar, S. J. Surya, Rajiv Menon and Mani Ratnam. He also directed eight Tamil films, starting with Kana Kandaen (2005) and ending with Kaappaan (2019). His films were known for their racy and engaging narratives, often dealing with themes such as politics, journalism, science fiction, espionage and social issues. Some of his notable films as a director include Ayan (2009), Ko (2011), Anegan (2015) and Kavan (2017). He was a founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC) and a mentor to many aspiring filmmakers. He died on 30 April 2021 at the age of 54, due to a cardiac arrest caused by COVID-19 complications. He is survived by his wife Sasikala and two daughters, Sneha and Sadhana.