V. K. Murthy

V. K. Murthy, a one-time violinist and jailed freedom fighter, was Guru Dutt's regular cameraman on his movies. He provided some of Indian cinema's most breathtaking images in starkly contrasted black and white. He also shot India's first cinemascope (75mm) movie, Kaagaz Ke Phool. For his contribution to film industry, particularly Indian film industry he was awarded the IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony held at Amsterdam in 2005.

The hero behind the screen V. K. Murthy is the one who created mesmerizing effects with his cinematography received the prestigious IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. An ace Cinematographer from Bangalore was part of the Guru Dutt team. This stalwart was the cinematographer for one of the most acclaimed Kannada movie Hoovu Hannu - a directorial production of Rajendra Singh Babu and incidentally, Murthy has acted in that film too!

In 1959, Guru Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool, a movie considered his best was appreciated for its supremacy. More than anything else, what it won the most accolades for was its cinematography that created unparalleled history in the field of cinematography. It was none other than V. K. Murthy who did the magic and he even won a Filmfare Award. He repeated the feat for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam getting the 1962 award. He never worked with any other directors as long as Dutt was alive. Some of Murthy's best work is found in Guru Dutt's movies like Pyaasa, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Aar-Paar. Murthy then worked with Kamal Amrohi on his masterpiece, Pakeezah and Razia Sultana. Post Guru Dutt, he like many of Guru Dutt team were not able to give any pinnacle work. In later years, he worked with directors like Pramod Chakravarthy (Naya Zamana, Jugnu), Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani (Tamas).

Trivia

* Created some of most breathtaking film works for the Indian Black and White era films. Created the sun breaking through studio roof shot in Kaagaz Ke Phool with use of a pair of ordinary mirrors to get a parallel beam. Got him the Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award for 1959

* Was principal cinematographer for the first Cinemascope film in India - Kaagaz Ke Phool

* While on training stint in London to work on color films worked with the crew of The Guns of Navarone

* Got break in Hindi films by doing a chance shot for Guru Dutt in Baazi. Abrar Alvi Guru Dutt's key writer also got a break from the same movie, he gave a chance opinion on a scene for Baazi.
* Biography of V.K.Murthy, written by Uma Rao, (in Kannada language) was released in January 2006 at Bangalore.

Awards

* Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award - Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
* Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award - Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)
* IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award - Amsterdam, 2005.

Where are they now

Aged 80, Murthy moved back to Bangalore from Mumbai in 2001 to lead a retired life.

Multimedia

Listen to Murthy talk about him, his life and working with Guru Dutt on the Kamla Bhatt show [http://kamlabhattshow.com/pdcst/2007/04/19/cinematographer-vk-murthy/]

elected Filmography

# Deedar (1992)
# Khule Aam (1992)
# Kalyug Aur Ramayan (1987)
# Nastik (1983)
# Jugnu (1973)
# Pakeezah (1971)
# Naya Zamana (1971)
# Suraj (1966)
# Love in Tokyo (1966)
# Ziddi (1964)
# Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)
# Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960)
# Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
# 12 O'Clock (1958)
# Pyaasa (1957)
# C.I.D. (1956)
# Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955)
# Aar-Paar (1954)
# Jaal (1952)
# Baazi (1951)

External links

*imdb|0615444