Shaji N Karun: A filmmaker's hat-trick tryst with Cannes

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Filmmaker and cinematographer Shaji N Karun who passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday was one of those rare filmmakers who had the distinction of showcasing three of his films at the Cannes Film Festival.
Shaji, who also held important positions in various film and art bodies in the state, was a filmmaker who explored complex human emotions through his work. His first directorial project was 'Piravi', based on the life of Professor T V Eachara Warrier, a human rights activist, famous for his struggles against the Kerala government during the Emergency.
'Piravi' went on to win him both international and national acclaim. The film dealt with the trauma of a father dealing with the return of his son during the Emergency without knowing that he was tortured and murdered .
The filmmaker's second work 'Swaham', which released in 1994 was the first Malayalam movie to be officially selected to compete in the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival just four years after his first work.
'Swaham', just like 'Piravi' explored the theme of grief and discussed the pain of a mother who sends her son to military school, only to hear heartbreaking news of his death. The story was nominated for the Palme D'Or, the highest recognition awarded for any work at the Cannes Film Festival. Though many Indian films had competed in the competition section before 1994, it took India 30 years to break that jinx after Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine As Light' was selected in the same section in 2024.
Shaji's third work 'Vanaprastham' featured Mohanlal in the lead, wherein the actor played a respectable Kathakali artist from the lower caste. During one of the events, he meets an admirer who is from the upper caste and forges a relationship with her. The film was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999. The film went on to win a couple of awards at the 47th National Awards, while 'Piravi' received four national awards, including Best Direction.
Shaji N Karun went on to make a film with Mammootty titled 'Kutty Srank, which received the national award for Best Feature Film. 'Olu', Swapaanam, and 'Nishad' were his other works.