Super Man Nivas : DOP Alagappan

Popular award winning Cinematographer Alagappan recollects his memories of Legendary Film maker P.S.Nivas…

I  met P. S. Nivas sir at the beginning of 1977 at the Adyar Film Institute in Chennai when I was studying Cinematography in my 2nd year.

Professor Arasu sir introduced him to me and my batch mates as a National Award winning cinematographer; he added that P. S.Nivas sir is an alumni of our Film Institute.

Naturally, we were thrilled to meet a National Award winning personality for the first time in our lives ,we had already seen some of his movies in our Institute as part of the course studies (movies with director P. N. Menon and director Babu Nandancode). We could learn a lot about light and shade creations from his movies as well.

In 1977 his first Tamil movie,”16 Vayathinile’ was previewed to our film students; this film was mentioned as experiment  movie and the makers had a tough time releasing it in the theaters. However we, the film students, couldn’t believe that this movie was shot in ORWO Film (64 ASA) because in those days many cinematographers failed by using this slow speed film as a raw stock negative. We were stunned by the Cinematography and visuals in this movie, we could observe different approaches towards color tones using lensing, camera operations and movements. However when the film finally released after prolonged difficulties it was most successful movie of the year.

Nivas sir cinematography was talk of the film industry. Followed by that great success, the director Bharthi Raja and cinematographer P. S. Nivas duo worked on 8 films together, all those movies become super hits in the box office.

Doubtless is the fact that the real beauty of Tamil Nadu villages are brought to the silver screen by this combination through movies like Kizhake pogum rail, Puthiya Vaarpugal, Niram Maaratha pookal and Kalukkul Eram.

In 1978, his two thriller movies, “Lisa” and “Sigappu Rojakkal” were released; both were outstanding and had very different styles of cinematography. Sigappu Rojakkal was compared with international movie standards by the film industry.

Even people in remote Tamil Nadu villages started speaking about his photography and his brilliance in bringing out the beauty of the villages, he became a very popular celebrity star, people used to talk about his work, the phrase they used to address him was “Thool Ki appattru” (highly appreciated);he became one of the heroes in the film industry. In one of the movie posters his name was written as “Ssssssuper Man P. S.Nivas” instead of “Cinematographer P. S. Nivas and at the Devi Complex Theaters in Mount Road, Chennai, out of 5 theaters,3 were running his movies and his name was highlighted.

Nivas sir was a quiet and moody personality, one day there was a film shooting at the Film Institute studio floor in 1978. My classmates and I wanted to see the shooting and meet the great cinematographer himself ; it was the movie of the famous Director Sridhar sir, “llamai oonjal Aadukirathu”. Some intimate scenes of the song sequence were being shot and when we reached the floor, the main female actor protested after seeing us on the spot. She complained to director and requested him to send us out of the floor. Suddenly Nivas sir replied to the lead female actor that these people are tomorrow’s film makers, they are here for the purpose of studying, and allowed us to watch the song picturisation; that was the day that he made us involve in indoor song lighting and had given us more confidence in practical cinematography.

His low-key lighting brought more life to all his movies many from the younger generation of 80s were much inspired by his visual making; senior cinematographers of those days also appreciated his outstanding contribution to the cinema industry, and I am also one among the juniors inspired by his creation.

S. Nivas sir was very much focused and professional, each of his work proved that he is was a genius practical cinematographer in the Indian film industry.

The star cinematographer’s “The Five C’s of Cinematography” will be remembered forever by the film world with lot of respect for the master visual maker.

Article Source : Macta 24 frames / March -April 2021.