Veteran Telugu and Malayalam cinematographer V Jayaram died on Thursday, May 20 in Hyderabad. He was 70 years old. He is survived by his son and daughter. His wife had passed away two years ago. A few days ago, he had turned coronavirus positive and was admitted in hospital.
Jayaram, who hailed from Warangal, has worked in popular films such as 1921, Devasuram, and Mrugaya in Malayalam. In Telugu, he has associated with megastar Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu. He also handled the camera for various hits of K Raghavendra Rao. Pelli Sandhadi, Iddaru Mithrulu, Paradesi, and Major Chandrakanth are some of his notable works.
Jayaram's first movie was with actor Chiranjeevi in 1985. The movie titled ‘Chiranjeevi’, was a remake of Kannada film ‘Naane Raja’, directed by CV Rajendran. He has also worked with Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, Krishna and Akkineni Nageswara Rao.
Mammootty starrer 1921 brought a lot of critical acclaim to Jayaram. It was written by T Damodaran and directed by I V Sasi. The story was set against the backdrop of the Mappila uprising of 1921-22. Devasuram, directed by I V Sasi and written by Ranjith, starring Mohanlal, was another Malayalam hit which Jayaram was associated with. Devasuram was one of the evergreen hits of Mohanlal and is still acclaimed for its making. It stood out in cinematography too. Apart from Mammooty and Mohanlal, he has also worked in actor Suresh Gopi’s movies.
He was also the cinematographer for the Bollywood film Mera Sapno Ki Rani, which was directed by K Raghavendra Rao.
As per reports, Jayaram got inspired in photography from a studio run by his uncle in Warangal. At the age of 13, he left home and reached erstwhile Madras to make a career in the film industry.