P. C. Sreeram

P. C. Sreeram shot the films that established Mani Ratnam's visual identity — Mouna Raagam, Nayagan, Agni Natchathiram, Geethanjali, and Anjali. His warm, painterly lighting and instinct for expressive close-ups gave Mani Ratnam's early cinema its defining texture: faces lit by practical sources, interiors that felt lived-in, and a camera that stayed close to its subjects without becoming intrusive. Nayagan, with its sepia-toned Dharavi and rain-soaked streets, remains one of the most visually accomplished Tamil films ever made. Decades later, Sreeram returned to photograph O Kadhal Kanmani — a lighter, airier film that proved the partnership could evolve. He also directed Chatriyan under Mani Ratnam's production, their creative exchange flowing in both directions.