పరిచయం / Biography
ప్రారంభం
1939 మే 20న శ్రీలంక బట్టికలోవా (Batticaloa)లో జన్మం; బిర్త్ నేమ్ బెంజమిన్ బాలు మహేంద్ర. FTII Pune cinematography. 1976 Kannada 'కోకిల' direction debut.
Multi-discipline legend
5 National Film Awards (Cinematography + Direction + Screenplay). Director: 'మూండ్రామ్ పిరై' (1982 — Tamil Sridevi + Kamal Haasan — National Film Award Best Cinematography), 'వెచ్చ' (1982 Tamil), 'రాజదర్బార్' (1985 Kannada), 'సంధ్య రాగం' (1989 Tamil — National Film Award). Occasional acting cameos. Cinematographer 50+ films. Multiple Filmfare South + Tamil State + Kerala State + Karnataka State Awards. 2014 ఫిబ్రవరి 13న 74 ఏళ్ళ వయసులో మరణం.
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Origins
Born 20 May 1939 in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka as Benjamin Balu Mahendra. FTII Pune-trained cinematographer. Directorial debut with Kannada's 'Kokila' (1976).
Multi-discipline legend
5 National Film Awards across Cinematography + Direction + Screenplay. Director: 'Moondram Pirai' (1982, Tamil Sridevi + Kamal Haasan — National Film Award Best Cinematography); 'Vecha' (1982 Tamil); 'Rajadarbar' (1985 Kannada); and 'Sandhya Ragam' (1989 Tamil, National Film Award). Cinematographer on 50+ films. Occasional acting cameos. Multiple Filmfare South + Tamil State + Kerala State + Karnataka State Awards. Died 13 February 2014 at age 74.
