Popular cinematographer Shaji Kumar passes away

Cinematographer Shaji Kumar.

Noted cinematographer Shaji Kumar, 57, who cranked the camera for popular movies including Thudarum and Pulimurugan, died in Kochi on early Tuesday (November 10, 2026) morning.

The death occurred around 12.36 a.m. following cardiac failure, according to private hospital authorities in Kochi.

Representatives of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Directors’ Union said that he experienced uneasiness at his place of stay in Alappuzha after returning from the location of a new movie featuring actor Dileep on Saturday night (November 7, 2026). He was rushed to a nearby hospital and later shifted to Kochi. His condition worsened around Monday midnight (November 8, 2026). A native of Thiruvananthapuram, he has been staying in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam for a long time. He is survived by his wife, Smitha, and children, Aryan and Sooryan, they said.

Popular among filmmakers for his excellence in capturing mass action scenes, he had worked in nearly 50 movies in a career spanning over two decades. He had worked with leading movie directors.

The slick action scenes in movies like Pulimurugan, Naran, Odiyan, to name a few, had won the appreciation of the movie buffs. He was a much sought-after technician among the senior and new crop of filmmakers for his discipline and swift execution of even tough scenes.

The year 2025 was special for him after his collaboration with director Tharun Moorthy in Thudarum wove magic on screen and at the box office. The blockbuster movie raised his graph again, and the young filmmaker had no second choice but to fill the seat of cinematographer for his latest venture, Athimanoharam, featuring actor Mohanlal in the lead role. He was behind the camera for the forthcoming movie Ottakomban, featuring actor Suresh Gopi in lead role.

Some of his popular movies included Uthaman (2001), Valkannadi, Pakalpooram (2002), Ammakilikoodu, Pattanathil Sundaran (2003), Sathyam, Vesham (2004), Athbhuthadweep (2005), Mahasamudhram (2006), Nasrani (2007), Robinhood, Red Chillies (2009), Pokkiriraja (2010), Seniors, Ponnar Shankar (2011), The King and the Commissioner, Mallu Singh (2012), Ramaleela (2017), Madhura Raja (2019), Pathonpatham Nootandu (2022), Once Upon a Time in Kochi (2024).