G Venkataraman

A man of convictions
GV Raman, veteran film technician who served the film industry for the last 48 years passed away last month. A tribute through the recollection of memories of his friend and colleague.

G Venkataraman (67), known among friends as GV Raman, an all-rounder veteran film technician who served the film industry since the last 48 years died of heart attack on January 17 at a private hospital in Mysore. He played different roles in 28 films in Kannada and Tamil besides working as assistant director, associate director, assistant recordist, chief recordist, assistant film editor, chief film editor, dubbing and projection technician and assistant film lab technician in 250 films in Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English and Lambani languages. As an all-rounder, his film career is a record in the history of Kannada film industry.

Raman joined Nava Jyothi Studios in Mysore, in 1952 and worked as sound and lab assistant. His first film as sound assistant was Mahatma Gandhi Pictures Kannada Movie Chanchala Kumari, produced and directed by the late veteran D Shankar Singh, husband of the popular actress Prathima Devi and father of the director SV Rajendra Singh Babu, in 1953. And after working as the assistant sound recordist in six films, he joined Singh as the assistant director. When Nava Jyothi Studios was on the verge of closure, director Singh shifted his under production Kannada film Ashada Bhoothi to the newly started Premier Studios in 1955. As an assistant cameraman of Premier Studios, the writer had the opportunity to work for the unit of Ashada Bhoothi where I met Raman and since then we worked together for more than 200 films in various languages. Our last film was Jadiro Pankero the first film in Lambani language for which I cranked the camera and Raman recorded the dubbed sound at Quality Recording Studio in Bangalore where he was the Sound Recordist till 1996. We both had the privilege to work together for almost all the Indian language films and also with foreign film units.

During our long years of film career we have worked together for some of the memorable films and Devar Films (Chennai) Yaanai Pagan in Tamil was one of them. If my memory is correct, this high adventure drama set in the backdrop of dense jungles of Madhumalai, Moyar and Singara forest ranges was the first film of the popular actress B Saroja Devi and the late actor Udayakumar in Tamil. This jungle thriller was shot in the dense jungles involving a lot of wild life. The film was a box-office hit and was considered as the best jungle thriller ever produced in India till that time.

One day as there was no regular shooting, director MA Thirumugham and cameraman NS Varma asked me to shoot some wild life, preferably herds of wild elephants and Bisons with a Mitchell camera what we had. There was no Arriflex camera in those days. We were using the heavy Mitchell camera for indoor and those days and even now some cameramen prefer Mitchell camera. An elephant was brought. I mounted the camera on its back firmly tying with ropes. Raman who was free volunteered himself to accompany me on elephant’s back. One camera assistant, one mahout and we two on the elephant’s back and one mahout on ground started our journey through the dense Madhumalai forest. Within few seconds, we were able to shoot a big herd of wild elephants. And further on the way, we took shots of bisons, tigers, deers and many other animals. To our utter surprise, a lone heavy built tusker started trumpeting and charging towards our elephant for a fight. The mahout on the back started a prayer, evoking jungle Gods. It was a horrible sight and we were all terribly frightened and saw impending death face to face. Raman was calm and started consoling and giving me courage. By the grace of God, the rogue elephant suddenly stopped few yards away from us. It could not move forward as there was a long trench before the tusker. The mahouts turned the elephant and started the return journey. The mahouts started praying to all the gods and we also joined in and reached our camp safely. We escaped from death and it was one of the unforgettable incidents in our film career.

Raman had the opportunity to work for Devar Films Neelamalai Thirudan in Tamil with Ranjan playing the title role. It was shot on location in Nilgiri forests. Later the two of us had the opportunity to work in five Devar Films in Ooty and surrounding jungles.

It was in 1960 that we two got the opportunity for the first time to work for the Dr Rajkumar’s Kannada film Ranadheera Kanteerava. Though this film was shot in Chennai under the direction of NC Rajan, some of the important sequences were shot at Cheeyambam forest, near Sultan Batery in Kerala, Mysore and nearby places. The veteran filmmaker GV Iyer was to picturise a fight between Dr Rajkumar and a tusker. Besides other films of Dr Rajkumar, we got the opportunity work for a mythological film entitled Nagarjuna in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Dr Rajkumar played the title role and the veteran YV Rao was its director. It was produced by Nandi Pictures of Bangalore and Nagaraj who is now a film distributor was its overall production manager. I recollect a lunch we had at Karighatta, near Srirangpatna during the shooting of Nagarjuna. Special sweet items were served with lunch. Later it was revealed that a male baby was born to Dr Rajkumar’s wife after many years of married life. So it was a happy celebration in a humble manner.

It is noteworthy here that both, I and GV Raman, had worked for Parijatha Pictures Hindi venture Shola Aur Shabnam in 1963 and it was the first film of Hindi super star Dharmendra. The film was shot at Premier Studios and in Kakanakote Forests, surrounding places of Mysore. At the end of the shooting, director Ramesh Saigal invited Raman to Mumbai to work with him but Raman did not accept the offer. And likewise BR Panthulu and Gemini Ganesan also offered film jobs in Chennai which he refused.

The two of us also had the opportunity to work for a few Tamil films which starred former Tamilnadu chief minister J Jayalalitha. Raman had also acted in two of her Tamil films. She was considered as one of the most beautiful and sexiest heroines of the South in these days.

I had the opportunity, as a film journalist, to despatch news coverage of her shooting including an organised and pre-planned attack on her in the premises of Premier Studios in 1971, which created a sensation in South India. Raman and sound engineer KR Seetharam sustained injuries in the attack. But fortunately Jayalalitha was safe though her car was completely smashed in the attack. Repeated telephone calls to the police station did not help. The police came in very late. And to everybody’s surprise, the police arrested Jayalalitha instead of the culprits and ordered her to get into the police van to go to the station for interrogation. Jayalalitha, though very courageous and intelligent, was visibly moved. Tears were rolling down on her cheeks. The timely intervention of the owner of Premier Studios MN Basavarajaiah, directors BR Panthulu and KSL Swamy (Ravi) saved the situation. Raman and myself were the witness to this real-life fight.

Raman continued his various filmmaking technology from film processing to the final editing at Premier Studios. I had entrusted the editing of many of my short films to Raman. He had undergone training in film processing under Premier Lab Chief Sitaram Kasalkar and after Sitaram’s death, Muthu, member of a royal family of Tamil Nadu and whose destiny landed him at Premier Lab, because his apt for the lab work.

As an artiste, Raman played various roles in the following 28 Kannada films directed by veterans in the field. The Kannada films are Chinthamani produced by MN Basavarajaiah and directed by Sadashiv J Kavi and DS Kotnis, Varadakshine directed by MB Ganesh Singh, Anuradha by Aroor Pattabhi, Muddu Meena by YR Swamy, Kallu Sakkare by Kalyan Kumar, Mysore Tanga by TV Singh Thakoor, Ananda Kanda by T Dwarakanath, Hennu Samsarada Kannu and Makkale Manege Manikya, both directed by AV Sheshagiri Rao, Chowkada Deepa by GV Iyer, Malathi Madhava by BR Panthulu and Aaru Mooru Ombathu, CID 72 and Thulasi all the three directed by KSL Swamy (Ravi), Ondu Premada Kathe by Joe Simon, Khiladi Jodi by SV Rajendra Singh Babu, Hombisilu by Geethapriya, Kanasu Nanasu by Amrutham, Khiladi Kittu by KSR Doss, Sirithanakke Saval by TR Ramanna, Sneha Sedu by D Madhusudhana Rao, Aliya Devaru by CV Rajendran and Amrutha Ghalige by SR Puttanna Kanagal. His Tamil films are Vamsha Jyothi directed by A Bhim Singh, Kadavul Mama by BR Panthulu, Nan Avan Illai by K Balachandar, Sameyalkkaran by Krishnan Panju and Ellam Avale by Amrutham.

Though Raman had served 48 years in various fields of filmmaking, he could not achieve anything in his life. He was born and brought up in Mysore. His father, a lawyer by profession, gave Raman full freedom to choose his profession according to his ambition and talents. Raman was a bachelor and wasn’t keeping good health for the last couple of years. Ailments haunted him till the end. It is most regrettable to note that the film industry did not come to his help. The National Film Development Corporation was kind enough to sanction him a monthly pension of Rs. 750. Well known comedian and character actor Shivaram rendered necessary help to Raman for getting the pension. Just a few days before his death, Raman told me that he will forever be grateful to Shivaram for his kind and timely help when no other people from film industry came to his help.

Raman leaves behind his aged mother, four sisters and three brothers. l
MS Rajappan

(The writer is a cameraman and film journalist)