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V. K. Murthy

Guru Dutt's cinematographer; first cameraman to win the Phalke Award · 1923–2014

Venkatarama Pandit Krishnamurthy, credited as V.K. Murthy, was born in Mysore on 26 November 1923. In his youth he took part in the freedom movement, and he grew up dreaming of being a matinee idol, but Guru Dutt had other ideas. He started as an assistant to V. Ratra on Guru Dutt's Baazi (1951) - the same V. Ratra who later shot House No. 44, on this site - and Guru Dutt noticed him when he pulled off a long, fluid pan from a mirror, from Dev Anand to Geeta Bali. Guru Dutt hired him for his next film.

Murthy shot Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), India's first CinemaScope film, and Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960). The beam of light in 'Waqt Ne Kiya' was made with mirrors: dust in the studio air revealed a parallel ray, one mirror caught it and threw it onto a second mirror on a ramp, and the beam was born. His low-key lighting in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) gives the decaying haveli its ghostly mood. He won Filmfare Awards for Kaagaz Ke Phool and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, and in 2008 became the first cinematographer to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest film honour. He died in Bangalore on 7 April 2014.

Films

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Related people

Worked with

Agha Jani Kashmiri
Agha Jani Kashmiri wrote the dialogue and V.K. Murthy photographed, from Ziddi (1964) to Naya Zamana (1971).
Anand Bakshi
Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics and V.K. Murthy photographed, from Naya Zamana (1971) to Jagir (1984).
Asha Bhosle
4 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Asha Bhosle sang in them. Among them Jagir (1984), Nastik (1983) and Ziddi (1964).
Asha Bhosle
Both credited on 4 of the same films in this catalogue: Jagir (1984), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Nastik (1983), Ziddi (1964).
Guru Dutt — not in this catalogue yet
Murthy shot nearly every Guru Dutt film; the light through the smoke is his.
Guru Dutt
4 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Guru Dutt acted in them. Among them Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959).
Guru Dutt
Both credited on 4 of the same films in this catalogue: Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Pyaasa (1957), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).
Johnny Walker
3 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Johnny Walker acted in them. Among them Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959).
Johnny Walker
Both credited on 3 of the same films in this catalogue: Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Pyaasa (1957).
Kishore Kumar
Both credited on 3 of the same films in this catalogue: Jagir (1984), Nastik (1983), Naya Zamana (1971).
Lata Mangeshkar
Both credited on 4 of the same films in this catalogue: Jagir (1984), Love in Tokyo (1966), Naya Zamana (1971), Ziddi (1964).
Lata Mangeshkar
4 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Lata Mangeshkar sang in them. Among them Love in Tokyo (1966), Jagir (1984) and Ziddi (1964).
Manna Dey
Both credited on 3 of the same films in this catalogue: Love in Tokyo (1966), Naya Zamana (1971), Ziddi (1964).
Mehmood Ali
5 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Mehmood Ali acted in them. Among them Love in Tokyo (1966), Ziddi (1964) and Naya Zamana (1971).
Mehmood Ali
Both credited on 5 of the same films in this catalogue: Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Love in Tokyo (1966), Naya Zamana (1971), Pyaasa (1957) and 1 more.
Mohammed Rafi
3 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Mohammed Rafi sang in them. Among them Love in Tokyo (1966), Ziddi (1964) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959).
Mohammed Rafi
Both credited on 3 of the same films in this catalogue: Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Love in Tokyo (1966), Ziddi (1964).
Pramod Chakravorty
Pramod Chakravorty directed and V.K. Murthy photographed, from Ziddi (1964) to Jagir (1984).
Pran
Both credited on 3 of the same films in this catalogue: Jagir (1984), Love in Tokyo (1966), Nastik (1983).
Sachin Bhowmick
Sachin Bhowmick wrote the script and V.K. Murthy photographed, from Ziddi (1964) to Jagir (1984).
Sachin Dev Burman
Both credited on 6 of the same films in this catalogue: Barood (1976), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Naya Zamana (1971), Pyaasa (1957) and 1 more.
Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman wrote the music and V.K. Murthy photographed, from Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) to Barood (1976).
Shanti Das
Both credited on 4 of the same films in this catalogue: Jagir (1984), Love in Tokyo (1966), Naya Zamana (1971), Ziddi (1964).
Shanti Das
Shanti Das designed and V.K. Murthy photographed, from Ziddi (1964) to Jagir (1984).
Waheeda Rehman
Both credited on 4 of the same films in this catalogue: Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Pyaasa (1957), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).
Waheeda Rehman
4 films together in this catalogue: V.K. Murthy photographed them and Waheeda Rehman acted in them. Among them Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959).

Films

Love in Tokyo (1966)

Ziddi (1964)

Jagir (1984)

Barood (1976)

Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)

Naya Zamana (1971)

Pyaasa (1957)

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)