P. S. Nivas

Biography

Panayamparambil Sreenivasan, popularly known as P. S. Nivas (27 May 1946 – 1 February 2021), was an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who worked across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi cinema. He won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography (Black and White) for the Malayalam film Mohiniyaattam (1976), becoming the second Keralite to receive the honour after Mankada Ravi Varma. Nivas was also a frequent collaborator of director Bharathiraja, working with him on eight films.

Early life
Nivas was born in Panayam Parambil, East Nadakkavu, Calicut. He graduated from St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, and later earned a diploma in motion picture photography from the Institute of Film Technology, Adyar, Madras.

Career
He began his film career as an operative cameraman with P. N. Menon’s Malayalam film Kuttyedathi (1971). Nivas later apprenticed under cinematographer Ashok Kumar on films such as Mappusakshi (1972), Chembarathi (1972), Dhakam (1972), and Swapnam (1973). His first assignment as an independent cinematographer was Sathyathinte Nizhalil (1975), directed by Babu Nanthankode.

In addition to his National Film Award win for Mohiniyaattam, Nivas received the Nandi Award for Best Cinematography for the Telugu film Nimajjanam (1978).

Nivas made his Tamil cinema debut with Bharathiraja’s 16 Vayathinile (1977), which was also the director’s debut. He went on to collaborate extensively with Bharathiraja on films including Kizhake Pogum Rail (1978), Sigappu Rojakkal (1978), Solva Sawan (1978), and Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979), working on seven of the director’s films between 1977 and 1980, five of them consecutively. He also served as cinematographer for C. V. Sridhar’s Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirathu and its Telugu remake Vayasu Pilichindi (1978), and for K. Viswanath’s acclaimed Saagara Sangamam (1983).

Death
P. S. Nivas passed away on 1 February 2021 in Calicut.