S. Saravanan

Biography

S. Saravanan, whose birth name is Shanmugam Saravanan (born 15 October 1972), is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and screenwriter who has worked primarily in Tamil cinema, as well as Telugu and Malayalam films. He is an alumnus of the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai and has been active in the film industry since 1993.

After completing his cinematography training, Saravanan worked as an assistant to cinematographer P. Selvakumar in filmmaker Aabavanan's team. He made his cinematography debut with Amma Ponnu and subsequently gained recognition for his work in Pudhiya Mannargal (1994). He then collaborated with director Vikraman on successful films including Poove Unakkaga (1996) and Suryavamsam (1997).

Sarang has photographed more than 25 films across Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema. His cinematography credits include Stri (1995), Aahaa..!, Auto Driver, Sangamam, Vallarasu, Maayi, Pammal K. Sambandam, Priyamana Thozhi, Madurey, Thirupaachi, The Tiger, Thirupathi, Ali Bhai, Vaitheeswaran, and The King & the Commissioner.

He made his directorial debut with the 2008 Tamil action-comedy Silambattam, starring Silambarasan, Sneha, Sana Khan, Prabhu, and Kishore. The film was released on 19 December 2008 and became a commercial success. He has also been associated with the unreleased Tamil film Sippai.

Saravanan has also played an important mentoring role in the South Indian film industry. Cinematographers including Vijay Milton, R. Madhi, Vetri, and Manoj Paramahamsa worked as his assistants at different stages of their careers.

Through his work as a cinematographer and director, S. Saravanan has contributed to several commercially successful Tamil films while also establishing professional associations with filmmakers such as Vikraman and Suresh Krissna.