Vaidy Somasundaram
Biography
Vaidy Somasundaram, also known as Vaidy S. or Vaidy S. Pillai, is an Indian cinematographer who has worked primarily in the Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam film industries. He has been active in the film industry since the mid-2000s and has served as cinematographer on more than 20 South Indian films.
Early Life and Education
Vaidy studied Film Technology and Cinematography at the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai. After completing his training, he began his professional career in cinematography and subsequently worked across several South Indian film industries.
Career
Vaidy made his feature-film cinematography debut with the Malayalam film Kanne Madanguka (2005). He subsequently worked with filmmaker A. K. Lohithadas on Kasthuri Maan and collaborated with director Boopathy Pandian on films including Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam, Malaikottai and Pattathu Yaanai.
He later expanded his work into Kannada cinema, where he became particularly recognized for films such as Googly (2013), Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari (2014) and Rana Vikrama (2015). His work on Googly earned him a SIIMA Award for Best Cinematographer – Kannada, followed by another SIIMA Award for Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari.
Notable Works
Some of Vaidy's cinematography credits include:
- Kanne Madanguka (2005)
- Kasthuri Maan (2005)
- Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam (2006)
- Malaikottai (2007)
- Marudhamalai (2007)
- Muniyandi Vilangiyal Moonramandu (2008)
- Kacheri Arambam (2010)
- Njanum Ente Familiyum (2012)
- Googly (2013)
- Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari (2014)
- Rana Vikrama (2015)
- Chirakodinja Kinavukal (2015)
- One (2021)
- Raymo (2022)
One
One of his notable Malayalam projects is One (2021), a political drama directed by Santhosh Viswanath and starring Mammootty. Vaidy Somasundaram served as the film's cinematographer, working alongside writer duo Bobby–Sanjay and editor Nishadh Yusuf.
Other Work
In addition to feature films, Vaidy has worked extensively in television and short films. He has stated that he worked on more than 35 television serials and short films in Malayalam and Tamil. He also directed the short film ViRUS (2021), which he wrote and produced.
