Sivan (cinematographer)

Sivan
Sivan
Born	Sivasankaran Nair; 14 May 1932; Haripad, Travancore (present-day Alappuzha district, Kerala, India)
Died	24 June 2021 (aged 89); Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Occupations	Cinematographer; director;
Known for	Yagam (1982); Abhayam (1991); Kochu Kochu Mohangal (1998); Oru Yathra (1999); Kilivathil (2008); Keshu (2009);
Spouse	Chandramani
Children	Santosh Sivan; Sanjeev Sivan; Sangeeth Sivan;
Parents	Gopalapillai (father); Bhavaniamma (mother);

Sivasankaran Nair, popularly known as Sivan (14 May 1932 – 24 June 2021) was an Indian cinematographer and film director known for his works in Malayalam cinema. Sivan won the national film award three times. He was the first government press photographer in Travancore and Thiru-Kochi. He was the father of Sangeeth Sivan, Santhosh Sivan and Sanjeev Sivan.

Sivan was the still photographer of national award-winning Malayalam film Chemmeen (1966).

His debut as a producer was with Swapnam (1972), for which he also served as the still photographer. Some of his popular films are Abhayam (1991), Yagam (1982), Oru Yathra (1999), Keshu (2009), Kochu Kochu Mohangal (1998) and Kilivathil (2008).He received the Kerala State Award for Best Cinematography (black & white) for Yagam.

The documentary "Mohiniyattam Through the Ages" (1990), directed by Sivan, won the National Award for Best Non-Feature Film Cinematography, which was awarded to Santosh Sivan. In addition to this national award, it also received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Documentary in 1990.