Raajaratnam

Raajaratnam was born in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, India to a teacher father, Rathnapandiyan, and home-maker, Valliammal. He was the artistic one in the family of 6 children of which he was the second eldest.
At a very young age, he had aspirations to pursue a career in the film industry. With the disapproval of his father, he moved to Chennai in search of a mentor in cinematography. He has two daughters Preethi and Pooja both work in the IT industry.
==Career==
Raajaratnam at the young age of 18 joined industry veteran cinematographer Raja Rajan. He worked as an assistant cinematographer in many blockbuster movies like Vaidehi Kaathirundhaal, Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu, Rajadhi Raja, Pulan Visaranai, Captain Prabhakaran.
He made his debut as cinematographer in the 1994 movie Chinna Madam. His ability to create captivating visuals and effectively translate the director's vision onto the screen garnered attention. He followed that with a massive hit Raasaiyya where he forged a friendship with actor, dancer and director Prabhudeva.
He would follow that with another successful movie with "Thalapathy" Vijay in Coimbatore Mappillai. In this movie he captured the infamous "Shroov" scene.
In 2002, Raajaratnam ventured beyond the Indian film industry and contributed to the Sri Lankan film In the Name of Buddha solidifying his reputation as a cinematographer with international appeal. The movie garnered critical acclaim as it discussed controversial political topics.
Early 2000s was also the time Raajaratnam had the privilege of collaborating with the highly acclaimed cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran on several notable projects. These include director Saravana Subbiah's Citizen starring "AK" Ajith Kumar, director Rajiv Menon's Kandukondain Kandukondain, Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal" and Aayutha Ezhuthu, director Shankar's Boys and hit Hindi movies like Koi... Mil Gaya and Dil Chahta Hai.
In mid 2000s thanks to a glowing recommendation from long-term friend and well wisher cinematographer Ravi Varman, Raajaratnam got an opportunity to debut in Malayalam film industry with the box-office smashing Malayalam action thriller Chinthamani Kolacase and in Kannada with Durgi. He went on to work in multiple movies in Mollywood throughout the latter 2000s.
Raajaratnam's cinematographic expertise extended to various languages, including Punjabi, Hindi, and Kannada, as he worked on films like Yaara O Dildaara, I Am Singh, and Vishnuvardhana.
After a string of movies throughout the late 2010s, Raajaratnam got another opportunity to work as an associate cinematographer with long-term well wisher Ravi Varman in projects like the director Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai, Ponniyin Selvan: I and	Ponniyin Selvan: II and director Shankar's Indian 2 .
His most recent projects are as associate cinematographer in OG and Kamal Haasan's 234th project with director Mani Ratnam.
Throughout his career, Raajaratnam has demonstrated his ability to collaborate effectively with renowned cinematographers and contribute to the visual storytelling of a wide array of films, making him a respected figure in the Indian film industry. Being up-to-date with latest techniques and technology in the movie making space has ensured this cinematographer's long and flourishing career.
==Filmography==
 
Year	Title 	Language 	Notes
1994	Chinna Madam 	Tamil 	
1995	Raasaiyya 	Tamil 	
1996	Coimbatore Mappillai 	Tamil 	
1997	Aahaa Enna Porutham 	Tamil 	
1998	Bhagavath Singh 	Tamil 	
1998	Kalyana Galatta 	Tamil 	
1999	Housefull 	Tamil 	Cinematographer M. V. Panneerselvam also worked on parts of this movie.
2002	In the Name of Buddha 	Sri Lankan	
2004	Durgi 	Kannada 	
2005	ABCD 	Tamil 	
2005	Vennela 	Telugu 	
2005	Alex 	Telugu 	
2006	Chinthamani Kolacase 	Malayalam 	
2006	Chakkaramuthu 	Malayalam 	
2007	Time 	Malayalam 	
2007	Chandrahas 	Telugu 	
2007	Athisayan 	Malayalam 	
2008	Sound of Boot 	Malayalam 	
2009	Samastha Keralam PO 	Malayalam 	
2009	Naalai Namadhe 	Tamil 	Dubbed in Malayalam as "India Today"
2010	Pulliman 	Malayalam 	
2011	Yaara O Dildaara 	Punjabi 	
2011	I Am Singh 	Hindi 	
2011	Vishnuvardhana 	Kannada 	
2012	Thappana 	Malayalam 	
2013	Ginger 	Malayalam 	
2014	Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam	Tamil 	
2015	John Honai 	Malayalam 	
2015	En Vazhi Thani Vazhi 	Tamil 	
2016	Iyer in pakistan 	Malayalam 	
2016	Kotigobba 2 	Kannada 	
===As associate cinematographer===
 
Year	Title 	Language 	Director of Photography
1984	Naan Paadum Paadal 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1984	Vaidehi Kathirunthal 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1985	Sugamana Raagangal 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1985	Kunguma Chimil 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1986	Thazhuvatha Kaigal 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1986	Amman Kovil Kizhakale 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1986	Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1988	En Jeevan Paduthu 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1989	Rajadhi Raja 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1990	Pulan Visaranai 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1990	Enkitta Mothathe 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1991	Captain Prabhakaran 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1992	Thirumathi Palanisamy 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1993	Kattalai 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1993	Ezhai Jaathi 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1994	En Aasai Machan 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1994	Mettupatti Mirasu 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
1995	Seethanam 	Tamil 	Raja Rajan
2000	Kandukondain Kandukondain 	Tamil 	Ravi K. Chandran
2000	Snip 	Hindi 	Ravi K. Chandran
2001	Citizen 	Tamil 	Ravi K. Chandran
2002	Kannathil Muthamittal 	Tamil 	Ravi K. Chandran
2003	Boys 	Tamil 	Ravi K. Chandran
2003	Koi... Mil Gaya 	Hindi 	Ravi K. Chandran
2004	Aayutha Ezhuthu 	Tamil 	Ravi K. Chandran
2004	Yuva 	Hindi 	Ravi K. Chandran
2004	Dil Chahta Hai 	Hindi 	Ravi K. Chandran
2011	Badrinath 	Telugu 	Ravi Varman
2017	Kaatru Veliyidai 	Tamil 	Ravi Varman
2021	Bhramam 	Malayalam	Ravi K. Chandran
2022	Bheemla Nayak 	Telugu 	Ravi K. Chandran
2022	Ponniyin Selvan: I 	Tamil 	Ravi Varman
2023	Ponniyin Selvan: II 	Tamil 	Ravi Varman
2024	OG 	Telugu 	Ravi K. Chandran
TBA 	Indian 2 	Tamil 	Ravi Varman
TBA 	KH 234 † 	Tamil 	Ravi K. Chandran
Category:People from Dindigul district
Category:Indian people
Category:1963 births
Category:Cinematographers