International Women's Day 2022: Meet B.R Vijayalakshmi; Asia's 1st female cinematographer

Women have always craved a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination, a world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. To honour all of these, International Women's day is celebrated. International Women's day 2022 is observed this year on March 8 in a bid to celebrate the women's movement and struggle for equality. 

On this day, a lot of activities are organised worldwide with several groups coming together to celebrate women's achievements and rally for their equality. On the occasion of International Women's Day 2022, let us revisit one of the most iconic women in the history of Indian Cinema, B.R.Vijayalakshmi, who was the first female cinematographer of Indian Cinema.

Who is B.R. Vijayalakshmi?

B.R. Vijayalakshmi is the first female cinematographer of India Cinema. She is the daughter of legendary film director and producer B.R.Panthulu. Vijayalakshmi is the oldest female cinematographer and the first female cinematographer in Asia. She played a crucial role in mainstream Tamil cinema from the 1980s to the mid-90s. After this, she kept away from big screens for over two decades and focused more on producing content for television.

Some of her notable works

As a cinematographer, she is well known for some of her films including Chinna Veedu (1985), Aruvadai Naal (1986) Iniya Uravu Poothathu (1987), Sirai Paravai (1987), Therkathi Kallan (1988). She also tried her hand at direction and directed notable films like Paattu Padava (1995), Basket (2002), Abhi & Anu (2018).

Abhi & Anu was her last directorial. It is a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual film titled Abhiyude Kadha Anuvinteyum in Malayalam and Abhiyum Anuvum in Tamil, which marked her return to the big screens after 22 years. The film starred Tovino Thomas and Pia Bajpai in the lead roles. It also marked Tovino’s debut in Tamil. It was produced by Yoodlee Films, the production wing of Saregama.

Image: Twitter@framesfilmfest