A Chandrasekhar
Introduction
A Chandrasekhar (born 18 December 1968) is a Kerala State Award winning Film Critic and journalist who writes about movies in Malayalam from Kerala, India
He is a journalist with 27 years of experience in mainstream media and is currently working as Assistant Professor with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication Southern Regional Campus at Kottayam. He is also the honorary Consultant Editor in Charge of Kannyaka, the women's lifestyle magazine. And Consultant Editor of Cinema Mangalam weekly.
He has served as a member of Malayalam films selection for IFFK 2015 and State TV writing Award in 2003 and was the Chairman of Jury for the State TV writing in the year 2017
He has received State Award for film book twice and State Award for film criticism once He has also won the State award for TV critic twice.He is the winner of the fellowship instituted by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy twice in the year 2001 and 2017. He has also won the Film Critics Awards thrice and has published 16 books on Cinema including two in English.
He is a Secretary of the Kerala Film Critics Association and member of P Padmarajan Trust.
Career
Journalist
Born in 18th December,1968, at Thiruvananthapuram,Chandrasekhar had his B.Sc in Chemistry from the University College Thiruvananthapuram in the year 1989. He got his first Masters in English Language and Literature from the University of Kerala in the year 1991. Though he joined for the Master's Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications at the Department of Journalism, University of Kerala, he left the course to join Malayala Manorama as Editorial Trainee in 1992. Later he got the second Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Madurai Kamaraj University Tamilnadu in the year 2000. While doing his Masters at the Kerala University he started contributing to PrabhathaBheri of All India Radio Thiruvananthapuram and Kalakaumudi Womens' Magazine.
During his 8 year tenure at Malayala Manorama, Chandrasekhar published many celebrity interviews and articles on Cinema and also was in charge of their youth page, Campus Line and Science Page. He has been actively involved with the redesigning team lead by Singapore Journalists Peter Ong and Peter Lim to redesign Manorama Daily during the year 1997-98. He has been one among the three who have been responsible for launching the Malayala Manorama web portal in the year 1997. He has undergone training in web-paging and internet designing from m/s Pugmarks.com, Chandigarh and was in charge of the Malayala Manorama internet edition during the year 1997.
In the year 2000, he left Malayala Manorama to join Weblokam.com Trivandrum, vernacular division of Webdunia.com India (Pvt.) ltd., Indore as its Chief Sub-editor. Three years later he joined Rashtra Deepika Ltd as its Design Coordinator and later became the Editor in Charge of Rasthra Deepika Cinema weekly from April 2003 to April 2004.
He had also served as the Senior Producer/Reporter with Indiavision Satellite Communications Limited, Cochin for a very short span of few months.
In the year 2004, he became the Editor in Charge of Kanyaka women's fortnightly of the Mangalam Publications (India)Private Limited Kottayam and left it to assume the charge of Senior News Editor with Amrita Television, Thiruvananthapuram. During his three year tenure at Amrita, he was the pivot in introducing Top Ten @ Ten, a unique ten o clock news bulletin with distinctive nature and was responsible in redesigning News track evening bulletin, Innu Ravile breakfast news show and weekly Entertainment News. He has been the brain behind the unique news reality show Best Citizen Journalist season 1 that got aired in 2006.
In 2007, he left Amrita to join Mangalam Publications (India)Private Limited Kottayam once again as the Editor in Charge of Kanyaka women's fortnightly and has been instrumental in re-designing the Magazine to give it an international look and flavor.
Academic
He has been giving lectures in Journalism, Film studies Cyber Journalism and TV Journalism in the Institute of Journalism of the Press Club, Kottayam for 14 years, on Cyber Journalism in C.DIT, Thiruvananthapuram and magazine Journalism the Kerala Media Academy, Kakkanad.
Film Critic
He has established himself as a Film journalist and critic during the years and has been contributing the Annual cinema write up for the Malayala Manorama Year Book since 1997. He has also published serious articles and studies regarding World cinema in Bhashaposhini,Kalakaumudi,Samakalika Malayalam, Madhyamam, Kalapoornna,Chalachitra Sameeksha, Deshabhimani, FILCA Annual,Vanitha,Chitrabhumi,Vellinakshatram, Kerala kaumudi etc.
Chandrasekhar has reported several International Film Festivals including the Filmostav 1988, IFFI Trivandrum 1997, IFFK Cochin 1999,IFFI Hyderabad 1999, IFFI 2017, 2018 for Malayala Manorama and IFFK Trivandrum 2001,Trivandrum International Film Festival 2001 for weblokam.com. He has also reported the International Children’s Film Festival Trivandrum 1992 for All India Radio Trivandrum.
He has presented a paper on ‘Cahiers du Cinema’ in the seminar organized by Chalachithra Film Society to mark the 50th year of Cahiers du Cinema and also presented papers in UGC seminars conducted by the Department of English, KE College Mannanam and the Department of Malayalam of the UC College Aluwa in the year 2019.
He has been the Editor of the Festival Book of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2001 conducted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and was the Member of the Publications committee of the IFFK 2001. Associated with the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy as the Media Liason Officer for the International Film Festival of Kerala 2002. He has been a member of the Jury for the State Television Awards for adjudging the best writing on TV in the year 1999.
Major Pubished works
Film Appreciation.1998 Published by: Chandini Books, TVM.Distributed by: Kerala Film Guidance Society Studies on Cinema with special focus to Iran, Post war Russia. Forward by M.F.Thomas The book won the Aniyan Memorial Gold Medal and Kerala Film Critics Award for the Best Book on Cinema.
P.N.Menon: Kazhchaye Pranayicha Kalapam (Malayalam)
Monogram 2002 Published by: Kerala State Chalachitra Academy A Monogram on J.C.Daniel Award winner P.N.Menon. Forward by Adoor Gopalakrishnan.The book was appreciated by P.N.Menon himself as the best life sketch on him
3.Bodhatheerangalil Kaalam Midikkumbol (Malayalam)
A Study on Time and Space in Cinema with forward by Madhu Eravankara,published by Rainbow Book Publishers, Chengannur, released by late Sri A K Lohitadas. The Book won the Kerala State Film Award for the best book, Kerala Film Critics Award for the best book and Amateur Little Cinema Award for the best book in the year 2008. The Second Edition was brought out by Sign Books Trivandrum in the year 2012.
4.Mohanlal-Oru Malayaliyude Jeevitham (Malayalam)
A Study on the Changes in Malayalee sensibility over the past thirty years with respect to the real and reel life of Mohanlal the actor. An anthropological aproach upon an actor v/s society. Published by View Point, the book came out in the year 2010 with a foreword by writer Mr. K Jayakumar, IAS. The book was released by the Actor Mohanlal himself in an august evening at Kochi. Madhupal received the first copy. The book was one of the best sellers in Book fairs. The second and third editions of the book was brought out by Chintha Publications TVM.
5.Haritha Cinema
A Study on Enviroment in Cinema with special reference to Malayalam movies from an Ecological and Eco feminist points of view. The book for which foreward was written by Film maker and actor Joy Mathew, won the Special Mention from the Jury of the Kerala State Film Awards in the year 2016. 6.In the year 2017, his article Realitiyile yathardhyangal on new wave Malayalam Movies published in Chalachitra Sameeksha, the official publication of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy fetched him the State Award for the best writing on Cinema for the year.
Family
Son of late K Atchuthan Nair,former Additional Secretary to the Government of Kerala. His mother late Padmavathy Amma is from North Parur. He is married to Ambili V., a Physics teacher with the R.K.D.N S S Higher Secondary school, Sasthamangalam, Trivandrum.
Their only daughter Aparna Chandrasekhar, is doing her final year MBBS at SS Institute of Medical Science and Research, Davangere, Karnataka. His only sister Dr. P.Sreekumari Nair, a Nano scientist at University of Toronto, Canada anand her husband, Dr.T Radhakrishna also is a Professor in Chemistry with the same university.
Awards and Accolades
He has won the Kerala State Film Awards for the best book on cinema in the year 2008 for his work Bodha theerangalil Kalam Midikkumbol- a study on cinematic time.The book also fetched him the Film Critics award and the Amateur Litle Cinema award for the same year. His article on the hidden politics of TV Reality Shows- Realitikku pinnile reality- chila manushyavakasha chinthakal published in Varthamanam Onam Special fetched him the Kerala State TV award for the best writing on TV in the year 2010. He won the State TV award for the best writing on TV in the year 2011 for his article on Paramparakalkkethire Peedana Case Edukkanam. Also won the Film Critics Award for the best writing for Navabhavukathwa cinema. He has been the Editor of a Film Magazine brought out by students during the year 1989-1990 He has travelled across the country and has visited Chatur Dham, Nepal and Hollywood, United States and Canada.
Was member of Malayalam films selection for IFFK 2015
State TV writing Award in 2003.
External links
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Citizen-Mohanlal/article15923658.ece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RgSOroppdg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k3a5hqtwpg
A Chandrasekhar
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