M. Sukumar

Biography:

M. Sukumar is an accomplished Indian cinematographer with experience in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam films.

Sukumar’s career began in 1995 when he provided assistance to his brother M. Jeevan, a burgeoning photographer in the Tamil film industry. While pursuing his agriculture degree, Sukumar stepped in to support Jeevan during the shooting of Rajiv Menon’s movie “Minsara Kanavu” (1997). He continued to work as an assistant photographer in various films such as “Minnale” (2001), “Samurai” (2002), and “King” (2002), forging a strong rapport with lead actor Vikram. This association led to Sukumar taking on the role of principal photographer for Vikram’s films like “Dhool” (2003) and “Majaa” (2005). During the launch of “Kokki” (2006), director Prabhu Solomon encouraged Sukumar to venture into cinematography, but he hesitated, resulting in his brother Jeevan taking on the opportunity. Eventually, Sukumar joined the project for certain segments, including a song shoot in Chalakudi.

Following “Kokki,” Sukumar collaborated on more of Prabhu Solomon’s films, including “Laadam” (2009), “Mynaa” (2010), and “Kumki” (2012). The latter two garnered him significant praise and opened doors to work on high-budget productions. Critics hailed his work as “captivating,” and both films achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. His contributions to movies like “Maan Karate” and “Nimirndhu Nil” (2014) prevented him from participating in Solomon’s “Kayal” (2012). Renowned filmmaker AR Murugadoss also enlisted Sukumar’s expertise for a song in his Hindi action film “Holiday” (2014), shot in Rajasthan. Notably, Sukumar’s remarkable cinematography in the film “THAEN” received commendation. Kudos, sir!