RAJIV MENON PRODUCTIONS
www.rajivmenonproductions.com
www.mindscreen.co.in
Rajiv Menon from India is a cinematographer and film maker. He was born in april 20, 1963. Presently aged 46.He was born at cochin, kerela. His present occupation as cinematographer and film maker. He is well known for direction. He has directed the tamil hit filmMinsaara Kanavu (1996). Apart from making feature films, he also runs an advertising production house (Rajiv Menon Productions) that is owned by himself. He also provides film equipments for rentals (Mindscreen Pvt Ltd) and apart from this he also runs a film school (Mindscreen Film Institute).
EARLY LIFE:
Rajiv was born to a film playback singer who was popular in Tamil and Malayalam. His mother’s name is kalyani Menon. His father was a naval officer, who died at the age of 41. since his father was a naval officer, Rajiv had a chance travel across India at his young age. After his school studies, he joined the film school to study cinematography. He did his schooling in kendriya vidyalaya which located inside IIT Madras campus. He started off as cinematographer for Mani Rathinam’s Bombay before directing Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay in Hindi) and Kandukondein Kandukondein . he did documentaries for shyam Bengal and short film for Girish Karnad. He was the cinematographer for a Telugu movie chaitanya. It was later dubbed in Tamil as “Madras to Goa”.
FILM CAREER:
As a cinematographer, he has received much prices, also throughout his career. He has worked with accomplished film makers like Mani Ratnam (Bombay,Guru), Shyam Bengal and Girish Karnad (cheluvi). He also added story and screen play to his profession of directing. The song ”Sandhana Thendril” whichwas sung by Shanker Mahadevan has won his first National Award.
He has also setup Raijv Menon Production and that Mindscreen, that supplies equipments for documentaries, advertising films and cinema. He has acted in a Malayalam film called Harikrishnan.
Rajiv’s recent work includes a wonderfull audiovisual delight about seven great carnatic musicians. It was a documentary film which was made for the event of releasing the coffee table book called “Voices Within”. It was done by contemporary musicians Krishna and Bombay Jayshree. The book tells about the personality of seven great gurus of carnatic music with some rare photographs, printed in great print qualities of these music stalwarts with his inimitable style.
His recent shorts, Sakhi Prane and Plain Sita, have a strong emotional core. He likes telling stories and has written and rewritten scripts over the last couple of years. He said, he does not write scripts for not having opportunities, but for his own work. He says, in films i like the ping-pong game between people, how they interact and affect each other through their actions.
He was listening to the song called Sakhi Prane which was written by Dharmapurl Subbarayar. He was in love with Dhanammal, who was famous and celebrated among the artiste community. It is believed that she has financial problem and died a destitute. Dharmapuri Subbarayar has writtern this song on his point of view.
Plain Sita is about a women who wakes up one day and comes to know what her husband has deserted her and how she discovers her own identity and strength.
Rajiv Menon has been attracted by strong women characters and music. This belief comes right from his child hood. Because his mother was such a character to attract his belief. His mother Kalyani Menon was just 37 years old when her husband passed away. Rajiv says my mother never nept or mourned. My father was 41 when he left us. I was a growing up child and I saw my mother take charge of my family. She used to practice every day. She was a singer. This was that which gave him the sense of being responsible and living life on his own terms. His mother was his inspiration. He decided his career in filmmaking when he was 24 years ago.
He started his company when he was 22 years of age, which gave him the level of confidence. Later he was offered an opportunity by Mani Rathinam on Roja. He was finically independent. He was not interested in getting on stage. He should done a couple of commercial films, but he didn’t do it. Since because he says “I just do what I feel feel like doing”. Rajiv speaks about Richard Attenborough and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionarie and Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth. He always believes in the duality. He says the polar opposite of what I know and what I don’t , pulls me into the story.
ADVERTISING CAREER:
He is an exceptional, who falls in love with making ad films at a young age. Menon started his career in the field of ad photography, which went on to make a number of Tv commercials. He became a well respected and notable personality in the Indian Advertising Circuit. When he entered the field, the competition was hill. At this time A.R. Rahman decided to do music on his own. Rajiv and Rehman became friends and creativeness and music combined. Musical fingers fetched attention from all spectrum.
Works by Rajiv and Rehman are airtel, colgate, Palmolive, titan, asian paints, raymonds.
RAJIV’S PRODUCTION HOUSE:
It was ranked No.3 by Economic Times, Mumbai in 2oo6. in 2007 it was ranked No.2. The production house is setup in Chennai and his clients range from Oglivy & Mather, Lintas, Rediffusion, Hindustan Thompas Associates, even similar ones like Rubecon.
FILMOGRAPHY:
Rajiv was a director for the movie Minsaara Kanavu in 1997, Kandukondain Kandukondain in2000.
As a cinematographer he worked in the movie Bombay in 1995, Morning Raja in 2004 and Guru in 2007.
In 2001 ussele ussele a tamil pop album featuring singers Sreenivas, Karthik and Timmy.
MINDSCREEN FILM INSTITUTE:
The founder of this institute is Rajiv Menon. An acclaimed Indian Cinematographer and Filmmaker in Indian Advertising and movie industry. The film industry has decades of experience and success of Rajiv Menon and his film production and equipment rental company.
MINDSCREEN FILM EQUIPMENT COMPANY:
It has been in the business for over two decades. The film industry with the state of the art. Arriflex-435. The equipment is advanced and equipped with Hawk Anamorphic and Ziess ultraprime lenses. It is supported by a full number of lights and grip equipments.
EQUIPMENTS:
Panther Dolly, Jimmy Jib Cranes, an array of Tungsten and flicker free HML lights and kino banks. It is powered by a fleet of silent generator trucks.
Mindscreen institute takes pride in being the training ground for some of the best film industry today. Rajiv is one to train the award winning cinematographer and director like Ravi k.chamdran, Rajasekhar, Rathnavelu and Gautam Menon during their Shaping Years.
Mindscreen was started in july2006. It aims to train students both theoretically and operatively in filmmaking. Also specialization in cinematography also of all camera equipments and other facilities on campus.
It is one of the best cinema school for cinematography. The institute is highly reputed for its comprehensive program, practical with the hottest latest in digital and cinematography techniques.
