Veteran art director K Shekhar is no more. He passed away at the age of 72. He died at his home in Thiruvananthapuram.As reported by Kerala Kaumudi his family confirmed the news. Malayalam cinema has lost a very creative mind. Shekhar was known for his imagination and smart set designs. He was someone who thought differently.
The famous anti gravity room
K Shekhar is most remembered for ‘My Dear Kuttichathan’. He designed the famous anti gravity room in the song “Aalippazham Perukkaan”. The whole room was built on a rotating steel rig.
The set moved slowly and actors looked like they were walking on walls and ceilings. The props were made using styrofoam. No computers were used. This idea came from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001 A Space Odyssey. Many years later the same idea was seen in ‘Inception’ by the Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Shekhar did it 26 years earlier without any CG. Nowadays the same technique is used in many films.
His start and early films
K Shekhar entered the Malayalam cinema in the year 1982. His first film was ‘Padayottam’ directed by Jijo Punnoose. In that film he worked as costume designer and publicity designer. He later worked on films like ‘Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu’ and ‘Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare’.
His influence on new films
Director Basil Joseph once spoke about ‘My Dear Kuttichathan’. In an interview with the News Minute he said, “I loved how chocolates ice creams and a Kuttichathan floated around”. He also said “Minnal Murali was inspired by that film”. Basil said “Director Jijo made a 3D film without any CG support or computer graphics”. He added “I don’t think another movie of that kind will ever be made in India”. K Shekhar’s work still inspires filmmakers today. His ideas will live forever through cinema.
