Santosh Sivan: First Indian to get ASC membership

In fact a well deserved honour for ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan! He is now officially the first cinematographer from Asia Pacific to get the prestigious American Society of Cinematography membership. So from now it will be Santosh Sivan ISC., ASC. Interestingly it is said that the Urumi director's name was recommended by none other than Michael Chapman (ASC), the noted cinematographer of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Indian cinema has entered in it's 100 th year and the first man from Asia to receive such an honour is an Indian. More about SS: Santosh Sivan is an eminent and famous cinematographer who has done cinematography for films like Thalapathi, Kannathil Muttamittal, Raavanan, Asoka and others. He is also a very good director. Some of his directorial ventures are Urumi, Hello, Malli, The Terrorist, Asoka, Navarasa, Ananthabhadram, Before the Rains, Prarambha, and Tahaan. He has won many accolades in and out of India for these films, especially for Malli and The Terrorist, which put him on the famous directors' list. In fact, The Terrorist is counted as one of the best 100 films in the world by Pulitzer-prize winning movie expert Roger Ebert. Santosh Sivan is an ace and one of the most-sought after cinematographers, who works hard in commercial films and leaves viewers spellbound with his art. But he is also a soul-searcher who does a lot of experimentation with his cinematography and new ideas.Most of his films do not carry a commercial element and are like poetry in motion. This is the reason it is shown only in film festivals.