T. Krishnanunni – The recipient of three National Film Awards for Best Audiography

T. Krishnanunni is a renowned sound engineer associated with sound design and recording in Malayalam cinema, who is a recipient of three National Film Awards for Best Audiography and 8 Kerala state awards. He remained most active in the second half of 1980s, throughout 1990s and early 2000s and owns many memorable works to his credit. Anantaram (1987), Piravi (1988) and Desadanam (1996) are the movies which bagged him National Film Awards. He has also directed a few documentaries for Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala as well as Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, and is known for his long-term association of 28 years with Chitranjali studio, retiring as Chief Sound Engineer in 2008.

A name synonymous with audiography and sound design in Malayalam cinema, T. Krishnanunni was born in Ottapalam in 1960. He completed Sound Recording & Sound Engineering course from the prestigious FTII Pune in 1977 and worked in Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad as a sound recordist for a while. Je joined Chitranjali studio in 1980 and worked with it for almost three decades. It was during the time when he worked with renowned filmmakers – Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan and Shaji N. Karun and earned several state and national awards. He won state award for Purusharam, Swam, Kazhakam, Ormakalundayirikkanam, Desadanam, Janmadinam, Agnisakshi, Ottakkayyan and Oru Pennum Randaanum.

T. Krishnanunni – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. He published a book “Sound in Moving Pictures” in 2010.

2. Though best known as a sound engineer, he is a documentary filmmaker too.

3. With 8 awards, he is the recipient of second highest number of Kerala State Film Award for Best Sound Recordist, followed by Devadas with 7.

4. Hariharan is a recipient of 9 state awards and the duo shared award for Oru Pennum Randaanum in 2008.

5. He received Kerala State Film Award for Best Sound Recordist consecutively for 5 years during 1994-1998, and was the most celebrated sound recordist of the era.

6. He directed a documentary on Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varyar which won National award.

7. He introduced “11.1 Oro 3D” to Malayalam cinema.