Sabu Cyril

Sabu Cyril
Born (1962-01-27) 27 January 1962 (age 62)
NationalityIndian
EducationBSc Visual Communication
Alma materMadras College of Arts (1980–1985)
OccupationArt director
Years active1990–present
Known forProduction design
Notable workThenmavin Kombath, Kaalapani, Hey Ram, Aśoka, Yuva, Kannathil Muthamittal, Om Shanti Om, Enthiran, Baahubali
AwardsNational Film Awards
(1994, 1995, 2007, 2010)
Filmfare Awards
(1994, 2000, 2005 (2), 2010)
Websitesabucyril.co

Sabu Cyril is an Indian film production designer. Having worked in 72 feature films and 500 ad films. He has won four National Film Award for Best Production Design, four state awards, six Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction (including south), five International Indian Film Academy Awards, and many other awards. His work in Enthiran won him international recognition. Over the years, he has emerged to be the most celebrated art director in the country.[1]

Early life and education

Known as Sabu Cyril today, he was born as Sebastian Vincent Cyril in the hill station of Valparai, Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. He completed his schooling in Asan Memorial in Chennai; he graduated from the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, formerly Government School of Arts and Crafts, Chennai).[2] It was his grandfather, George Vincent, who first called him as 'Sabu'. George Vincent was known for opening the first photography studio in Malabar, Kozhikode, called Chitra Studio. His son, A. Vincent, Sabu's uncle, was a reputed cinematographer and director in South Indian cinema. Vincent's sons, Jayanan Vincent and Ajayan Vincent, who are both cinematographers, are Sabu's cousins.

It was probably his proximity to nature, wildlife, and cinema that subconsciously helped Sabu develop an affinity to the world of aesthetics and design. Ever since he was a child, Sabu was always interested in knowing how things work and how this can be applied in everyday life. This curiosity drew him to the world of physics and chemistry, which helped him develop a scientific and practical outlook to problem-solving. Sabu started his career as a graphic designer and illustrator. It was only as a favour to a friend that he entered a film set. Circumstance and chance made Sabu an art director on his first ever film. He believed that he could rise to the challenge because of his inclination towards science and art, it may seem as if he was destined to be a production designer all along.

Career

From 1982 to 1988, he was a freelance graphics designer for companies such as Welcomgroup Hotels, the Taj Group of Hotels, and Madura Coats. In 1988, he began his art director career, and has directed more than 2,500 advertisements, 3 teleserials and 115 feature films in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada and designed several stage shows. In 1996, he directed the stage design for the Miss World beauty pageant.[3] He also worked as one of the 2nd unit Art Directors in the 1990 film Iyer the Great.[4]

Filmography

As art director

Malayalam

Hindi

Tamil

Telugu

Kannada

As actor

Tamil

Malayalam

Awards

National Film Awards
Nandi Awards
Kerala State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards South
Vijay Awards
International Indian Film Academy Awards
South Indian International Movie Awards
Global Indian Film Awards
Kerala Film Critics Association Awards
International Tamil Film Awards
  • 2003 – Best Art Director – Boys
Asianet Film Awards
Kerala Film Journals' Awards
Kerala Janakiya Awards
Kaumudi Awards
Other awards

References

  1. ^ Sreedhar Pillai (17 February 2006). "The reel world of Sabu Cyril". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  2. ^ "കലയുടെ മര്‍മമറിഞ്ഞ്" [Mystery of Art]. Mathrubhumi Movies. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  3. ^ Chandu Gopalakrishnan (31 January 2011). "Production designer Sabu Cyril: Making a difficult craft look easy". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  4. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art!". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  5. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art! – Kaalapani". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  6. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art! – Gardish". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  7. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art! – Hey Ram". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  8. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art! – Asoka". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  9. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art! – Yuva". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  10. ^ Shobha Warrier (12 July 2004). "Sabu Cyril's works of art! – Kannathil Muthamittal". rediff.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  11. ^ "National Award Winning Art Director for Prabhas Movie". Times of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  12. ^ "HC grants permission to release 'Aquarium' after 10 years". English.Mathrubhumi. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.