Tan Sri Lakshmanan Krishnan; A name that needs no introduction when it comes to the Malay film industry. There’s no denying that the man who worked alongside the legendary Tan Sri P.Ramlee has the power to elevate a movie to a new level of popularity.

Having said that, Tan Sri Lakshmanan recently celebrated a glorious 100th birthday surrounded by all of his loved ones. Turning a ripe old age of 100 had surely wowed us, as to date, there's no sign that he is slowing down, even the slightest bit.


Asking on what his secret of staying young was:

‘My wife kept me youthful and I was grateful to her for making every day worthwhile. I have led a moral life and desire to live for many more years.’

Born in 1922 in Madras (now Chennai), India, he was raised in Penang and attended the Bukit Mertajam High School where he obtained his Senior Cambridge in 1941. The most prestigious award namely the 'Gandhi Memorial Trust Award' was honoured to him for his valuable contribution to the public service field.

Besides missing his birthday and Deepavali celebration with the less fortunate, Tan Sri has always been a prominent figure among Malaysian filmmakers.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane!

In 1941, Tan Sri L Krishnan met the late Tan Sri P Ramlee for the first time in Singapore. P Ramlee's exceptional success at the Jalan Ampas studios of Shaw Brothers in Singapore was ostensibly a result of the studio's outstanding ambiance of the professional film crew, choreographers, and directors that the Shaw Brothers had gathered from India, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, along with Tan Sri L Krishnan at its forefront.

Speaking about his journey of filmmaking, Tan Sri L Krishnan has a rich history as a filmmaker and cultural activist. He has directed more than 30 films and worked with prominent Malaysian actors, including Datuk Maria Menado, the late Kasma Booty, and the late Datuk Mustapha Maarof.

Among his directed films starring P Ramlee are Bakti (1950), Takdir Ilahi (1950), Penghidupan (1951), and Antara Senyum dan Tangis (1952).

His cinematography talents in Shaw Brothers were widely recognised by the industry and he received the Anugerah P Ramlee in the 12th Malaysia Festival in 1995 and Galeri Sinema Melayu Award (Pioneer in the Malay Film Industry) in 1996.

In 1949, he started his career in film and took up the appointment of Film Director at Shaw Studios, Singapore. Later on, he moved to Kuala Lumpur to work for the late Ho Ah Loke at Merdeka Studio. In between years, he directed numerous films that encapsulated Malaysia and its people's early romanticism and idealism.

His debut feature was Bakti, the movie which portrayed P Ramlee as a romantic hero on the silver screen. Besides being a pillar in the film industry, Krishnan is also fondly known as an altruist personified. Among his virtuous deeds were providing welfare service to the community through several organisations including the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur (Past President); Discharged Prisoners Aid Society; Malaysian Association for the Blind; Medic Alert Foundation of Malaysia; Netaji Welfare Foundation; Persatuan Kebajikan NASARRE; Chinese Maternity Hospital; and the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital. With that being said, on his personal level, for 33 years (1979 – 2012 during the Deepavali celebrations, Tan Sri L Krishnan brought joy and played host to about 1000 underprivileged members of society including special children.

You have contributed so much to this super ambitious industry. Thank you Tan Sri!

Source: FMT , Merdeka Award
Image Credit: Merdeka Award , FMT