Noted cinematographer and director A Vincent (86) died at a private hospital on February 25. He is survived by wife, two sons, Jayanan and Ajayan, and a daughter.

He wanted to be a doctor but his father who ran a photography studio, couldn't afford to put him through
medical school. He was studying when Income Tax commissioner, Achuthan Nair, impressed by the photographs he'd taken, recommended him to Gemini Studio and he was hired as a camera assistant on a salary of Rs 65.

He teamed up with the late film director C V Sridhar to create masterpieces like Kalyanaparisu, Meenda Sorgham, Sumai Thangi, Nenjil Or Aalyam, Then Nilavu and Kathalikka Neramillai. He went on to direct 55 movies in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam and was the cinematographer in 250 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films.

Malayalam actor Madhu who played a writer in Bhargavi Nilayam (1964), his directorial debut, says he was fortunate to act in all his classics.

Film buffs remember Vincent as a multifaceted genius, known for quality over quantity. “He worked with all the popular actors, including Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan in Hindi, and down South was the favorite of three former chief ministers M.G. Ramachandran, N.T.Rama Rao and J Jayalalithaa,“ informs P David who was the photographer for 90 percent of his movies.“Our friendship goes back to 1963. He was a family friend and my guru.“