Chintha Ravi

K. Ravindran (1945–2011), better known by his pen-name Chintha Ravi, was an Indian writer, journalist, film critic and film director.

Biography Born in Kannadikkal in Kozhikode as the son of Kunnummal Krishnan and Lakshmi, Ravindran studied at Kozhikode Malabar Christian School, Malabar Christian College, and did a journalism course at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai. He soon joined Communist Party of India's ideological journal Chintha and later became a member of the editorial board of the weekly, which earned him the pen-name Chintha Ravi. His Cinemayude Rashtreeyam, a book on art criticism and cinema, won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Book on Cinema in 1990.

He debuted as a director with the Telugu film Harijan. His film Ore Thooval Pakshikal (1988), featuring music by G. Aravindan, won many accolades including the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film. He also directed several documentaries including the national award-winning Maunam Sowmanasyam, a documentary on G. Aravindan.

His visual travelogue serial entitled Ente Keralam was telecast in Asianet for many years. Ravi traveled even to the remote villages of Kerala for this programme.

Chintha Ravi died on 4 July 2011, aged 65, at a private hospital in Thrissur. He was under treatment for lung cancer. He is survived by wife N Chandrika, daughter of writer Devaki Nilayangode, and son Thathagathan, an anthropology research scholar in the University of Texas.