Shukla was born in Lucknow into a family that was not related to film industry . She was interested in films right from her childhood and completed her graduation from the University of Lucknow , Lucknow . Upon graduation , she decided to join the Film and Television Institute of India ( FTII ) to do a course in cinematography , which she felt was an ideal platform to express her " creativity " . Her family was supportive of her decision . Shukla 's diploma film at the FTII was premiered at the competition section of the Camerimage film festival . Upon completing her course at the FTII , she joined Santosh Sivan as an apprentice and went on to assist him in various films including two Hollywood productions – '' The Mistress of Spices '' and '' Before the Rains '' . She was the second unit camerawoman for Mani Ratnam 's Tamil – Hindi bilingual films '' Raavan '' and '' Raavanan '' ( 2010 ) . She got a break as an independent cinematographer through '' Kutty Srank '' , a Malayalam film directed by Shaji N. Karun . The film had the distinction of being the first in Malayalam to be shot by a woman cinematographer . Shukla 's work fetched her the Best Cinematography at the 57th National Film Awards in 2010 . She was the first female to be awarded in the category . After '' Kutty Srank '' , she joined with Santosh Sivan for '' Urumi '' , a period drama
57th National Film Awards
57th National Film Awards
Anjuli Shukla