Limkokwing alumnus Kathiravan Maniam, also known by his screen name, Kathir Dinish, now has a new title which he is arguably most proud of – “Drone Sifu.”

Kathir is the founder and proud owner of Drone Sifu Productions – a local production house which is quickly making a name for itself, especially in the art of aerial photography and cinematography.

“I have always wanted to improve my production qualities by having views from top angles in my videos,” said a confident Kathir.

Living by the philosophy of ‘doing something different today from what was done yesterday’ he has developed a lot of technical skills and mastered most of the Adobe software suite – including Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Priemere Pro and Indesign.

Kathir, who holds both a Diploma in Interactive and Multimedia Design and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Digital Film and Television, is a perfect example of an individual who’s personal resilience and courage has brought the success he now enjoys.

Going international

Kathir’s first major international project was for a South Indian movie ‘Velaikkaran’ - which means worker in English.

Since then, he has been involved in a dozen other South Indian movies.

He has also been involved in providing coverage of Formula 4 SEA, which saw him travelling to racing circuits across Thailand, India and Philippines.

In early 2018, he was part of a Malaysian-made feature film, ‘Paskal The Movie’, an action flick inspired by the bravery and heroism of the elite special forces unit of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

The movie, featuring Hairul Azreen and Ammar Alfian, had open ocean scenes shot in the South China Sea which required Kathir’s special skills.

Believe in yourself

“When I first started, one of the stuntmen on a production I was working on, told me that the drone that I was using was nothing compared to the ones that are used in the industry,” he said.

Never for a second feeling discouraged by those remarks, Kathir came back stronger than ever – and he now owns the very best drones which are used in Hollywood movies.

As for his versatility working with films of different languages, this reflects upon the values and diverse environment at Limkokwing University.

Kathir said he admires Tan Sri Limkokwing, the Founder and President of the University, for both his talent as a creative master as well as for his many achievements, including building an international empire.

“I was motivated by Tan Sri’s creative work over the years and he has proven to all of us what passion and drive can achieve,” he said.

Kathir urged students and aspiring cinematographers to keep fit and healthy because at the end of the day, nothing is more important than yourself.

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Ear Sok Chuang

Fashion Designer/ Founder of YANG Clothing