Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is a National Award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d'Or - Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the Premiere Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the Executive Chairman of International Film Festival of Kerala from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award winning films Piravi (1989), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2009).