While he was doing an industrial course in polytechnics, Priyan spent his time with his uncle Ganesan during a summer vacation in Chennai.

Having noticed his interest in cinema, his uncle introduced him to his friend K. Balaji, an actor-producer in the Tamil film industry.

Moreover, he worked in the cinematography teams of films including Mani Ratnam's Pagal Nilavu (1985) and Nayakan (1987).

[3] Priyan made his debut as an independent cinematographer with K. S. Adhiyaman's Thotta Chinungi (1995), before regularly associating with director Cheran in films including Porkkaalam (1997), Desiya Geetham (1998) and Vetri Kodi Kattu (1999).

During the turn of the millennium, Priyan got the opportunity to work on high-profile projects including K. S. Ravikumar's Kamal Haasan-starrer Thenali (2000), Star (2001) and Majunu (2001).