CINEMATOGRAPHY

If I had to be a film-maker then it would have begun by being a Cinematographer. It was bridged by my fondness for clicking photographs by our antique camera. The still medium was later taken over by a moving image and thus photography was replaced by cinematography. The first person I idolized was Govind Nihalani, who was ace cinematographer of Shyam Benegal. Well before knowing about cinematography, I was fascinated by this person. Later on this fascination drove to its pick when he directed Takshak starring Tabu and Ajay Devgan.

So as to convey the importance of a cinematographer I would quote a incident on the set of Roja.

‘While filming the acclaimed "Roja", It was suggested to the director Mani Ratnam that a substitute for the cinematographer be found, as Santosh Sivan had a prior commitment. He immediately retorted by asking the man who suggested the idea if the same could be done with the heroine of the film under similar circumstances.’ (Courtesy: www.santoshsivan.com)

If the story is the heart of the film, then cinematography is the eye with direction as the head of the Film. Why I find cinematography so captivating because it transforms the ideas of story into a reality. It’s again engineering. There are lots of technicalities which need to be mastered. And call it my arrogance but so as to be good in anything you do, technicalities can’t be compromised of.

To tell it by an ace cinematographer Govind Nihalani:

‘There are roughly three kinds of images. At the simplest level, any photographic image that is projected on screen is an image, which does not and need not take into account the various formal and aesthetic factors like composition, color, movement etc.

The second kind of image is what is considered to be the cinematographic image where the shot is composed with a purpose, the angle, the lighting, the size of the image are all shot and calculated with a purpose.

The third kind of image is the image that goes beyond information and acquires a larger meaning than the information contained within a shot. These images carry and echo a lot of our subconscious memories, personal and collective alike, and grow into symbols.’

That’s so explanatory, isn’t it? And as they say Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder, so true with it, what else you look into a scene could be so shallow or deep.

What captivated me to write is Ravi K. Chandran’s article in Hindustan Times in which he said he insists to distributor that his name be their on the poster of the film. In south when the name of cinematographer is displayed on screen in theaters, audience claps for him. We, as audience of hindi films are very myopic in our regards to the actors of the film making. High regards always have gone to Hero/Heroines later followed by Directors.
Probably because the acknowledgements received in south, the classic cinematographers come from South only. To start with, Ravi K. Chandran having DCH, Yuva, Black, Fanaa, Kandukondain Kandukondain and recent Delhi6 to his credit. He started his career by assisting his elder brother Ramchandra Babu in a Malayalam film. His first film in hindi was Virasat, set by a simple and natural story and acting by Amrish Puri, Anil Kapoor and Tabu. He is the man who has worked with as many directors like Priyadarshan, Farhan Akhtar, Maniratnam, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Kunal Kohli and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. There is hardly anyone today who can match his genre of filmmaking.

The other cinematographer has been P. C. Shriram, who’s first hindi film is Cheeni Kum. His belief has been that I will work in the language which I know best of. That’s why he entered late in hindi films. Saahtiya’s original Alaypayuthe was shot by him. As shared by him he is the one who have differences with Mani for the betterment of the product.

Anil Mehta, who hold lenses behind for Lagaan, is an internationally acclaimed cinematographer. He also shot Saathiya, Khamoshi, and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. He tried his hand into story writing with Agni-varsha. Recently released come-back movie of Madhuri Dixit, Aaja Nachle was his directorial venture. As shared by Ravi Chandran, he is India’s one of the best cinematographers.

There is another creative creature, Santosh Sivan, who has Dil Se, Roja, Fiza on his credit and also The Terroirst which gained critical acclaim in various film festivals, was directed by him. What is distinct about Dil Se and ROja is the beautiful locations they are filmed especially the songs of the films.

Last but not the least is Rajeev Menon, the man showed us Bombay through his lenses. Many ad films later, he started off as cinematographer for Mani Ratnam’s Bombay before directing Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay in Hindi), apart from a few documentaries for Shyam Benegal and a short film for Girish Karnad. Among his recent film is Maniratnam’s Guru. Multi-starred Kandukondain Kandukondain was his directorial doorway. His primary interest has remained that of advertising film making. Airtel, Cadbury, Colgate Palmolive, Asian Paints are directed by him.

Just a little gyan..that a list of India’s cinematographers list would never get completed without names of Subrata Mitra, the legendary cinematographer who held camera for Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Charulata. And also V. K .Murthy who alongwith Guru Dutt filmed Kagaz ke phool and Pyaasa. I have seen none of the movies and have never read credit of these classics shared by these cinematographers.

I am looking forward to new genre of film-makers who could replace the old masters. Unfortunately me being doing something else, the world will miss one of those precious few, wat say?

Screenplay

I have always been curious in reading the names that appear on the screen before and after movie is being screened. There are whole lots of technicians who transform the vision of director, the fantasy into a reality. Perhaps myself being a curtain puller in inter-collegiate events, I know what importance it plays in making a program success! The word that I had least understood for years was Screenplay, perhaps until I saw Saathiya.
Here the movie starts with Vivek driving bike and hearing ‘O humdum suniyo re’ and somewhere in the middle of the story again you see repeating the same scene but much has happened in between those two same scenes. Otherwise what Saathiya is, it has no story which is strikingly different as Swades or Lagaan, a very ordinary love story, which happens very commonly, both meeting in marriage, attraction, next dramatic view in two oppositely passing train (that’s quiet impossible otherwise), superb straight- forward proposal in train, coming together-leaving for parents, and then Runaway marriage, differences after marriage (commonly termed as ‘ate daal ka bhav pata hona’). Apart from calculated acting of Rani and Vivek (and small yet crispy role of Sandhya Mridul), its screenplay is what which acts as a fuel to keep our interest burning. Story could be the strength of a movie like Lagaan has, but with a simple story like Saathiya, getting away with such a pleasant result, could be achieved by Mani only.

If Sanjay Leela Bhansali could be ‘feelingful’ director then Mani could be called as thoughtful. If Ram Ram Gopal Verma is a man of silences in dark room, then Mani could be calculated words with timing (Remember another classic propose to Isha by Michael Mukherjee of Yuva, “ Yeh Pyaar vyaar kuchh nahi hota hai, mujhe jhel sakati ho to aa jao.” ). If Karan Johar is only good at handling family soap type movies then Mani could handle variety of stories with midas touch.

Another good part of Saathiya has been dialogues by Gulzar. He is master in weaving words together and farming a sentence. They are low-weight yet meaningful and humorous too. When Vivek runs to see Rani in her gallery, Sandhya Mridul – Rani’s sister- says “Kise dekh rahe ho, who ladki jo kapde utar .., mera matlab hai rassi par se kapde utar rahi hai usko?” You see, it’s not a vulgar, it’s actually humorous. That’s what has made Saathiya superb alongwith ARRahman’s Composition and not to forget ‘Yeh udi udi udi’ by Adnam Sami.

What I have admired in Mani’s film is the way relation ship between man and woman is portrayed. Generally the Gender is taken as giving deliberate importance to woman to the level of sidelining male, but in Mani’s character both are actually ‘equal’. The simply Vivek has conveyed his feeling, without shying away, not silently keeping flower in hand and waiting for months to speak out, Why? If it is so natural!

Also see the choice of actors for the roles. Even in the tamil Alaipayuthe, the original version of Saathiya has Madhavan and Shalini. They are irreplaceable in their roles-perfectly tailor made-as like Rani and Vivek in Saathiya.

Oh! In the middle of writing this, I realized that Saathiya is not directed by Mani but his assistant Shaad Ali, who has almost vanished after that. But with this much classic, it is not possible, by heart, to give credit to Shaad. Romeo and Juliet even if transferred in marathi by me, credit would always remain with Shakespeare, isn’t it? I am waiting for Shaad Ali’s next movie. He has a great legacy behind him; he is son of Mujaffar Ali who filmed Umrao Jaan.

Another good example of a good screenplay is Yuva, again by Maniratnam. The way three different lives of youths woven together and yet there is a common stream and at last the way they meet at the Howrah Bridge is a classic piece of story telling and screenplay.

In the old films, where Anurupa Roy is the mother of Abhishek Bacchan kind of films, the mother tells the story how she became old, then bald and grey haired character would wear a wig and be hero’s father. It was that kind of screenplay those days.

Among all, I believe, nobody knows what a screenplay is as much as Maniratnam does. All directors’ with different style are appreciated, but Mani leaves his trail behind.