CINEMATOGRAPHER RAVI K CHANDRAN INTERVIEW

I have learnt quite a few things from the directors that I have worked with.

I worked with Rajeev Menon who has directed Minsara Kanavu and Kandukondein Kandukondein. He is a cameraman turned director but had never approached the film as a cameraman. He did not push himself for great work in cinematography (in these films) but just did what is actually required for the story.  He is musically inclined and songs in his films are brilliant. His films would be replete with musical details. I learnt shot division and aesthetic sense from him.

Mani Ratnam shoots very fast and narrates his story in a unique way. His films are always a trend setting ones.  The way he picturizes songs will be distinctive and no two songs in his films will appear the same. He pushes people to achieve this. He brings in innovative styles in canning song sequences.

If you take Kannathil Muthamittaal, there is no romantic song in it but there is one song with the daughter and mom and the other one with the daughter and dad. But both these songs are shot like a romantic number. He places many conflicts in a small theme and shoots very fast but gets great images. On the face of it, it would appear that he has taken quite a long time to shoot but actually it would not be the case.

For example, for the ‘vidai kodu engal naade’ song in Kannathil Muthamittaal, we shot with more than 2000 people leaving their homes but just in one day. When I read the script I told Mani Ratnam that it will at least take one week to shoot the scene. There were helicopter, Akela crane, steady cam, 2000 people, bomb blast, tanker, propeller plane, breaks, food was provided to 2000 people, people were shifted from one location to another and to top it all there was an emotional segment in the scene. Shooting was like going to a war front. But he completed all this in just one day. He is very clear in what he wants but at the same time, he never hurries the artists. He will deal the artists in a normal manner. All the speeding up happens only outside the artist’s domain. I learnt this quality from him.

With Shankar, it was a different learning. I was awed by him when he was making alterations to the script at 2 am while on a location hunt.   I quite did not expect this. Shankar’s hard work is his plus point. His detailing effort in the smallest of smallest shot is noteworthy. According to him repeat audience would note such features and care has to be taken.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s aesthetic sense is remarkable. He will go for a re-take even if a strand of hair is out of place in heroine’s face. He will even go for a re-shoot and he will not even mind recreating the set. His framing and shot divisions will be rhythmic. As he is an editor, he works with an editing sense.

Story and screenplay techniques are Murugadoss’s forte and the manner in which he creates pace in it is interesting.

It is like going to different institutes and learning from different masters. It is a great experience and advantageous for cameraman to observe and learn and I am glad I have gained good experience working with these people.

It is a bilingual being made in Tamil and Telugu and that’s why you will find Tamil and Telugu actors in the film. Harris Jeyaraj scores for Yaan which is going to be a big plus for the film. Award winning technicians like Sabu Cyril (art director) and Sreekar Prasad (editor) are part of the technical team. Oscar winner Resul Pookutty is in charge of sound.

Suriya and Ajith are the good looking guys I have shot in Tamil. I have not much worked with actresses but I quite like Trisha. Up north, I like Tabu, Aishwarya Rai, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee. They are all interesting faces and are great artists to work with. Of course, in actors, undoubtedly, it is Shah Rukh Khan and also Aamir Khan. In the same year, I worked with both and the films (Rab ne bana dee jodi and Ghajini) were super hits which got released in the same month. I am a favorite to both the Khans.

I quite liked Billa 2. R D Rajashekar did good work with Red camera. I like Nirav Shah’s work too. I forgot to mention earlier. Nirav Shah is one of the finest cameramen in Indian cinema. His work is quite consistent. He has a ‘class’ approach in all his films like Thaandavam or Deiva Thirumagal or Madharasapattinam or Billa. I wish to see more daring work from him. He is really a class apart.