A DOP TO INHERIT: ASHOK KUMAR AND AKASH

Hi readers…February marches towards march… and I can’t believe I have been writing for almost a year…how time flies as I head towards my half century!

No, I don’t mean my age but my contribution to ‘Talkie with rekhs’ !!! :-)

I thought I should have a tête-à-tête with an offspring of a well known technician / star / film personality, a ‘vaarisu’ lesser known or beginning to become ‘rich and famous’

Can you believe the same day I read an article about Akash in one of the popular supplements and found he lives in the lane next to mine! Subscribes to my ‘life is all about serendipity and destiny’ theory once more!

So here I am opening a new category “G2I”: a gene to inherit!

Oru vaarisu uruvaagiradhu…Meet Akash Ashokkumar the 3^rd son of ace cameraman, and national award winner Ashok kumar Agarwal.  His father has to his credit as DoP more than 125 films and directed a dozen films.

Akash’s tryst with celluloid world has been a long and hard journey, from apprentice (10^th asst) to assistant to associate to operative cameraman to gaffer to DoP! Those cinemaholics who want to dive deep into the magic of the reel world and who envy the ‘next gen’ having someone from their family  firmly entrenched in the celluloid world…think again! It has its own share of minuses I’d say! So it is only blood, sweat, and tears that eventually pays, with a little bit of Lady Luck smiling on you!

High light of Akash’s journey as a DoP has been:

1) Sharing credits with his dad as DoP in Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi directed by K Rajeshwar in 2003 starring Simran. If I am right she dubbed for the first time partly in this film.

2) Thottal poo malarum in 2007 – as a full fledged DoP directed by the veteran director P Vasu with his vaarisu Shakthi making his debut as hero as well.  Arabu naatu song in the bus was a popular re-play in radio stations.

Besides being fortunate enough to work with his dad he also worked with foreign DoPs and was able to observe their style. Notable amongst them was Richard Kline whose work as DoP in Camelot was nominated for the Oscars in 1968!

Richard is well known for his star trek series. Wow! What an external guru (besides his own dad) for this sishya!

He worked as assistant to John Drake of 11:11 fame, with Robert D Eras in Rahul Dholakia’s Parzania which fetched Sarika the best actress national award, Ivankozelka and our own Keshav Prakash of Virumandi fame.

In between his tryst with Sollywood films Bombay beckoned him…and much to his mom’s chagrin he retreated to gain more experience and energize himself.

It was his Shangri-La where he made many friends, who touched his heart, personal and professional.

He has just completed shooting in Super 35 a Bangla film in Kuala Lumpur called Speed directed by Shohanur Rahman Shohan.

So after he capsulated his biography to me at the Marina beach, I asked this smart ‘next gen gentleman’ where he was heading now in his reel world journey.

His eyes lit up, he smiled and said “What’s up machaa…”

I thought that was a real cool title and very happening!

Akash’s own banner Adavatar entertainment’s first baby is in the conception stage. He is the captain of the ship and parenting the story, screenplay, cinematography too. He has roped in Ed DeGenaro a German music composer who has worked with Bob Dylan!

Akash has immense faith in his ‘machaa’ Agaran who is the dialog writer and lyricist of his film. Marketing portfolio is under the care of machaa Srikanth his friend and film enthusiast. S.P. Balaji is his technical-supportive machaa. This young team intends to win over the Thamizh audience with their new wave marketing, paint a different stroke to their visuals and a story told well to reach the young and old all over the globe. What more can a viewer ask for…let’s wait and watch! Meanwhile the theists can pray, atheists can lend a hand and the agnostics can see the film in the theater with their counterparts!

I’d like to sign off quoting this ‘never give up’ optimist Akash

“Nothing succeeds like success”

and that’s what this DoP, son of Ashok kumar who touched a zillion hearts, is aspiring for!

Ciao, my dear friends all over the world and thanks for all your emails that keep pouring in which I am unable to individually reply to, I need every hand to take our own dear Sollywood worldwide,

rekhs