Focus >> THIRD QUARTER 2010
Randy >>
contents COVER STORY
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Reliance MediaWorks Limited, Film City Complex Goregaon (East) Mumbai - 400 065 (India) Tel: +91 22 2842 3333 / 4488 Fax: +91 22 2842 2211
www.reliancemediaworks.com EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
Deepa Gahlot DESIGN
Sajid Moinuddin www.hbdesign.in
>> ROBOT RULES
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Rathanavelu takes Daya Kingston on a trip to Enthiran land.
PRINTER
Magna Graphics (India) Limited 101 C & D Govt. Industrial Estate Hindustan Naka Kandivli (West) Mumbai 400 067 (India) Tel: +91 22 2868 3738, 2868 7475
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Vikramaditya Motwane’s story ended as a fairytale beginning, reports Deepa Gumaste
>> The ‘Family’ Man Cinematographer K.U. Mohanan talks to Deepa Gumaste about his preference for realism
11 >> Spectacular Show
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Nirav Shah tells Daya Kingston that he likes to dazzle the audience.
>> The ‘Superhit’ man Aarti Babul Bhasin talks to Makarand Surte, DI Colourist with Reliance MediaWorks
14 >> The Magic of Color Aarti Babul Bhasin talks to Makarand Surte, DI Colourist with Reliance MediaWorks
>> Pushing The Envelope
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Deepa Gumaste catches up with the director of Ramaa – The Saviour
ROBOT
Rules! Rathanavelu takes Daya Kingston on a trip to Enthiran land.
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athnavelu or Randy as he is popularly known is one of the best DOPs in the South and has done around 20 films in South Indian languages and shot over 1000 commercials. His penchant for high contrast lighting and the lighting speed that he works at has made him a favourite with directors. He is the DOP of Endhiran (Tamil) and Robot (Hindi) that is making news as the costliest Indian film made with a budget of about 175 crores.
This sci-fi extravaganza directed by Shankar, like all his movies is lavish and larger than life. Starring superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai this film is a milestone. “Endhiran is a sci-fi film, explains Rathnavelu, “a very interesting one and technically very challenging as well. Shankar took seven hours to narrate the story to me and asked if I could do the film. Technically, there would be many challenges but I was game. I replied that I could shoot comfortably as I have shot more than 1000 commercials and had the necessary experience. “It’s not just the shooting, the postproduction house mattered a lot. I had to set up the entire pipeline. While starting the film they asked me, where shall we do the DI, shall we do it in LA? However, I said I want it in Chennai because when different portions go to different houses for various purposes, it is easy if the post in one place. “I had Reliance MediaWorks in mind and share a good rapport with their colourist Ken Metzker with whom I had worked three years back. I was planning details like which scanner would be the
IAccording to the storyline of Endhiran, a robot was invented by Rajini. Filming this was difficult, since it was fully metallic, the reflection is more best, which DI suite to use and so on. When we discussed it with Reliance, they were very supportive. They dedicated an exclusive suite for me for six months. A brand new scanner called Northlight was flown in from London and the results on this are fantastic. Ken would come from Mumbai to work with me, the advantage is that he has a sound knowledge of CG and that was useful for me. Reliance is very professional and keeps up time deadlines. Any problem is immediately sorted out. Calibration and technical expertise is fantastic. “According to the storyline of Endhiran, a robot was invented by Rajini. Filming this was difficult, since it was fully metallic, the reflection is more. So when both Rajini and the robot were together it was tough to light. We needed a sheen since I had done
www.reliancemediaworks.com >> THIRD QUARTER >> 2010 >> 03
Randy >>
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commercials with products like pressure cookers I managed it. “The animatronics was developed at Stanwinston Studios, USA – they are the ones who have worked for blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Terminator and Avatar. They scanned Rajini’s entire body, his profile, straight face and jaw and made a robot that looked exactly like him. It took them nearly 10 months to make it and put all the gadgets into it. “The advantage of animatronics is that it makes the character look realistic. Generally when you create in a CG, you can’t hold a shot for more than three seconds, if the character speaks a dialogue say for 10 seconds, the audience will know its CG. It does not work. This robot was being operated by puppeteers and it even had a lip sync and eye expressions. A team of about 12 specialists worked with us for 40 days. “There was a lot of tension for me in this
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film as Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were top stars and with the animatronics work being charged in dollars, we had to speed it up. I had to shuttle between sets. Therefore, I planned a lot of the lighting beforehand, the ratio, key light and so on. Then I would improvise on the sets. It was much better and the way Hollywood works. The director was very happy as the quick work helped the artistes hold the chemistry between shots, I kept the momemtum flowing. I used an Arri 435 extreme camera and the remote Scorpio crane for the first time in India. “Since the film was full of sci-fi and CG, Shankar kept the songs earthy and realistic. We shot the Kilimanjaro song in Macchu Picchu, South America. Another was shot at a stunning locale in Brazil in the middle of a New Mexico desert where amidst the desertscape, we found beautiful lagoons in aquamarine colour. To reach the place we had to travel on the Amazon River for two-
For one song, we brought in truckloads of lights and were coded to the computer and programmed, so we could repeat the same light scheme, this is the first time done in India
and-a-half hours in the forest and two hours in a jeep, trees, boat, it was like watching Anaconda! “ For one song, we brought in truckloads of lights and these were coded to the computer and programmed, so we could repeat the same light scheme, this is the first time it’s been done in India. There is a slight shift in colour temperature but it’s time saving. “There were dual roles in 90 percent of the film and though I have done that earlier, Shankar wanted a lot of movement and I used a motion control camera. We would shoot the scientist in one layer and then repeat with the robot. If Rajini did one shot as a scientist and then changed make-up for as robot and kept doing this, he would get tired and so I would do one get-up in the morning and the next the afternoon. This meant that the entire lighting for all the shots done in the morning would have to be repeated. I had an assistant to write a detailed camera report so there would be no mistakes. It was very challenging. However, this film needed about 100 days of motion control but we finished in 60 days. “We also used visual cues like separate
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BThere was a lot of tension for me in this film as Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were top stars and with the animatronics work being charged in dollars, we had to speed it up. I had to shuttle between sets. Therefore, I planned a lot of the lighting beforehand, the ratio, key light and so on tones for the hero’s lab and villain’s lab, yet kept this realistic. When the villain comes there are sparks but there is a positive atmosphere in hero’s lab like an Apple ipod. Another interesting thing is that we have shot many things from the robot’s point of vision, what the world would look like for the robot. “One of the risky scenes was a multiple car collision; I was also on a car with the camera and wanted to capture it that way, so the audience travels with it. Suddenly the action director said 75 km speed and we had many close shaves! I made a vibration head to absorb the jerk and beyond that if there is any it’s realistic! “The climax was the most difficult, in 2008, we started the film and the release in 2010 so style wise it has to gel with 2010. In cinematography, I did not follow any of the English films where they usually use a cyan or white tone for sci-fi. The climax song was very difficult as we had a given number of frames and had to repeat the same lighting thrice.Eo lab and villain lab basedThere was a hero lab and villain lab both separated by a tome yet realistc “Shankar is very clear about his script but gives you lot of room within that. I shoot very quickly that’s my plus point and he liked that very much. His is very dedicated and a master in the field. “I have always been a fan of Rajinikanth since childhood. He respects you and if
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he appreciates your work he tells you that in front in of everyone. When he saw the dubbing, he said ‘fantastic! Hats off to you!’” His two films with Director Bala, Sethu and Nanda were critically acclaimed and won him awards. “Bala and I started together and were close buddies. His style and strength is getting emotion and feeling. For his films, one cannot really pre-plan, I used o just fix the overall look and mood and then it would be spontaneous. “For Sethu, we chose a college in Kumbakonam where one block was on the bank of the Kaveri River and students had to cross a bridge to reach the college. We created a teashop on the bridge and this looked very realistic, we shot in the available light. For the second half in the mental asylum, I did not want the normal stark white, so I tried a dirty green tone , there was no DI , but the hyper realistic tine drew the audience to the primitive place. I got an award for this film. “Nanda was even more realistic with hard-
hitting visuals. Every expression of Suriya’s comes only through the eyes, his body is very stiff. I used an extreme wide angle to capture the eye and kept to mood lighting throughout the film. I won a State and Filmfare award for it. The wide angle so far was being used only for panoramic views but I set a trend with this technique.” Vaaranam Aayiram is a film starring Suriya, Sameera Reddy and Simran and the story is about a son who is in the army when he receive news of his father’s death. The story traces his memories of his father and the beautiful relationship. Suriya played the dual role of both father and son. “Vaaranam Aayiram is very close to my heart because juts before it got over my father passed away and so did Gautham’s. Some emotions were very realistic. “Suriya’s double action could not be done in a single day. I had to shoot his six pack phase separately, the drug addiction phase separately and in the same scene the father would appear to but sometimes shot with a gap of six months and yet I had to maintain the lighting. Different periods were separated by tones, bright sunny San Francisco for the happy period, cyan during the drug addiction, blue for his revival period and so on. Gautham is very spontaneous and does not teach artistes how to act, but allows them liberty and is a one take director. He uses the first take. We both worked with Rajeev and so had a good rapport.” He signs off saying, “Beautiful images is not cinematography, being realistic and touching is more important.”
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Mohanan >>
The ‘Family’ Man
Where did you shoot the film? Since the story is based in Australia, we shot the exteriors there, mainly in Sydney and in Fort Campbell on the Great Ocean Road where the first song featuring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal was picturised. The interiors were all shot here in Mumbai.
Do directors and cinematographers in Hindi cinema generally plan the look of a film in detail? Some people do. I try to apply a visual style in keeping with the demands of the script. One of the most important elements of cinematography is to be consistent throughout the film and if there is a break in style, it has to have a valid justification. Many times Hindi films lack homogeneity – some portions are beautifully shot, others look tacky. That’s unacceptable to me.
What kind of films do you like to shoot? I prefer moody stories. There are enough people to do happy films. My preference is for realism and minimalist visuals.
How do you cope if you find that a film isn’t going right midway through the shoot?
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I just put my head down and finish the project to the best of my abilities. Even if I don’t have conviction about the film, someone else does. I can’t mess with their vision.
What was your experience working on We Are Family with Reliance Mediaworks? I’m very happy with their approach. They are very professional, have good equipment and a state-of-the-art set-up. Overall, I’m
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Cinematographer K.U. Mohanan talks to Deepa Gumaste about his preference for realism.
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. U. Mohanan brought his naturalistic sensibility to Siddharth Malhotra’s We Are Family, as he did with Farhan Akhtar’s Don a few years ago. The result was a film that looks pleasant without being overly glossy. A product of the FTII, and a cameraman who regards cinema as an art form, Mohanan wants to do films that are moody and pose
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I prefer moody stories. There are enough people to do happy films. My preference is for realism and minimalist visuals very happy with the post-production work on this film.
interesting creative challenges. He’s also the man who shot the amazing Incredible India campaign.
What are you doing next? I may be doing a film with Mani Kaul.
How did a man of your sensibilities come to work on a Karan Johar production? I wasn’t sure myself if I was the right man for the job. But Siddharth Malhotra really pursued me and eventually I decided to give it a shot.
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What was your brief for We Are Family? The film is a family drama, so it had to look clean and pleasant. I can’t do very stylised cinematography. The idea was to make it look interesting without adding too much drama to the visuals. In that sense, the look of the film is much more European, even though it’s a remake of a Hollywood film.
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Vikramaditya Motwane >> Udaan was one among many scripts you had in your bag when Anurag offered to produce your film. What compelled you to choose this story?
Kid Rock
The fact that it kept coming back to me even though it was turning out to be impossible to make at the time. None of my other films ‘called out’ to me the way Udaan did. I always knew I wanted to make it as my first film. I’m glad I did.
Does it have autobiographical shades? Certainly. But the story is entirely fictional. I did spend time in Nashik with my father, where he had a factory and the small-town experience comes from there. I derived from various influences that had made an impression on me from Bruce Springsteen to Richard Price. The one image that was firmly stuck in my head, and which eventually became the poster of the film, was that of a boy running, breaking free.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s story ended as a fairytale beginning, reports Deepa Gumaste caption nhree
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e left college when he found it boring, started working in television at a very young age, apprenticed with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, wrote scripts, and then, had his debut film screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Vikramaditya Motwane discusses Udaan and his unconventional approach to cinema. Next, he wants to work with bigger stars and budgets, but never at the cost of compromising his individual sensibilities.
How did you veer towards cinema? I enrolled for a distance education programme when college seemed like a waste of time. Then, along with a bunch of friends, I joined my mother as an assistant on the show Teen Talk, which she produced. I joined Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 1997 and worked with him on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas.
What did your experience with Bhansali teach you in terms of filmmaking craft?
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Everything from writing, pre-production, music sittings and costumes to art direction, shooting, editing, sound, mixing and post-production. I learnt it all while working with Sanjay. Working
with him also taught me that a director’s job doesn’t begin and end with shooting. It starts way before and ends long after. A good director has to be very involved with everything that happens on the film.
You wrote scripts for other directors while waiting to make your own film. As someone who harboured serious filmmaking aspirations, how did their treatment of your writing appeal to you? Very well in one case and very badly in the other. With Dev D, Anurag Kashyap left me alone to write the first draft, with not a single input other than the fact that it was based in Punjab. He then wrote the second draft himself without any input from me. The result is wonderful. It respects my writing but also shows that the director has a fantastic vision of his own. With Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, the result was very disappointing. I still hold my draft as the best thing I wrote, but sadly that’s not what made it to the final film. It was a singularly disillusioning process, and made me think again of whether I’d write for anyone else other than directors I know and respect.
You consciously passed up approaching Ajay Devgan for the father’s role and cast Ronit Roy instead. Did you think it would hamper your film’s prospects in any way? Ajay was my muse for the father’s role. But I didn’t approach him because I always knew that the film had to be presented from the boy’s point of view. Had Ajay agreed, it would have been ‘his’ film, and I think that would have been detrimental to the presentation of the film. We could have not advertised the fact that he’s in the film, but I don’t think anyone would have taken the risk of keeping the star a secret in the film. Not for a first time director anyway.
How did you work out the pace, tone and visual style of the film?
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The look was location-dependent. The father’s house needed a darker, colder, gloomier look. The uncle’s house needed a warmer, softer look. The bar needed a slightly dangerous vibe. So we designed each place accordingly and then let it flow organically into the film, which basically had a not-too-styled bit nottoo-plain look. Also with pace, we stayed true to the film and the realism of the characters. I tried to get the mood right in tune with the script.
Why did you decide to shoot in Jamshedpur? I hadn’t planned to shoot there. I had thought of setting it in a satellite town of Delhi. But Imtiaz Ali, who hails from Jamshedpur, happened to read my script and he felt it fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the place and suggested I visit the place. In hindsight, it was a great suggestion, because the steel factory provides for a perfect backdrop for the boy’s coming- of- age. However, that wasn’t a conscious choice at the time of writing the script.
I wouldn’t like to get stuck making only one kind of film for the rest of my career. And I think it’s important that I constantly challenge myself as a writer and a director What are your own cinematic influences? My favourite filmmakers are Ken Loach, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Manmohan Desai, Bimay Roy and Vijay Anand.
What kind of films would you like to make hereafter, in terms of scale and sensibility? All kinds. Big ones, small ones, animated one, documentaries. I wouldn’t like to get stuck making only one kind of film for the rest of my career. And I think it’s important that I constantly challenge myself as a writer and a director.
What was your experience like with the Reliance Mediaworks lab?
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Fantastic. I’ve been a fan of Krishna Shetty since the time I saw him roll up his sleeves and join his lab staff in checking hundreds of prints because there was a power failure at the lab and prints had to be delivered. That work ethic runs through the lab. Everyone is very helpful and it’s a truly wonderful place to work.
>> THIRD QUARTER >> 2010 >> 09
Nirvan Shah >>
Mahesh Limaye >>
The ‘Superhit’ Man
Mahesh Limaye tells Sandeep Hattangadi that Dabangg was a huge challenge for him
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abaang, a major hit of 2010 was processed and printed at Reliance MediaWorks. The man behind the camera was the talented DOP Mahesh Limaye, who started from commercials and is now a big name in cinematography in Hindi and Marathi films.
Your work in Dabaang has been hugely appreciated... I had never done an action film of this magnitude before but Arbaaz (Khan) was confident about my abilities after he saw my work in Fashion. And I worked hard on the stark rugged rustic look with warm colors on the palette and for the action sequences and the glass sequences I coordinated with the action director Vijayan who had Wanted to his credit and with his help and director Abhinav Kashyap’s brief I was able to do a good job.
How did it all start for you? I studied commercial art at the J.J. School of Arts for five years and specialized in still photography for which I won many awards. Then I wanted to study at the FTII, Pune but I was not a science student as required. So I assisted Raja Sayyed for many commercials, and later I assisted the senior cinematographer Ashok Mehta for nine years and did a lot of commercials with him too. I worked with Shyam Ramanna of Crest Communications too.
You have done a lot of work with very
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talented directors… I have done the much appreciated Uttarayan and Evdhase Abhal with advertising friend Bipin Nadkarni, who makes simple emotional films and another ad world friend Ravi Jadhav, who made the hugely successful and critically appreciated Natarang in Marathi, for which I won a lot of state awards. I have done the maximum work with Madhur Bhandarkar right from Traffic Signal, Corporate and Fashion.
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me to a lot of fashion shows in Mumbai and Delhi and I gave it a very slick glossy look and tried to make everything beautiful. Corporate too was a new concept and I tried to shoot the varied characters in different hues and tones. Bipasha Basu in the climax is without audio for at least 18 minutes real time and that was challenging for me.
Which films have impressed you lately in respect to camerawork? Jodhaa Akbar, Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On.
How different was it like working with Madhur? Madhur likes to handle the storytelling part of it and leaves the technical part to me and gives me a free hand. And I compose my scenes as the story of the film requires. Like Traffic Signal was a dark subject so I used hard colours and most of it was shot on the roads so I tried the realistic grungy look. Fashion was an elitist subject so Madhur took
I had never done an action film of this magnitude before but Arbaaz (Khan) was confident about my abilities
Any cinematographers you admire? Chrishtopher Doyle and Binod Pradhan.
What advice would give to wannabe cinematographers? I would advise them to study film at a film school and then assist somebody for hands on experience because I lost a lot of world cinema as I couldn’t attend any school. Learning on the job after good film education is a must.
What has been your experience with RMW? I have processed commercials at Reliance MediaWorks and I have found the facilities technically very sound and especially the grading system is excellent. Among my peers too, it has a lot of appreciation.
Spectacular Show Nirav Shah tells Daya Kingston that he likes to dazzle the audience.
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hen it comes to creating the magic of cinema, spectacular is the way to go. DOP Nirav Shah has done that in style with films like Dhoom in Hindi, Billa in Tamil and others. To him, cinema always has been a big larger than life canvas to showcase stories that would make the audience sit back awe-struck at the spectacle. His commitment to the cinematic medium is so strong that the TV commercials he has done are few. He started his career with Paisa Vasool in 1984 and then carved a niche for himself with action thrillers Dhoom and Dhoom 2. He has been quite versatile and embraced
every genre from action, romance to comedy. His recent film Madarasapattinam is a romance between an Indian man from the dhobi community at Chennai or Madras and an English lady, set against the backdrop of Indian Independence. The film recreated the bygone era with sets of Madras complete with a tram. The lighting and the generous wide angles made the film come alive and it was a big hit. Shah says, “Madarasapattinam is a period film and the director Vijay and I wanted it to look spectacular, the kind of film people would watch and say how did they manage to pull this off? We separated the past and the present with a tone but not something as heavy as sepia, We demarcated the past. For the present, we used a soft hint of a warm golden tone. There is a lamp-lit romance scene with Arya and Amy that I like very much, as it has an interesting mood. “ We did a lot of night shooting for this film and I used a lot of wide angles to
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Nirvan Shah >> give the film the frame it needed. One of the most challenging scenes was shooting a boat on the water, it was quite dark, the natural light was very low, yet we went for the sketchy shot. The difference between shooting a period film and others is that in this, one needs lot of patience as everything has to be set up. You just can’t get out and shoot. “I share a wonderful relationship with director Vishnuvardhan and have done four of his films. It was very nice and I never felt we were working, he allows plenty of freedom. He is a very visual director and both of us enjoy mounting films on a big scale. For instance in Billa, we knew we had to hit the audience right from the opening sequence as this sets the pace psychologically for the rest of the film. We were also remaking the film (it’s an old Rajinikanth starrer) so we wanted to make it look completely different. “We had decided the look and feel at the outset, it was to be very stylish and we had a colour palette that consisted of plenty of whites, greys and blacks. There was a blue tint in the outdoor work especially the high rises shot in Malaysia . One of the most challenging shots in the film was one that we had to shoot on a terrace where the backdrop was black and all the artistes were dressed in black too! I shot with just one light. “I also enjoy working with new directors and its good fun. I do not think it’s a risk at all. During the script discussion itself, I can gauge them and whether we would gel or not. The genre I enjoy the best is comedy,
because you get to keep laughing on the sets. I also like shooting with a realistic feel as this draws your audiences right into the film. In fact even in the television commercials that I have shot, I have kept the lighting more towards a natural feel. “ Working with Reliance Mediworks is good and the best thing is the easygoing relationship. They are quite accommodating and supportive. I have worked on Sarvam,
Madarasapattinam is a period film and the director Vijay and I wanted it to look spectacular, the kind of film people would watch and say how did they manage to pull this off? We separated the past and the present with a tone but not something as heavy as sepia, We demarcated the past. For the present, we used a soft hint of a warm golden tone
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I love shooting on live outdoor locations. There is a kind of chaos there but I like it. For instance, Benaras was a brilliant experience. We had already decided the setting for the film and we could not change the location. So, instead of going with my will, I reacted to the place and consider this one of my best 12 >>THIRD QUARTER >> 2010 >>
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Madarasapattinam and Tamizh Padam there. In fact, I met Charles Darvey who did the VFX for Madarasapattinam there.” In a lighter vein he adds, “Personally, I think DI has made things tougher for DoPs. There is so much choice that its difficult to decide. “I love shooting on live outdoor locations. There is a kind of chaos there but I like it. For instance, Benaras was a brilliant experience. We had already decided the setting for the film and we could not change the location. So, instead of going with my will, I reacted to the place and consider this one of my best. Tamizh Padam was a full-length comedy that was a spoof on various clichés seen in Tamil films since the eighties. The film was a big hit and Nirav says, “After I heard the first 10 scenes of the film, I asked them to stop and said I would do the film, I was convinced. Working on that one film was like working on 50 films because we trued to recreate the spoofed scenes like the original. For instance, we have spoofed a scene in Boys and even used the same wall and lighting for that shot. We also tried to recreate as close as possible scenes from Thalapathi, Mouna Raagam and others. We shot the entire film in just 63 days. “Oram Po is one of my favourite films. I enjoyed working with its directors Pushkar and Gayatri. I especially enjoyed shooting the auto race, due to budget constraints, we could not light up and entire flyover, but shot it in the ambient fluorescent lights and it turned out well. “My upcoming films are Vaanam and Engeyum Kaadhal. Shooting Vaanam was like shooting five stories, it’s a very interesting film. We have shot a lot for Engeyum Kaadhal at Paris and the surrounding towns, it’s like a Karan Johar film. I do not believe in any particular style but like to move with what the script requires.”
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Makarand Surte >>
The Magic of Colour
production house.
LSD was one project that I really had a great time doing the DI. It had many ‘differents’. Shot on a video format, three different stories coming together in one. The combination of the thought behind the script and the look of the film was a task. It was shot on video and had to be given a cinematic look while maintaining the script base of the feel of everything being shot from a security or a home video camera. I loved the project for giving me that satisfaction of facing the challenge and overcoming it. Three Idiots had many assets – it had a great back up in its director; a wonderful story; apt performers; a great director of photography and extremely well shot. What can I call a package like this? It’s like walking on the red carpet. Madhavlal Keep Walking was again a great film to work on. I loved the reality of the story. Enjoyed doing the post on it.And, of course, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. I loved it for the two eras that the film covered. An immensely enjoyable film with fantastic storyline.
How was it working with the team from the film?
Some of the films you wish you would have worked upon?
As I said the team was an asset. I knew all the folks from Balaji with my experience of grading Love Sex Aur Dhoka so I was quite comfortable. The DOPs were as usual robust in their thoughts and ideas on the film’s looks. They had a real challenge of shooting in the present day and keeping the look of the 70s-90s. This is especially so as most of the movie takes place throughout Mumbai city, which has evolved in time and space. My past experiences with the DOPs always come handy. I have done a lot of commercial (advertisement) work with Aseem in the past. So our sessions only become better with our previous understanding of what is required and given. Bobby Singh is always a pleasure to work with as he stands up for strong looks and works hard not only to keep the film visually cohesive but also extremely (visually) interesting. Bobby also supports the colourist which helps develop that trust you need when creating a particular look as per the story.
This list would have so many from the bygone eras. But I have no reason to crib since we have had some great films in our times as well like Rang De Basanti, Dev D, Kaminey. I would have loved to be a part of these films and many more that will make this list much longer.
Aarti Babul Bhasin talks to Makarand Surte, DI Colourist with Reliance MediaWorks
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childhood science fiction film got him passionate about creating cinema and since then he has followed his desire. Makarand Surte shares his story...
What got you interested in the film industry? It was the film Giant Robot that actually was the catalyst in triggering my creative quotient. As a kid I got so kicked by the film that I would spend hours fantasizing and drawing cartoons. It use to be my favourite activity that hooked me to my inner calling as a creative person. I was wonderful with visuals and colours always trying to be original in each drawing. Undoubtedly that was the stepping stone for my creative journey as a colourist.
How has your experience been with Reliance MediaWorks? My experience at Reliance MediaWorks has been nothing short of spectacular. I have been able to work on some great movies and make some cutting edge looks that work in those films. I couldn’t have asked for more.
How was it working on Once Upon A Time In Mumbai? It was a great experience. I enjoyed the film since it had a period look, from 1970s to 1990s and it was a gangster movie. The combination was a blast. I knew there would be a lot of room for creative inputs in colour grading. During the trailer itself I was very impressed by the ideas on the looks and colour that Milan Luthra had. He was
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focussed in his vision and strongly trusted his instincts. I guess that really worked since there was no scope of missing a link. His clarity gave me the courage to give some looks in the DI that helped to sell the scenes and the timeframe of the story. The Directors of Photography Aseem Mishra and Bobby Singh were great back supports during the DI. They encouraged the strong period look I gave and also enabled these looks to go to the next level. Team vision, focus and cooperation helped to integrate all ideas in the final look of the film. I am sure people have been impressed.
Any hiccups or technical snags you faced during the DI of the film? The film was a fantabulous experience. So the little what we experienced is a part with any project since all come with some or the other hiccups...and that is simply a learning in the process. With Once Upon A Time… the most prominent area of concern was the look. Since the impression was period and the look, to be given, was very strong it was quite a task fitting in the VFX shots. This had to be done seamlessly to maintain the synchronicity of the film. It was time consuming and difficult since the work was coming from a different post
why?
Name your favourite projects till now and
Who have been the most inspiring people you have worked with in the Industry and why? RajKumar Hirani, as he is such a down to earth person you sometimes forget he is one of the best director in the country. P.C. Sreeram, still open to innovative ideas even after being one of the finest DOPs in the country Ashok Mehta, because he is a great senior cameraman but is still a beautiful human being C.K. Murli, because he works so hard to preplan the end visual result of each film before he starts shooting.
What are your aspirations and dreams from here on?
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I As a kid I got so kicked by the film that I would spend hours fantasizing and drawing cartoons. It use to be my favourite activity that hooked me to my inner calling as a creative person.y am a dreamer who loves to fill colours on the canvas of my imagination. So I wish this dream continues all my life. I would love to experiment with newer nuances of life...give them a look and feel...that can take us back and forth in time. May be work on fantasies as well. In fact I simply desire to continue adding value to films through my creative vision and giving them the energy required for their feel and success in the story-telling process.
What is your take on Indian cinema today? I have always been a diehard film buff and Indian films have been my love since childhood. Every industry has its positives and negatives...so we are no different in them. But being an optimist I feel that Indian cinema has evolved and is competing
very well with itself today. While on one hand we are still having some of the big production houses put in enormous budgets on their films yet we have many new comers with vibrant and economically working ideas manifested into films. In fact even the big banners are now open to working on newer genres and perspectives. The success of cineplex films like Udaan, Tere Bin Laden, LSD, and Peepli Live goes to show the mapping of the changing times and mindsets. At the same time I also enjoy the big movies that are total entertainment like Robot, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, and 3 Idiots. This openness to subjects and democratization of vision in the team has empowered Indian cinema and given more options to us as audiences. It is an exciting time in India cinema now.
What is the scope of post in Indian cinema? Post in India just keeps getting better. I am amazed how far we have come since the time I entered the industry. I just hope that the competition between post houses stays healthy so we can continue to stay at the forefront of the technology.
Finally, your professional advice for kids wanting to get into film post? It is a lot of work and takes almost all your time, so you have to love it to want to do it.
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Ramaa The Saviour >>
Pushing The Envelope Deepa Gumaste catches up with the director of Ramaa – The Saviour
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on of yesteryear actress Kum Kum, Haadi Ali Abrar always dreamt of making movies. And after several years of struggle and perseverance, the computer engineer is now ready to release his first feature, Ramaa – The Saviour, a children’s film with a twist.
I really like children’s fantasies and The Chronicles Of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and Prince of Persia are the kind of films I enjoy watching.So I took off from these tales of adventure and devised my own concept along with Saahil Khan who is the producer and lead actor
You studied engineering and decided to become a filmmaker. Why is that? My mother’s connection with the film industry always propelled me towards cinema. But I decided to finish my education first and start from the bottom of the ladder. So I joined Ashutosh Gowariker’s unit as clapper boy towards the end of his first film
over the remote control which rules this world. Tanushree Dutta plays a gadget freak who helps the kids on their mission. The good versus evil formula is universal and children relate to this schematic very easily. They know Ramaa will conquor Kali in the end, but the fun likes in the journey.
You got the boxer Khali to put in a special appearance in your film. Yes. He plays Kali’s brother and has a very special role.
Where did you shoot the film? caption
Pehla Nasha and stayed on through Baazi. Then I worked with Dharmesh Darshan all the way from Raja Hindustani to Bewafaa, worked on Kamal Hassan’s Ladies Only and Aditya Raaj Kapoor’s Sambar Salsa.
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producer and lead actor, about kids who enter a fantastic world through a video game they’re playing and this journey turns into a rollercoaster ride.
Why did you decide to debut with a children’s film like Ramaa - The Saviour?
It is a tale of good versus evil?
I really like children’s fantasies and The Chronicles Of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and Prince of Persia are the kind of films I enjoy watching. So I took off from these tales of adventure and devised my own concept along with Saahil Khan who is the
In a way, yes. As these kids set off into the video game’s universe, their positive mind creates Ramaa and their negative mind creates Kali. As the story progresses, a battle ensues to obtain supremacy
Since the whole setting had to have a fantastical atmosphere, we shot extensively in Thailand in forest reserve and around the Sarika waterfall. The animals that are seen interacting with the kids are all live and not computer-generated images. It was an incredible experience shooting this film.
How have you used SFX in the film? We’ve tried to use live action as much as
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Ramaa The Saviourcontents >> FIRST QUARTER 2010
COVER STORY
PUBLISHER Reliance MediaWorks Limited, Film City Complex Goregaon (East) Mumbai - 400 065 (India) Tel: +91 22 2842 3333 / 4488 Fax: +91 22 2842 2211 www.reliancemediaworks.com
01 // Shake
Dibakar Banerjee is out to shock Hindi film audiences out of their comfort zone with a film called Love Sex aur Dhoka (LSD), writes Deepa Deosthalee.
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Deepa Gahlot DESIGN Yorick Pinto Tel: +91 96623 64957 Email: pinto.yorick@gmail.com PRINTER Magna Graphics (India) Limited 101 C & D Govt. Industrial Estate Hindustan caption Naka Kandivli (West) Mumbai 400 067 (India) Tel: +91 22 2868 3738, 2868 7475 CONTACT US For advertising or circulation queries, please call or send an email to: Khushboo Benani Tel: +91 22 2842 3333 Email: khushboo.benani@relianceada.com DISCLAIMERS All information in this magazine is derived from sources considered reliable. However, the information passed on to our readers must be verified by them. The contents of this publication express views of the authors and are not necessarily of the publishers. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by any parties in abstracts and/or interviews are not necessarily shared/do not necessarily reflect any opinion of the publishers. No arguments shall be sustained regarding articles published in this magazine and neither the writers, editor, publisher nor printer shall be held in any way responsible for the same.
& Stir
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Cinematography shouldn’t be obtrusive caption
Deepa Deosthalee meets Greek DOP Nikos Andritsakis, who has shot the adventurous and experimental LSD.
06 // What Lies Beneath Since the whole As Vikram Bhatt returns to the horror genre with Shaapit, setting had to he tells Manisha Lakhe what makes it work for him. have a fantastical atmosphere, we shot extensively in Thailand in 08 // The Dreamer forest reserve and around A.K. Bir tells Deepa Gahlot what made him take on his first the Sarika waterfall. Marathi film Huppa Huiyya. The animals that are seen interacting with the kids are all live 10 and // Much in Little not computer-generated Rajen Kothari shares his philosophy with Deepa Gahlot images. It was an incredible experience caption shooting this film. 12 //
High on Style
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two 30-second animation clips Prashanth and they’veMisaleWhat you workinghow on next? tells are Daya Kingston he waves a magic done a tremendous job. A mushy love story, which is another genre I wand over the audience. thoroughly love.
The publisher reserves the rights to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all caption advertisements, without explanation.
Indian animation films don’t measure up to international standards. Do you think How much as the team at Reliance your film will come close? Mediaworks helped with the finishing for 14 // “Th is about Shadow Yes, although our budgets are nothing closee Whole Ramaa Battle – The Saviour?
COPYRIGHT possible and the SFX for creating magical All rights reserved throughout the world. moments like in games, swords and Reproduction in any mannerwhere is prohibited. wands materialise out of thin air and for Any material appearing in the publication cannot be reproduced in level wholeoforthe in part, transitions from one game to the without permission from the next. prior We’vewritten also got BIG Animation to create publisher.
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Detailing” to Hollywood, I think it’s possible to plan I think they’ve given my vision the right such a film properly and with a Rana reasonable perspective and sometimes even gone Dasgupta tells Jayanti Sen how he goes about histowork. budget, make it look interesting. We’ve spent places I hadn’t imagined. In a sense they’ve about Rs. 7 crore on this film and I think it pushed the envelope because this kind of shows well in the final cut. work hasn’t been done in India before.
16 //
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films & media services, you’ll find us playing the lead role globally. Reliance MediaWorks Pvt. Ltd. is India’s fastest growing film and entertainment services company. From digitally enhancing Avatar’s spectacular visuals, to recreating the sets of KBC for Danny Boyle, Reliance MediaWorks Pvt. Ltd. has a list of achievements to its name. BIG Cinemas, India’s largest cinema chain, with 525 screens across India, US, Malaysia, Nepal & the Netherlands. BIG Synergy, creators of successful TV shows like KBC & Dus Ka Dum, with sole success with international formats. Supported by a suite of specialised film services that spans motion picture processing, digital imaging, visual effects, film restoration, 2D to 3D conversion and digital mastering, Reliance MediaWorks Pvt. Ltd. is fast becoming an integral part of releases, everywhere in the world.
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