Being ace cinematographer and director P.C.Sreeram’s niece or having assisted him did not prove to be a cakewalk for Ms.Preetha.

“I worked with Mr.Sreeram for five years in many movies, including Kurudhi Punal and Maymadham. It was tough to get a break in the industry… I had to prove myself,” she recalled.

She went on to do a documentary film Asli Azaadi on the surviving women freedom fighters.

“It was a completely different exposure. After this I did Knock, Knock I’m Looking to Marry with director Anita Udeep,” she said.

Her first breakthrough in Tamil film industry came with director Priya’s Kannamoochi Enada. “I don’t feel any difference in being a women cinematographer as I am given the same attention as the male counterparts,” Ms.Preetha remarked.

On Abhiyum Nanum, she said, “it is a heart-warming story and every character leaves an imprint in the mind. I searched for images and paintings that capture the essence of the story and compiled an image book. With my imagination and these visual cues, I recreated the feel on celluloid.”

In particular, she remembers the scene “where Abhi surprises her father by taking him to a lake in the middle of the night with full moon shining on them. It required a lot of planning. I shot during day and had the moon created by the special effects team. I shot their travel with the glitter of the sun on the water to recreate the effect of moonlight. The scene got rave reviews.”

Ms.Preetha, who has also worked on ad films, said: “In ad films, we work on a project with a specific tone and look. The shots could be manipulated in post production for the designated look of the advertisement. But, feature film making give copious freedom for creativity.”

Nonetheless, she wants to continue doing ad films too.

Cinematography is a field that demands constant update, said Ms.Preetha who is keen on working on diverse themes ranging from period films to action flicks.

“I would like to experiment with everything - light and shadow, tones and composition within the boundaries of effective story telling.”

Ms. Preetha is all set to shoot the remake of director Radha Mohan’s ‘Mozhi’ in Hindi.

“It has been a fulfilling journey so far. I don’t want to define my style as it keeps evolving with various influences – artistic or cinematic. I would rather want to try something different in each film,” she said.

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