All the right frames
SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN
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Azhagappan explains why working on `Photographer' was a deju vu experience for him.
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... After I hear the story and reach the location, I spend a lot of time to explore the location.
PICTURE PERFECT: Azhagappan on the sets of `Photographer' with the film's director, Ranjan Pramod.
It was a deju vu experience for Azhagappan, the cinematographer of `Photographer,' as he focussed his lens on the travails of the protagonist of the film, a photographer called Dijo John (Mohanlal plays the role), who is caught between the pressures of officialdom and his conscience.
"As a cinematographer cum reporter of Doordarshan in Punjab, I had reported on `Operation Bluestar.' Caught between the demands of the militants and the government, we were often walking a tightrope. One slip meant being detained by the army or certain death at the hands of the militants. Moreover, one had to decide where to draw the line between security concerns and press freedom. It was a trying period and I relived those days while working on the sets of `Photographer,'" says Azhagappan.
For the ace cinematographer, the similarities did not end there. "Like Dijo, I am a nature lover. As an introverted child, I was never lonely as nature was my best friend."
Perhaps it is this love for places that helps Azhagappan in capturing the intrinsic beauty of a location. "It was only after `Rasathantram' that people realised the hanging bridge of Thodupuzha looked beautiful. The bridge has been there for ages and scores of people travel over the bridge. But once Azhagappan's camera romanced the bridge, it suddenly became a picturesque spot," says director Sathyan Anthikad with whom Azhagappan did three films - ``Manasinakkare,' `Achuvinte Amma' and `Rasanthantram.'
"I travel a lot and that is one way of finding the right location. Moreover, after I hear the story and reach the location, I spend a lot of time exploring the location. So, once the shoot begins, I know the best angles and spots for frames. For instance, I have shot three films in Thodupuzha (`Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum, Pinne Njanum,' `Meerayude Dukham... ' and `Rasanthantram') and I managed to give a different feel for each of those films," he says.
Sathyan feels that the heroines look their best in Azhagappan's films. "I think Gopika has never looked so beautiful as she did in `Chandupottu.' The same with Meera Jasmine in `Rasanthantram."
The rather quiet shutterbug who becomes eloquent behind the camera is all smiles when he says, "Actress Sheela who made a comeback in `Manasinakkare,' called my wife and thanked her. She said that I had made her look beautiful in all the frames. I feel that ability is god's grace and luck."
Azhagappan quit Doordarshan in 1996 to become a full-time cinematographer. His work in Shyamaprasad's `Agnishakshi' won him the State award in 1998.
"I enjoy shooting in natural light. But at times, the theme of the story or a particular shot requires specialised lighting and then one has to go according to the story. For instance, in `Agnisakshi,' there is an orange glow in some of the shots; the effect was achieved with the help of filters."
New films
Azhagappan will soon be working on Shyamaprasad's `Ore Kadal,' Tom George's `Gandhi Park' and Rajiv Nath's untitled film in Hindi.
Does he dream of becoming a director some day?
"I have directed a tele-film `Anna' that won the State award for the best tele-film. But, direction takes too much time; maybe later." It is again because of the time factor that this graduate of the Madras Film Institute prefers to stick to Malayalam films. "The shooting schedule of Tamil films are long and so I have a problem with dates," he explains. He adds that he would love to work in a film directed by Mani Ratnam.
But now he has opted to focus on those picture perfect frames that have become his hallmark.
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