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Action-packed!
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S.Gopinath, man of many wits
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PHOTO: G. MOORTHY
DEMURE No mincing of words
`Dhil', `Dhool', `Ghilli', `Chachi 420' ... The common factor that connects all these movies is the camera work of S. Gopinath.
The slick action scenes in these movies establish the man's propensity for action-packed scenes.
"It does not mean that I do not like slow movies. It is the director who decides the course of the movie. My job is just to reflect the mood of the scenes. The director-cameraman duo is significant for the success of any film," he says.
A photojournalist
In the Temple City shooting images for the film `Sivapathikaram', he took time off to share his experiences.
Like many others of his ilk, he too started his career as a photojournalist for the weekly magazine `Kalki'.
"It was difficult for me to leave my family business. But my interest lay in films from childhood. My father, G. Selvam, was an ardent fan of K. Balachander and he used to take me to feature films by this revolutionary director," he reminisces.
Mr. Gopinath feels that a cinematographer holds the key to the success of any film since the onus of deciding the make-up, colour of costumes, hairstyle and body language is on him.
"The prime job of the cameraman is to complement the mood of the scene and enhance it through his contribution with lights and angle. The mood should not be spoilt," he notes.
As a photojournalist Mr. Gopinath bagged an entry to the World Press Photo contest in Amsterdam in 1994. Memories of which refuse to fade in him. His aptitude for aesthetic beauty and visual appeal impressed reputed cinematographer and filmmaker Rajeev Menon.
Confident
"I had no big names to recommend my case to Mr. Rajeev Menon. I just approached him and presented my credentials and he immediately accepted me as his assistant," recalls Mr. Gopinath the days of shooting of Maniratnam's `Bombay'.
Man driven by ideologies, Gopinath never considers money to be a problem.
"I have come into this field for sheer love of art. I never go begging for chances. It comes to me naturally. Even my first movie with director Dharani just happened. The chemistry between myself and Dharani worked wonders and what followed was string of successes," he shares.
Daring
Daring to take on risks, Gopinath refers to the shooting `Ghilli'.
"I was knocked down by a speeding vehicle and my rib bones were fractured. It did not deter my spirit and I continued. Even now I have placed couple of challenging shots for `Sivapathikaram'," he chuckles.
Though he is stirred by the works of Balu Mahendra, Vincent and Ashok Kumar, he still considers his grandfather, S.K.V. Govindarajan, as his biggest source of inspiration.
"He never let me down. When the chips were down, he was the one who kept on encouraging. He is no more but lives in my memory and whenever I am down he is always there to bail me out of my problems," says Mr. Gopinath turning emotional.
He is also a die-hard fan of Satyajit Ray's `Charulatha'.
"I never had the habit of seeing the rushes. For I was well equipped before I came to the field. By the time I started my first movie I had already shot 3 lakh feet of film."
The enviable list of the burly cinematographer continues with the success of recent Telugu blockbuster `Bangaram'.
T.SARAVANAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
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Kochi
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Mangalore
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Visakhapatnam
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