Keralite behind the `Krrish' magic
SANGITA
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The cinematographer of `Krrish,' Santosh C. Thundiyil, is on cloud nine. He talks about his latest assignments in Hindi and Malayalam films.
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Santosh C. Thundiyil
`Krrish's mind-boggling stunts and graceful leap into the sky may have seen Hrithik Roshan's career graph register a high. Another person who is on cloud nine is Santosh C. Thundiyil from Changanaserry.
The Malayali cinematographer, an alumnus of Film and Television Institute of Pune (FTII), admits that filming `Krrish' was a challenge as it was a first of its kind in India.
Mounted on an ambitious budget, the film with a novel theme has technical gimmicks on a par with the best in Hollywood. "Shooting with three cameras right in the middle of Singapore city with your artiste hanging in a 75-metre high crane, was physically taxing. Some of the scenes in `Krrish' demanded visual effects, so cinematography had to be done in such way as to incorporate those effects," recalls Santosh.
`Krrish,' launching India's first super hero, has spectacular special effects and stunning action sequences. The film is a magical blend of Western technology and Eastern medley of dance, music and heart-tugging emotions.
Challenging film
"Krrish is the most challenging film I have done so far. I had a chance to employ different lighting techniques, especially in the sequence where Krrish's father breaks the lab he had made. Sparks of light were the only source of illumination to shoot the scene. We also shot a fire sequence, where I had to conceive a lighting pattern with a fire that was lit only during the take. For safety reasons, we could not keep it burning during rehearsals," he explains.
Charmed circle
Santosh is the latest entry to a charmed circle that includes the likes of Santhosh Sivan, Ravi K. Chandran and S. Kumar - Malayali cinematographers whose picture perfect frames have mesmerised Bollywood and contributed to the success of many blockbusters.
Santosh shot to fame with such films as `Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,' `Pinjar' and `Kaal.' "Cinema is like a musical concert," says Santosh, "and one can enjoy it only if every instrument, every note falls in sync. Cinematography is a crucial part of this concert. It is the cinematographer's responsibility to design the film visually to make the viewer experience the story. But the camera cannot create wonders on its own, it has to be amply supported by the rest of the departments."
Santosh will also be the cinematographer of K.P. Kumaran's `Akasagopuram.' His last assignment in Malayalam was `Devadoothan' in 2000. "It's been a long time since I did a Malayalam film. I was offered some interesting projects - Blessy had approached me to do `Kazhcha,' Lohithadas for `Chakram,' Sibi Malayil for his new film. Unfortunately for me, I had to decline all those because of time constraint. However, `Akasagopuram' is a very interesting film to be associated with. The script, based on an Ibsen play, calls for a surreaslistic visual design. We are also trying to incorporate some visual effects and other stylistic features towards the climax of the film."
`Akasagopuram,' starring Mohanlal, Bharat Gopi, Shwetha Menon and Geethu Mohandas, is currently under production in London.
"I try not to get stuck in the same genre of movies. Once, you do a `Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,' you tend to get films that revolve around college romance. But I chose to do movies that demanded different treatments - `Pinjar' was a period film, `Waqt' a family drama, `Kaal' a horror thriller. `Krrish,' as mentioned above, was an action and special effects movie. So, as a professional, you don't become stagnant, every composition becomes an exciting experience when you start working on different themes."
Santosh's first film `Pranayavarnangal,' was shot as soon as he had passed out of FTII in 1994.
Santosh, who has assisted renowned directors of photography like Govind Nihalani and Venu, also has a number of commercials and documentary films to his credit. Trained under two Oscar-winning cinematographers - Dean Cundey of `Jurassic Park' and Billy Williams of `Gandhi' in digital effects and lighting - Santosh soon migrated to Mumbai to do films like `Hello Brother,' `Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya,' `Waqt,' `Tere Pyar Ki Kasam' and so on.
"My launch into Bollywood happened with an unreleased film made by Sivendra Singh, a classmate of mine from FTII. Karan Johar happened to see the rushes of the song that I had shot for Sivendra, and offered me one of the biggest box office hits in Indian cinema - `Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.'"
Meaningful association
It's been a meaningful association with Karan since then. The duo did `Kaal.' Santosh's next film is also with Karan's Dharma Productions. Titled `Race,' the Soham Shah film will star Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, Kareena Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor and Ritesh Deshmukh.
"It is an adventure story to be shot in the Himalayas and New Zealand; something on the lines of `Vertical Limit.' Race would be my immediate assignment once `Akasagopuram' is wrapped up," he says.
Having worked in Bollywood and the Kerala film industry, Santosh feels that professionally as well as financially, the Hindi film industry is a step ahead.
"The pace and scale of operations in Bollywood are different. Moreover, Bollywood is open to newcomers, new visual ideas and trends, while Kerala is still reluctant. Budget is also a factor; Bollywood gives you the power and freedom of money, and the difference it makes to your end product is amazing..." he points out.
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