"Cinematography is a very zen feeling" - Santosh Sivan

“Photography is a journey that begins when a person is exposed to a camera for the first time. Make time to experiment with it. Initially, discover its beauty in your own way, at your own pace instead of learning it the professional way.”

Santosh Sivan did not study cinematography, but was fascinated with visuals from an early age and believes that still photography is the best way to begin learning cinematography. His father instilled in him the passion for looking at the world though the lens. Sivans Studio in the heart of the city, where the doyens of early Malayalam cinema like Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Madhu, filmmakers Ramu Kariyat, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and others would meet, was his second home. Later, Sivan joined the Poona Film Institute and it took him 11 years to make the journey from Thiruvanathapuram to Hollywood, via Chennai and Mumbai. He has been featured in most American media and happens to be the first Indian cinematographer to be featured in the prestigious American Cinematographer magazine. In fact, his film The Terrorist has been described as one of the 100 best films in the world by Pulitzer-prize winning movie expert Roger Ebert.

Dalapathy, Roja, Dil Se, Fiza, Vanaprastham, Iruvar, Kalapani, and now Raavan are some of his most remarkable works as a cinematographer. However it is Gurindar Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice which made him an international cameraman of repute. His four one-minute films for The Kerala Tourism board got Kerala to feature in National Geographic’s 50 most sought after destinations. Santosh tuned to direction with The Terrorist followed by, Malli, Halo, Asoka and Navarasa, Ananthabhadram, Before the rains and Tahaan.

Still photography, cinematography or film direction - which do you prefer the most and why?

I used to sketch and paint when I was a child and I still have some of those. I used to call them the originals but later when I started to learn photography, I realised these ‘originals’ were actually negatives! And with digital it’s always a copy, so I guess changes are inevitable always. I enjoy directing, mostly if it has a personal connect. Halo, the kids’ film took birth from my personal experiences in Bombay, while I was filming for my first film Raakh. Cinematography is a very Zen feeling, and I just do one film at a time and so I don’t do too much of it. And if someone comes to me with something challenging, I’m always game.

What is Urumi, your newly announced Tamil film all about? Are you going the tried and tested commercial way after the offbeat, low budget types you’ve done so far?

I love the idea of doing all kinds of films. I am open to filming songs, fights and other elements associated with commercial films. I also like the freedom to do entirely different things, when it comes to filmmaking. So when I made The Terrorist and it was presented by John Malkovich, it got me a lot of awards and international recognition. The film was the first to be picked up by the American cinematographer for its visual content, at the Sundance festival. I think that all this happens when you do something with your own visual culture and not try to imitate the West. Before the Rains was a Merchant Ivory presentation and was released all over the world, so naturally the film was not the hardcore commercial kind. I think when one goes low budget, it simply means you are experimenting and the film is for a niche audience. Urumi of course treads a commercial path and is a musical set in 15th century.

Your inspiration behind The story of Tiblu, the short film that fetched you the National Award in 1988?

I had gone to film a documentary for Vivekananda Kendra, that used to have schools in the remote mountains of Arunachal in the Himalayas. I have always had a penchant for travelling and ended up teaching photography to kids and for them it was like magic. It was there that I wrote a script based on a girl called Tiblu. Her father brought her from a distant village after almost a four day trek. “The green bananas would become yellow,” was how she described the journey. I later returned with a script and made the film, with the villagers who had never seen a film in their life and it was quite interesting. They wanted to keep seeing it again and again. The makeshift screen was put up outdoors and the images and their faces would keep changing with the wind on the screen, so each time they would see themselves differently!

You always say that your father Sivan is your inspiration. Tell us more…

Well, my dad was extremely patient and was always there to answer my questions, sometimes silly ones too. I used to accompany him to all kinds of exotic places like Wynad and would ask him who built these crazy curvy roads? He would say it was the British and narrate an interesting tale about it. I used to imagine people building these roads and later it turned it into the premise for my film Before the Rains. My dad is my director, mentor and inspiration.

How much of your personal experiences influence your cinema?

(Smiles) Most of it.

Do awards still give you a high?

I have won 13 National Awards, numerous Filmfare awards and 21 international awards. My first National Award gave me the biggest high.

How was the experience of playing Raja Ravi Varma in your acting debut? Did your cinematography and direction experience help you in facing the camera?