Diary of a cinematographer

March 09, 2017 04:03 pm | Updated 04:03 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Gireesh Gangadharan

Gireesh Gangadharan

Few cinematographers have the craftsmanship to blow us away with each and very shot as Gireesh Gangadharan has been doing in Mollywood for a while now, often away from the limelight. No wonder he bagged the special jury award for cinematography at this year’s Kerala State Film Awards, for his work in Guppy .

“It was unexpected because I figured that I had no chance, as my work was up against some tough competition,” says Gireesh. The 34-year-old “media shy” lens whiz is very much the cinematographer in the spotlight - and not just because of the award.

His superlative frames that captured the raw, real, rustic energy of Angamaly and its people in Lijo Jose Pellisherry’s Angamaly Diaries has to be seen to be believed . “The story is about the lives of ordinary people in Angamaly, starring a bunch of newcomers. Lijo was particular that it be shot as realistically as possible. As such we have used natural light throughout the film and worked in real locations in and around town - the market, residential colonies, pork farms... We didn’t have a lighting unit and none of those extra equipments like a jib, tracks, trolley and the like. We shot mostly with hand-held cameras,” says Gireesh, about the film that’s currently running to packed houses .

Gireesh used mainly hand-held cameras to shoot Angamaly Diaries

Gireesh used mainly hand-held cameras to shoot Angamaly Diaries

Arguably, the one shot that speaks volumes about his skill as a cameraman is that jaw-dropping, one-shot, climax scene of Angamaly Diaries that lasts for a heady 10 minutes. In it, Gireesh’s camera follows the lead actors through a tapestry of situations late at night, weaving in and out of lanes and houses and a sizeable procession of revellers.

“There were about 1,000 actors in that one take. We went for a rehearsal with the lead actors in daylight and then assembled all the supporting artistes in the night and simply started shooting. It was mighty difficult because people in the crowd would look into the camera or move into its space. Some people even followed us into one of the houses where a scene plays out. It took us about four takes over two nights but we got there in the end,” he explains.

In Guppy, meanwhile, he painted a beautiful portrait of colours as he turned the camera on life in a seaside village. “The colour theme was orange and teal. Here too we shot it in natural light and natural colours in a little village on Muttom beach, near Nagercoil,” he explains. In contrast, in Kali earlier in the year, the picture was muted, as dark and ominous as the angry young protagonist himself. In Mariyam Mukku , he turned his attention to the moods of the sea and road movie Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, Gireesh’s debut as an independent DOP (director of photography), was all about big, bold and vast frames as impressive and spectacular and landscapes of the country itself.

“The mood depends on each script. I’m careful to discuss each in detail with my directors,” he says

So, how did a youngster from the picturesque village of Chadayamangalam, in Kollam, end up as the talk of M-town? “After studying pre-degree at NSS College, Nilamel, I was at a loose end. Then, I went to study cinematography at the Government Film and Television Institute, Bangalore. Cinematographer Jomon T John was my classmate and it was he who introduced me to Samir Thahir, who was himself turning independent cinematographer with Daddy Cool ,” explains Gireesh. He went on to assist Samir in a number of his films and ads - Daddy Cool , Diamond Necklace and Nidra ...

“He is my guru,” says Gireesh, and one can hear his barely concealed reverence for the acclaimed cinematographer-turned-director. It’s a testament to Gireesh’s craftsmanship that Samir handed over the cinematography of both Neelakasham and Kali to Gireesh.

“A cinematographer is also an artiste and needs the freedom to explore his/her ideas on film. Samir ekka , though himself a cinematographer, was open-mined enough to give me that much-needed freedom. Actually, all my directors have given me free rein. Be it Samir ekka , or Lijo or John, they each knew and appreciate the value of cinematography to a film and gave it due importance,” he says, adding that his idea of cinematography is that it should never be obtrusive. “At the end of the day we are telling a tale. It’s important not to over do the framing of it.”

Next up

Gireesh will be zooming in on Dulquer Salmaan in actor-turned-director Salim Bukhari’s debut film. The untitled film goes on the floors in May.

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