“Ashok Kumar came recommended to me from Ramachandrababu, an established cinematographer, who I wanted to work with for Mullum Malarum . Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan introduced me to Balu Mahendra, and we ended up working on that film together. From my next movie, Uthiripookkal , my association with Ashok Kumar started. I remember finding some of his angles and lighting methods quite fascinating in the glimpses I got of his work in Malayalam. We connected almost immediately. I wasn’t a fan of over-acting. And he wasn’t a fan of artificial light. Our aesthetics matched. Except for Sasanam (when Ashok was busy with Shankar’s Jeans ) he was my cinematographer on all my films. We had no misunderstanding and I found him to be a rare cinematographer, one without any ego. During Uthiripookkal , many of our shots were taken in congested interiors. Not once did he complain.
I never had to ask him to avoid over-dramatising shots or over-using colour, as was the norm then. He shared my love for realism. Also, you should know that there was no ‘monitor’ back then, and we had no way of finding out immediately if what we had shot was right. I simply trusted his instinct and was rewarded time and again. His love for the craft was unmatched, and he was perhaps one of the quickest cinematographers around. I could give him the most challenging shot, the most challenging angle… and before I could turn around to the actors, he’d shout, “Ready!”
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I remember one scene in Nenjathai Killathe when Suhasini and Mohan go jogging. We had little knowledge about the workings of Bangalore, the city we shot the scene in, and so we were up and about at 4 a.m. only to find the whole place misty. We couldn’t even see each other! and some bumped into each other too. We waited for an hour and the sun was nowhere to be seen. In a quivering voice, I asked Ashok if we could shoot in the mist. I was astonished when he said yes. When the footage came back from Prasad Labs, we discovered that the scene had come out beautifully. In the same situation, I can think of many cinematographers who’d have refused and asked me to pack up and wait for a brighter morning. Not Ashok though. No wonder he won the National Award for his work in this film. I don’t think other directors utilised him as well.
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His giving nature was also evident at the National Awards when, as a jury member, he fought for a cinematographer he didn’t know personally. When he found that the cinematographer whose work he had sought recognition for had lost, he refused to eat. Such was his love for the art.
He was one of those cinematographers who became a director too. I personally don’t understand that transition. I don’t agree with cinematographers’ view that becoming a director is growth. They are already ‘Directors of Photography’. We used an Arriflex camera in those days, and even with the constraints of technology back then, he was able to produce such stellar, natural work. I can compare it to architectural marvels like the Madurai Meenakshi temple that were created when electricity hadn’t come yet. I wish I had sent more of his work for national awards. In a way, I feel guilty that I wasn’t proactive enough to lobby for his work.
He had the innocence of a child and spoke only about cinema. I remained in touch with him for years. When I considered working on a film a few years ago, he was the first person I approached. He was in a wheelchair, but I still wanted to work with him somehow. I was told he couldn’t travel, and I knew our professional collaboration had come to an end. Five months ago, when I went to visit him, he was in a coma. I called out his name; he didn’t respond. Perhaps for the first time in our lives, he didn’t respond to my calling him.
My career in cinema was like an arranged marriage; it was forced. Ashok Kumar’s cinematography and friendship was like a love marriage; one I willingly got into and enjoyed till the very end.”