The last time cinematographer P.C. Sreeram and director Vikram Kumar worked together, they gave us the eerie, gripping thriller 13B ( Yaavarun Nalam in Tamil) in 2009. Three years later, the duo came together for a rather simple love story, Ishq . The Nitin and Nithya Menen starrer that came without hype is holding its own at the box office in its third week. Anyone who has watched the film will vouch for its visual appeal.
It comes as a surprise when the National Award winning cinematographer states that capturing the essence of a simple love story on camera can be arduous and calls for planning. Happy with the feedback he's been receiving for the film, the reclusive cinematographer shares with us in a brief chat, “ Alaipayuthey ( Sakhi in Telugu) and Khushi (Telugu version) were the last love stories that I worked on. A love story will have no impact unless the audience can relate to the emotions of the lead characters. A lot of this responsibility lies with the cinematographer.”
The fact that he had worked with Vikram Kumar earlier and their sensibilities matched was an advantage. “I don't take up a project unless I am convinced. With Vikram Kumar, I had that comfort level. I wanted to present the love story in an unusual way. Ishq rides on its three principal characters — Nitin, Nithya and Ajay. So the camera had to become another character observing the actors. For instance, in the airport scene, the camera becomes the third person,” he explains.
As the story unfolded across Delhi, Goa and Hyderabad, P.C. Sreeram captured the cities through the eyes of Nithya and Nitin. He used a number of close-up shots of the actors to capture their chemistry. Soft focus came into play during the wedding sequence in Goa. “I wanted the frames to reflect the romance between the characters. It's not easy, since you cannot hold the attention of the audience through soft focus frames for a long time,” he says. Goa, again, was not presented from a tourist's point of view. “The tonal value of Goa … the sun, the sand, the monsoon… added depth to the frames,” he adds.
Next, P.C. Sreeram will be working with his friend and director R. Balki, for their third project together after Cheeni Kum and Paa . “There are a few more projects in the offing, the details of which are being worked out. Incidentally, a few more love stories came my way after Ishq . But my method of work allows me to take up only one film at a time,” he says, signing off.
A correction has been made in this article on March 29/ 2012.
