Realising fantastic dreams

K. K. Senthil Kumar, director of photography for ‘Baahubali’, is proud that his team has met the expectations and vision of director S.S. Rajamouli.

June 24, 2015 08:05 pm | Updated June 25, 2015 03:37 pm IST - Hyderabad:

Cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar on the sets of Baahubali

Cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar on the sets of Baahubali

After almost three years, the Baahubali team is taking a breather. Well not the entire team.. the sets, cameras and the cast are resting, but a small team and the director are burning the midnight oil for the post-production work. Touted as the country’s most opulent period drama, the team is keeping their fingers crossed on audience response. As trailers of Baahubali hit the theatres, expectations and curiosity are rising. The stunning locales, massive sets, towering statues and mammoth beasts fighting — are they all for real?

Director of photography, K.K.Senthil Kumar should know but he won’t tell all. Yet he sounds a confident note: “The outcome is looking good.” Having worked for a year on pre-production, pre-visualisation etc, Senthil is pleased with the way his entire team worked to meet the requirements of the director.

“Right now we are working on the Digital Intermediate; this is where we do all that is required to make everything look real while still being a part of a fantasy drama. The waterfall, palace etc that have been worked on earlier by concept artists helped us conceive the look which the director aimed at,” explains Senthil, at the studio where the post-production work is on.

His team is excited too, but more than that they are proud that they have been able to meet the expectation and vision of S.S. Rajamouli. 

Elaborating on the fun-filled, crazy journey, Senthil’s face lights up with excitement “We are very close to finishing the last leg of post-production and so far, we have all been on the same page. Having been involved in the project right from day one, there is sense of belonging that we have all developed. Shooting in harsh climatic conditions was tough but it was a challenge for all of us. We shot in Ramoji Film city during the summer months and the heat was unbearable. Then we shot in Kerala and Mahabaleshwar where it rained incessantly. Just towards the end of last year we headed to Bulgaria to shoot a scene atop a snowy mountain, so there is a lot that can be expected out of the movie as far as visuals are concerned.”

He adds, “Hats off to the actors of Kalakeya tribe, especially Prabhakar, who worked in the Hyderabad peak summers — they were all covered in black paint and had heavy costumes. Seeing them shoot with determination brings a smile to our faces.”

Touted to be the most expensive production in the history of Indian cinema, Baahubali is also one of the few films featured in BBC’s documentary on 100 Years of Indian cinema.

Shot entirely using Arri Alexa XT camera it is also the first film to be shot using digital camera. “The camera did its magic. I have worked earlier in digital, so I was convinced that only this Arri Alexa XT can do justice to the footages, retakes, re-runs. Since I was convinced, I could convince Rajamouli and producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”

Where does one draw the line between real and visual effects? “Our effort is to blur that line. The work of good VFX is not to allow anyone see the real from the unreal. That has been our constant endeavour in this project. We have a lot of back and forth between DI and visual effects department to obtain the best output. It is not easy to get the desired affect; it is a long process and for a movie of this size the work is a bit extra. Maybe that’s why we worked day and night, putting our personal lives on the back burner,” he smiles.

A year of pre-production, pre-visualisation, story discussion, location scouting, concept artist, these give an idea of the huge team on the sets, but Senthil says he got to hand pick his technicians, the experts in the lighting dept, focus puller etc. “Focus pulling is a skilled job. As resolutions are increasing, sharpness is critical. Shiva the colourist has been a huge help. The biggest challenge was the fight sequence where 2000 extras were involved. To make the fight look real, they were all trained,” he recollects.

For all the work, knowledge and expertise, where does he draw inspiration from? “I am big fan of Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. They don’t just show another world through their cinema but also force us to dream to get there.”

“Shobu garu as producer is giving this movie a global platform; for the first time a Telugu movie went to Cannes film fest. So, the journey looks good,” Senthil signs off.

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