He was at Nashik, taking a dip in the Godavari, when director Krish called him. “It was the most interesting coincidence, as he had called to talk about a film on Gautamiputra Satakarni, the king born in Kotilingala on the banks of the river,” recalls Gnana Shekar, the film’s cinematographer, who’s receiving lot of praise for the work. And interestingly, his reference point for the film was painter Ravi Varma’s work. “I am a painter myself and studied painting before I got into cinematography. It is the visual splendour that fascinates me. It’s not every day that you get to do a film that explores such ancient times. The tone, the colour and light of the film are inspired by the paintings. There are certain scenes in the film that translated very well for me reminding of the art,” he shares, adding that the famous image of Krishna and Arjuna on the Bhagvadgita is also a reference to how the war zone should look.
Talking about the most difficult scene in the film, he recalls the Rajasuya Yagam where everyone is seen in white. “We were shooting outdoors and maintaining the brightness wasn’t easy. I think white is a colour cameraman hate because it can complicate work. If a fabric is white and its texture cannot be seen on screen, it’s a fail. But I am glad we succeeded. It’s an achievement for a technician,” he says.
While the greatest compliment was the audience acceptance, Shekar is already gearing up for other work. He has an upcoming project with a Bangladeshi filmmaker and also plans to have an exhibition of his art work. “I want to have the exhibition in Georgia where my favourite filmmaker Sergei Parajanov and painter Niko Pirosmani are from. I have read about him and admired his work for long. When I was in Georgia (to shoot Kanche and GPSK), I saw his work everywhere and then I came to know he’s from there! A show in his museum will be the greatest dream for me,” he shares.
