Star Interviews
Sri: Tell us about your background?
K. V. Anand: My father used to work for SBI and American Express; both my younger brothers work in USA. I was born in Chennai (30th Oct 1966), most of my childhood was spent in Pulicut. I completed my graduation is B.Sc. Physics in Chennai and Masters in Visual Communication from Loyola Collage. From the childhood I used to like nature a lot. I even went to a trekking expedition to The Himalayas too. From the college days I did lot of photography and won many prizes and awards for it. Then I applied for India Today for a top photographer position, but was not able to get it. So I got frustrated and went to Andaman for month to an island. There I wanted to change my track and I came back and showed my portfolio to P. C. Sriram that he liked and I joined him as assistant. Then I sent the same to the India today and got selected for the top photographer post also. But by then I had already started working with Sriram. I worked with him for films like Gopura Vasalile, Amaran, Meera (starring Vikram, Aishwarya), Thevar Magan (Kshatreeya putrudu), Thiruda Thirada (Donga Donga) etc. and then with Tiruda Tiruda I became a first assistant. Sri : How did you get your first chance! While working for the film Tiruda Tiruda, Priyadarshan sir wanted P. C. Sriram for his film 'Thenmavin Kombathu' with Mohanlal and Shobana, but Sriram sir was busy with Tiruda Tiruda and recommended my name. This gave me a chance to prove myself. I worked for that film and got a national award for it. The film was later remade in Tamil as Muttu and in Hindi Priyadarshan sir remade it as Satrang Ke Sapne. Sri: But Muttu and Satrang Ke Sapne stories are different. Actually both the basic plots are same. They changed some characters. Mohan Babu brought the Malayalam story rights and gave it to Rajnikanth. Both are friends. Mohan Babu asked me to work for the film, but as I already worked in the original film I felt not do to the same work again, so I declined. Later I did my third film with him which is Punyabhoomi Naa Desam. Sri : But that was a remake... I do not want to my work to be repeated by me. But I do not have problem in doing a remake of others. I can show my own way in there. But I did my film (Oke Okkadu) remake again which is Nayak for some other reasons. Sri: Though you have worked for the film Punyabhoomi Naa Desam how come you never worked in Telugu filmdom after that.. Actually I got many offers. Mahesh asked to work for the film Sainikudu and couple of other films but I was busy working in Tamil and Hindi at that time. So was not able to work. I do one film at a time. Sri: You worked with two big talented directors in Hindi Mansoor Khan and Rajkumar Santoshi! Comments? Both of them comes to sets with the script in hand. Do not waste time on sets. They do their home work before the shooting starts. Sri : You worked with Shankar first time in Oke Okkadu and now Shivaji. Tell me the experiments you did with his films? In Oke okkadu, for the first time in the country we had used camera ramping (Ramp shots have characters moving speedily one moment and slowing down the next. For Shivaji we are doing super 35 and using four K. Until now we did only two K for the super 35. Sri: What is the difference? You get more feel and very good quality of course. Sri : Kaakhi was also done in super 35, how has that experience helped you for Shivaji? In Khaaki we did it for the first time in India. It was difficult for me that time. Though Amitji is in late fifties people want to show him glamorously. But for the first time Rajkumar Santoshi and I wanted to project him as aged. So I used more close-ups which shows his wrinkles. But at the same time Aishwarya Rai is sharing the screen with him and I needed to show her glamorously which is a different task. This all we experimented and succeeded in Khaaki. Sri: What sort of precautions you took in Sivaji to make Rajni look glamorous. It is not me who designed Rajni sir’s looks completely. From my part, I have used half lighting and top angles to make him look handsome. Sri : Tell me little bit more in detail. For Shivaji we used ‘flat lighting’ for the comedy scenes. Half and top lighting for emotional and moody scenes, we have used. For action sequences we had used the Helium balloon lighting. The bulbs and four big lights are made in America by the Solaris company which is the first time in India. For songs , we have did it with Xenon lights. Sri: You worked with Amitji and Rajni sir. What differences you have seen in them? Both are very much committed. Only difference in both of them is - after the shot Amit sir will be cracking jokes, Rajni sir will sit very calm. One thing I noticed in Rajni sir is even if a second assistant goes to him with a pad…. He immediately stands and talks to him. He never feels that he is superstar or have that attitude. One more common thing between the Amit sir and Rajni sir is they will not go to makeup room after every shot. They sit in the sets only and will come directly to the shot when it is ready. But with the other heroines or mostly other heroes it is not the same.. the assistants have to go couple of times before the shooting of the shot. If Amitji and Rajni sir want a touch up they will do it on the sets. Sri : Every one talks about the super 35 and digital intermediate.. What is all this about! What difference does making a film "Super" make (ie. the difference between 16mm and Super 16 or 35mm and Super 35)?
In normal we leave a space for the soundtrack in the film. But in super 35 the soundtrack area of the negative is used for picture, which means the picture is wider, resulting in an increase in quality when the film is "blown up". Super 16mm is now shot much more often than regular 16mm as it suits the new 16:9 TV ratio, as well as providing a superior blow-up to 35mm should it be required. Super 35 is used as an alternative to anamorphic when a 1: 2.35 ratio is required. Some of the advances of this are : Next on Shivaji, Shriya, Rajni and Amitabh © Copyright by Telugucinema.com
Sri: How important is good art direction for the film? A lot. See after a good screenplay for any film three things are required. A good cameraman, a good art director and a good costume designer. If all this mixes well with the good screenplay then the film will workout. If that set is damaged or not in good condition, I used tele lenses and shallow aperture combination to make the background set not be in the focus. From Shivaji, I have learned a lot from art director Tarani Sir. He is much senior to me, and I always call him ‘sir’. He has done wonderful job for Shivaji too. Be it a heroine house or a huge set in Ramoji film city or the glass house in for a song all are extraordinary. Sri : You are talking about the glass house set for the song.. How did you shoot it. What are the precautions you took not to get the reflections of the crew and camera in the mirrors. It is challenging naturally. We roped urselfes in the black blankets so that our reflections will not be visible on the glass. No one was allowed to wear anything other then the black while that song was in process. Sri : Without assisting anyone you directed a film in Tamil (later dubbed in Telugu as Kartavyam starring Sriram, Gopika and Prithivi raj). See a photographer is the first assistant to any director. We can say a relation between a director and a cameraman is like husband and wife. A director will always discuss the minute details with the cameraman before the shot and after the shot. So in a way it is I am the first assistant to the renowned directors like Shankar, Rajkumar Santoshi, Mansoor Khan etc.. isn't it ?? Sri : Then how come you are not the cameraman for the your own film? Because I do not want to take the double burden. See being a cameraman I always thought I never had enough time for light and shoot a scene totally the way I wanted. So sometimes for the time factor I have hurried a shot. Which I did not want in my film so took another friend for it. Sri: Did you compromise as a director for this film? (little hesitant) if given a choice I will start the film after the hero and heroine are married saving the twenty minutes of the film. But while making a commercial film I need to show their love before the marriage. So in a way it is a compromise. Sri : But Shriya said you are always on the sets before them and were ready to shoot in the sets before the time. True, but sometimes I compromised as other artists comes late. For a six am shot if an artist comes at nine am, we do not have the same light, which we have at six am. So I need to compromise the shot. Which would make anyone feel bad. Sri: Shriya said a lot of good things about you. It is nice of her. She is a good artist and true reader of books, I saw some heroines who just keep the books in their hands to keep away the public but she is real reader and we used to discuss about the books we read. Only one thing, which I didn’t, like in her is after every shot she used to come to monitor and see how it came and how she looks. Rajni sir, Amit sir nor Aishwarya never camera like that as they believed in me I think. She is a good girl in every other aspect. Sri : What is the criteria for accepting a film for you? Story and screenplay. I was offered Lajja and Legend Of Bhagat Singh i choose latter. Also after working with Shankar and Rajkumar Santoshi I worked with the new comer in Chellame as I liked the story and screenplay. It is not the big director or banner but the story and screenplay, which helps you to show your work. Sri: What’s next?
I am working on a script. I might start the film as a director in next couple of months. I already discussed the line with couple of heroes. But nothing finalized so far. It will be Tamil and may be later dubbed into Telugu. Filmography in the next page © Copyright by Telugucinema.com Filmography : As a cameraman :
Sivaji: The Boss(Tamil, 2007)
Director : © Copyright by Telugucinema.com |
