I was fourteen when I landed in Bombay without a job, without money. I wanted to be an actor. Nobody comes to Bombay to become a cinematographer. But I was lucky enough to get a job - as a hawker! I sold boiled eggs for a couple of months, then joined another hawker and sold watermelons. One day I went and stood outside a studio in Dadar for two hours. Finally I was offered work in Srikant studio in Chembur, as a canteen boy.

So I was first introduced to the film world as a canteen boy. There used to be three studios in Chembur at that time - RK, Srikant and Asha. Then, gradually, as people needed more hands, I got work in the setting department - doing carpentry, moulding, working on plaster of Paris. Then I became a camera attendant. Then assistant cameraman. By the time I was twenty-four, I got a break. This was 1972. But the film, The Witness with Shashi Kapoor and Rakhee, never got released.

I do not think I struggled much. If you look at it, I got a break quite early. I made it within nine years. It was almost like going to any college or institute. Actually, I had not studied much in my life, only till the sixth standard. Maybe when a person is young, his grasping power is much better than us grownups.

The Witness got me my best break later on in 1980. I had done some films before that with Basu Bhattacharya. But the first good product, a good film in totality that I did was Aparna Sen's 36 Chowranghee Lane, produced by Shashi Kapoor.

I used to see a lot of films then and had become a big admirer of Subroto Mitra. Now I hardly see films, saal main ek ya do. Then I realised that what really matters in cinematography is the lighting. It is like painting really. The way the artist uses his brush strokes, we have to use the camera. The cameraman is not a technician. The camera is as much a tool as the paint brush is.

A cinematographer has to understand the mood, the period, what kind of cinema it is, the script, the demand of the film. Anything else spoils the film. We cannot expect every film to become a strong film, like Bandit Queen became. But because it cannot happen, it does not mean that we should not try. I cannot claim 10-20 years ago that I was the best. What you are doing today is important. Whatever you do it should not be a gimmick.

I did four films for Shyam Benegal - Mandi, Trikaal, Susman, Making of the Mahatma. For Aparna I did 36, Paroma and Sati. I would also mention Utsav for Girish Karnad, and Shekhar Kapoor's Bandit Queen. I felt very bad that Trikaal was not released in the theatres. Also Gulzar's Ijazzat. Paroma was a hit in Bengal but did not get a release in Bombay. That was a bad period for us.

You cannot make films today with the kind of budgets we had before. A lot of money is involved, so people do not want to take risks. But some good cinema should be there. For instance the big banners should attempt good cinema. But they are used to so much money and luxuries in life, that their commitment becomes zero. Somewhere you get carried away. Or you can have a balance in cinema. Cinema should not be totally commercial, nor completely offbeat.

I have done all kinds of cinema - off beat, mainstream, advertising… It has been quite a balanced mix actually, which makes me quite happy, as I do not want to be associated with one kind of film. Even today I aim at a balance - with films like Dr Ambedkar with Jabbar Patel, Gajagamini with M F Hussain.

My movie? It is almost complete. The film that I am making now, is a script that I had worked out in 1980. I wanted Naseeruddin Shah in it. Finally, I decided on Arjun Rampal. He looked the part and has given a very good performance. So has Manisha Koirala. Naseer is still in it, though the role is very small. I am in no hurry because I am the producer and the director. The money is mine, so there is no pressure of paying interest. I wanted it like this to have control over the movie. Maybe a release by Jan-Feb-March … I think people, at least in the industry, are waiting for the movie. Perhaps they are thinking - dekte hain ullu ka patta kya banata hain, bahut batein karta tha!

Author: Tushar Uchil

Photographer: Uma Kadam