"When I saw my name in the credits for the first time in the laboratory, I was delighted. But when Revathy invited all the top technicians of Tamil cinema, including my guru P. C. Sriram and director Mani Ratnam, to the preview of the film, I became tense."
How it happened
After finishing M.A. Honours in Art Criticism in Baroda, I was involved with the Fine Arts Film Club there. An ardent film buff, I came to Chennai when the city was celebrating 100 years of cinema with the screening of world-class films. I saw almost all of them for nearly a month. After the festival, I decided that this was the right medium for me and wanted to be behind the camera. So I enrolled for the motion picture photography course at the Pune film institute. After finishing the course, I came back to Chennai and joined ace cameraman P. C. Sriram as his assistant when he was doing Alaipayude . When actor Revathy wanted to direct Mitr — My Friend , she approached P. C. Sriram and he suggested my name to her. And the rest, as they say, is history.
How it felt
When I saw my name in the credits for the first time in the laboratory, I was delighted. But when Revathy invited all the top technicians of Tamil cinema, including my guru P. C. Sriram and director Mani Ratnam, to the preview of the film, I became tense. I anxiously waited to hear their views about the film. When P. C. Sriram came out and told that he was proud of me, it was like I had won the best award in my career.
How life changed
Not much. For me, each film is an experience. Till now, I have worked on nine films — five in Tamil, one each in Hindi and Malayalam, a Hollywood movie with an all-American crew shot in India ( Shadow of the Cobra ) and the crossover film, Mitr — My Friend . Uyir, Muthal Muthal Muthal Varai and Silanthi got me a good name and some awards too. But I'm still waiting for a good opportunity that will showcase my talent in full.
