Ashok Mehta was the man who brought contrast and lighting back to mainstream Hindi film cinematography.

Rajiv Menon

Categorized in : Man Back Cinematography Lighting

When '36 Chowringhee Lane' was released in 1981, I was a student of the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu. Everyone who had seen the film was very impressed with its flawless direction and acting. But we, cinematography students, were stunned by the visual style, which was truly international.

direction student style television

Ashok Mehta did not go to any institute. He did not carry the baggage of formal education.

carry go formal education

Three years at the institute had not taught me as much as two weeks on the sets of 'Susman.'

me three two years

When in school, I was interested in many things other than studies.

interested than things school

I used to be a reasonably good student.

good-student student good used

When I was in the 12th standard itself, I decided to join the Adyar Film Institute and study photography. I specifically chose photography because I see photography as an applied science. There is an artistic element also in it. If you perfect your scientific element, you can attain certain quality.

you quality perfect science

I love telling stories. But I believe that nobody could teach you to direct a movie.

nobody you love believe

I think directing a film is like a woman going through labour. After she goes through the labour pain and delivers her first baby, she says she will not going to have another baby. Then, when she sees the child growing up, she decides to have one more child!

woman child pain baby

Minsara Kanavu' was a hit in the South, but not in the North.

north hit south

I don't have any romantic notions about villages.

villages any about romantic

I have a brother and we lost our father when I was 15. And that was a big emotional upheaval in my life.

my-life brother life father

You no more have to come to the city and access a laboratory to make a film. If you have a DSLR and a reasonably powerful laptop, you could be making films anywhere.

city more you powerful

Film music is always given a step-motherly treatment though it is the most popular form of music.

though always film music

In Berkley, they have academic studies on all genres of music including rock and jazz, but in India, we don't have serious academic research and studies on film music; it is such an interesting area of study.

india music serious research

For example, Taj Mahal is the first thing which comes to the minds of many foreigners who visit India, and how Eiffel Tower in Paris, but there is lot more to every country.

more paris india country

Good acting is confused with good dialogue delivery. Acting is about all about performance, and the way we interpret and understand the character that we bring alive onscreen.

good confused character way

I make my living by shooting ad-films, and, in fact, that's how I began my career.

career how living shooting

I am very much open to doing cinematography for any talented filmmaker, if the script is good.

i-am doing good cinematography

Films take us into an entirely different world, and that's why we must ensure that our long shots do justice.

different justice long world

Filmmaking is a language where you empathise with human situations. Unless you have empathy for characters, you shouldn't be a filmmaker.

human you empathy language