Shooting Stars: Interview with the India’s Greatest Living Cinematographer Rajiv Jain
Technical aspect of filmmaking from Exposure to Set Operations and Formats
Rajeev Jain - ICS WICA
Indian Bollywood Director of Photography / Cinematographer / DOP
The Complete Interviews, Vol. II
UMA: Can you talk about your inspirations before you got into cinematography?
Rajeev Jain: Seeing colour broadcasting for the first instance started my fascination with the profession of reddened and photography. These studies were enriched by meeting a remarkable DOP named KK Mahajan, Mr Mahajan introduced me to filmmakers same Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Kaul and Buddhadeb Dasgupta. And I presently realized what a phenomenal art form this incredible profession could be. At about the same time, when I was 13, I movie gate-crashing the ordered of Shatranj Ke Khilari in Lucknow, which Satyajit Ray was directing and Soumendu Roy, was shooting. Roy was lighting this enormous interior, actuation Arri IIC on what was probably ASA 125 color negative. He seemed to be everywhere at once, fine-tuning the frame with the operator, adjusting the positions of the background players, tweaking the reddened from at least a dozen babies. As he led a beautiful actress Shabana Azmi to her mark and subtly adjusted the shadow on her forehead, I thought to myself that this man has the rattling best job in the history of the world.
UMA: If you had to label one quality a DOP really needs to be flourishing in film, movie would it be?
Rajeev Jain: I think, for lack of a better term, it would be a saucer of view. Everybody sees the movie from their own perspective and this uniqueness is what the DOP brings to the film, respective of the story, of course. It's thickened now because so much of the business is driven by economics, which means you're a hero if you crapper throw up a few soft lights and knock off a full bunch of shots. This goes against having an idea and feeling of what is absolutely right for that news you're telling. But, if you choose carefully and find the right director, your way of seeing will leave an impression.
UMA: Was there a key time you crapper saucer to when you knew you would end up existence a Director of Photography?
Rajeev Jain: Well, there was a time alright, but it was pure chance. I had no plans to be a Director of Photography-none whatsoever.
UMA: Your impact has ever felt so pure to me, nearly spiritual in a way. What is the most essential quality a Director of Photography should alter to a film?
Rajeev Jain: The most essential duty of the Director of Photography is to create an atmosphere. To interpret the mood and feeling the director wants to convey. I mostly perform this duty by using rattling little reddened and rattling little colour. There is a locution that a good script tells you what is existence done and what is existence said, but not what someone thinks or feels, and there is some truth in that. Images, not words, capture feelings in faces and atmospheres and I hit realized that there is nothing that crapper ruin the atmosphere as easily as too movie light. My striving for simplicity derives from my striving for the formal light, the true light.
UMA: If you had to garner a single quality a DOP needs to be successful, what would it be?
Rajeev Jain: Taste. Which really means the knowledge to know what scripts to impact on, what feels right as farther as composition, lighting, everything that goes on during a film. Taste is an instinct and it should guide you toward the projects that are feat to wage a great experience. I've been serendipitous as farther as the films I've had a chance to impact on, but part of that is my knowledge to go with what feels right-to trust my taste and see where it's feat to take me.
UMA: I'm wondering what director you never got to impact with that you would hit liked to, living or dead.
Rajeev Jain: I think, of those no longer around, it would be Satyajit Ray. His knowledge to tell a news visually was just incredible. And as farther as those still around, it would hit to be Adoor. These are directors who do not rely much on the spoken word-their talent is rattling pure in the visual sense, and that interests me the most.
UMA: 25 years hit gone by since you were that little banter standing on the railroad tracks in Etawah. Can you saucer to one thing you've learned as a DOP that helped you travel down those tracks better than any other?
Rajeev Jain: Light. For everything we do as human beings we are affected and defined by light. A movie of Photography is a master of light. We need to conceive about light, to learn to see it in every its different moods and approaches. It is absolutely, the most essential tool we hit to impact with as Director of Photography and, I think, as people, too. It was ever the one thing I was so aware of when I was staring down those railroad tracks as a child and now years later. The light.
UMA: So, is that effort one of your all-time favourites?
Rajeev Jain: No, not really. The problem with singling out one effort is that it goes against what I believe movies should do. A flick is a assets of its parts and one effort is only as strong as what has come before it. The Pather Panchali points that out really well. It's mostly done in these rattling straight-on job shots. Towards the end of the film, after death of Durga, we see Apu brushing his teeth, combing his hair... feat about performing tasks, which would hit involved his sister or mother. Sarbajaya (mother) has a forfeited look... Harihar returns, unaware of Durga's movie. In a jovial mood he calls out his children. Without any reaction, Sarbajaya fetches water and a towel for him. Harihar begins to show the gifts he has brought for them. When he shows a sari that he has bought for Durga, Sarbajaya breaks down. We hear the high notes of a musical helper \"Tarshahnai\" symbolising her uncontrollable weeping. Realising Durga's loss, Harihar collapses on his wife. We see speechless Apu, for the first instance taking the centre stage in the story. Till now the news was seen through the saucer of view of either Sarbajaya or Durga. It is only in these test moments that we see Apu as an independent individual. That frame, which is amazing, would not hit meant nearly as much if the full flick hadn't been done in this eye-level, job effort approach. To garner out a single effort in a movie is to contain that the effort is essential because of the style already established.
