“IT IS NOT EASY TO HANDLE SELVARAGHAVAN’S SCRIPT”

Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam (MNM) directed by Gitanjali Selvaraghavan is hitting the screens tomorrow, the 1^st of January 2016. This story of Selvaraghavan has debutant Sridhar as its cinematographer.

We catch up with the young DoP.

Who did you train under?

I have always been an admirer of cinematographer Ramjee’s work and have been inspired by his Paruthiveeran. I am a great fan of Selvaraghavan sir’s films too. After I completed my course at the institute, after many long struggles, I joined Ramjee’s team and have worked in Mayakkam Enna and Irandam Ulagam with him. I had the opportunity to work in a small film (Mayakkam Enna) and also the biggest film (Irandam Ulagam) during that time.

To be in MNM

Every cinematographer would be waiting for a movie like MNM to come to them. I am glad that it has happened to me in my very first film. It is not easy to handle Selva sir’s script. Since I was in the team for a long time and also Gitanjali was there to guide me, things were a little easier.

Working in MNM

I have worked in a challenging project like Irandam Ulagam, so MNM was an easy game. The film is about two characters and the challenge was to bring out the inner emotions through my work. Selva sir’s films will delve deeply into the sub-conscious feelings of his characters. Therefore, I needed to put the right light and the right color in place to bring out that feel.

At the same time Gitanjali was very clear that she did not want a glossy, rom-com or a dramatic feel to her film. I was keen that I will have color schemes which have not been found in Selva sir’s earlier films. I wanted MNM to be vibrant and colorful but at the same time, there should not be an overdose of it. Not even a single frame, you will notice without color. You would have seen that in the posters too. MNM would be a colorful film but at the same time, they will be used with the right lighting and right feel.

Team

There are many newcomers in the film and all of us are passionate towards our work. We were like a family which made us execute Selva sir’s script. Apart from all these, Gitanjali is the sweetest of directors in the industry and at the same time would not settle for any compromise.

Next project

I am doing a film which is not named and it is a low budget one. I rather prefer doing a small, challenging, story-centric film than a multi-million dollar extravaganza. The film that I am currently doing, I can proudly say, is the toughest film for a cinematographer. I am proud that I got this.

Wish you the best Sridhar and Team MNM!