Santosh Sivan on working with Mani Ratnam in Chekka Chivantha Vaanam: He treats every film as his first

Together both Mani Ratnam and Santosh Sivan have delivered many classics in Indian cinema, including Thalapathi (1991), Roja (1992), Iruvar (1997), Dil Se (1998), and Raavan (2010). Whenever Sivan has joined forces with Mani Ratnam , he has uplifted the visual quality of Indian movies to another level. So what is that one quality in Mani which motivates the ace lensman to give his best, “Mani Ratnam is someone who approaches each film as his debut film. His amazing energy level motivates and inspires everyone on the sets. As you know, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam is a multi-starrer but we actually completed the shoot in less than 60 days mainly because of Mani and his energy level”, says Santosh Sivan.

Talking about Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, the multiple award-winning cinematographer says, “Among all the Mani Ratnam films you have seen so far, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam will offer you a different experience. This film is all about sibling rivalry and there are plenty of action sequences. I would call it an audience-friendly film from Mani Ratnam."

Mani Ratnam rarely prefers going to foreign countries for his films and he doesn’t believe in shooting romantic numbers at glossy locales. “Mani Ratnam finalises his locations only based on the script. We shot Chekka Chivantha Vaanam in Dubai, Serbia, Andhra, and Chennai. As the brothers reside in different places in the film and they come to Chennai for a reason, we went with Serbia and Dubai”, says Sivan.

Despite there being multiple characters in the movie, the veteran cinematographer says he did not make any special efforts to differentiate them by following a unique visual pattern. “I don’t differentiate people and landscape; each actor is unique and of course, I see them in a different way which translates to the screen. Mani Ratnam is someone who discusses everything with his technicians. It’s not just about him and me; we sit along with the art director and when the actors come in, they also contribute to the filmmaking process which is a collaborative effort. Though we spend a lot of time on the pre-production phase, things will fall into place only after reaching the location”, explains Sivan.

At the audio launch, Rahman said that with Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Mani Ratnam has gone back to his Nayakan days. “I don’t think like that. As I said earlier, people would relate themselves to each character in the film because it is all about the rivalry exists among the brothers. It’s a very Shakespearean film. It might look like classic from the outside but there is plenty of energy in it”.

Sivan says that he always learns new things from each filmmaker. “With MF Hussain, I learnt how to use colors in films. Then there are filmmakers who taught me the approach to making women-centric films. I also enjoy working with newcomers because the experience is completely different with them. I don’t push my working style on young filmmakers and instead, observe their way of filmmaking and adapt to the situation”, he says.

Sivan is the founding member of Indian Society of Cinematographers. Talking about the work of the current generation cinematographers, he says “Without a doubt, our cinematographers are extremely talented and their works are phenomenal. As a visual artist, you have two options: to create or to imitate. It’s up to each individual to decide whether they are going to imitate or create. When you imitate Hollywood’s style, there isn’t much recognition. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) invited me because there’s a reflection of Indian sensibilities in my work”.

Talking about foreign cinematographers working in Indian films, Santosh says “Cinematographers are beyond languages and the entire world is our platform. When an outsider sees your place, he will see it from a different angle and I realised this while working on a Hollywood film recently. In the same way, a foreign cinematographer would see India and the people here differently”.

Besides critically acclaimed films, Sivan is also known for working on big budget commercial action-entertainers like Thuppakki and Anjaan. “It all started with Thuppakki. I met Vijay and AR Murugadoss at the audio launch of Urumi; I loved these people and worked with them. Moreover, I enjoy working on such films because you can experiment a lot with new technologies. The kind of films I direct and the kind of films I work on as a cinematographer are completely different; it’s a catch-22 situation. These biggies also provide me enough funds to produce my own films and documentaries. I don’t have to search for producers to bankroll my films”, he says.

He also suggests young cinematographers travel to different places. “Travel gives you first-hand education. More than textbook education and reading, I suggest people travel, see the world for themselves and learn." Having also directed many award-winning films ever since his directorial debut Story of Tiblu, he is known for his inclination towards historical films.

“Well, when I made my first three directorials based on children, people said I only wrote scripts based on kids. Later, I made films about terrorist organisations which gave me another identity. Now after Asoka and Urumi, people say I have a penchant for period films which is acceptable to an extent because I enjoy doing such films. While working on period films, you can actually create your own world but that is not the case with realistic movies. My grandmother’s mythological stories, the Raja Ravi Varma paintings she bought for me and the palaces we visited also played a vital role in my special love for period films”, says Santosh who is currently directing a Malayalam film featuring Manju Warrier and Kalidas Jayaram.

Talking about the most anticipated Kunjali Marakkar with Mammootty and the controversy around it after filmmaker Priyadarshan announced another biopic on the same subject with Mohanlal, Sivan says “There are four Kunjali Marakkars in Kerala so my film will be different from Priyadarshan’s movie. In fact, Priyadarshan asked me to come on board for his film but we couldn’t work together for various reasons”. Once he completes his ongoing film, he will open up about his version of Kunjali Marakkar.