With the camera or without
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Cinematographer K. V. Anand is heaving a sigh of relief as his debut attempt at direction is receiving positive reviews.
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Josh: It's the story that matters, not the cast.
The reputed cinematographer who won national recognition with his very first film (`Thenmavin Kombathu') has arrived as a director too. `Kana Kandaen,' K. V. Anand's debut attempt at direction, has just been released. A soft-spoken and unassuming Anand, who is waiting at the coffee shop of the Adyar Park Sheraton Hotel when you enter, soon dwells on his rise up the cinema ladder.
"After taking up direction, camera work appears much easier," he laughs.
"Cameramen here are lucky. Our work is noticed and appreciated by the media and the public. Up North it's rarely so," says Anand.
He should know. From `Josh' to `Khakhee' he has shot films with the biggest stars in Hindi.
Smooth transition: K. V. Anand
He filmed `The Legend of Bhagat Singh' that starred Ajay Devgan and the mammoth `Khakhee' had a cast that included Bachchan and Rai.
" But I never think of the banner or the stars. If something about the story is different I take it," he says. That was why he accepted Susi Ganesan's debut film `Virumbugiraen.' "Even as I went through Susi Ganesan's script I knew it was worth doing." So it was with Gandhi Krishna's `Chellamae.'
Anand's first Tamil film, however, was `Kadhal Desam.' Kunjumon got him the break. `Mudhalvan' was a challenging project for Anand.
"For the first time in the country we used camera ramping in `Mudhalvan.'" (Ramp shots have characters moving speedily one moment and slowing down the next)
"Shankar is a taskmaster ... but you'll never realise the strain," he laughs. Strangely `Mudhalvan' didn't fetch any award for Anand. "We can easily sell landscape, twilight and dawn to our folks. The other intricacies are noticed little," he smiles.
From still photography Anand graduated to the movie camera under P. C. Sriram. Beginning as his last assistant in `Gopura Vaasalilae,' when PC started Mani Ratnam's `Thiruda Thirudi,' Anand had become his first.
"Mani Ratnam is a workaholic. He will not rest till he gets what he wants," smiles Anand. It was PC who recommended Anand to Priyadarshan for `Thenmavin ... '
After Malayalam and Tamil, the Hindi circuit must have been very different. "Yes ... `Thenmavin ... ' was made in 32 days, `Josh' took three years ... their films are big," he shrugs.
On `KK' again
Kana Kandaen: Expected an `A'
Making it as a director is every cinematographer's dream ... "That's because the cameraman is with the director throughout and shares both his ecstasy and trauma. The next natural step is direction," contends Anand.
Casting is a scoring point of `Kana Kandaen.' "I wanted a different villain — intelligent, good looking and sophisticated, and asked Arvind Swamy. But he wasn't interested. So it was with Madhavan. Surya and Prashant, couldn't take it either."
Eventually Prithviraj stood to gain. "Srikanth is a good actor, dedicated and punctual, and Gopika can give you myriad expressions in a jiffy. And I wanted a heroine who could speak Tamil," he explains.
The intimate pictures of Srikanth and Gopika in `KK' created quite a flutter ... A planned publicity ploy? "Not at all," argues Anand. And was the U/A certification expected? "I expected an A," a cheeky smile escapes his lips.
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
