He looked exhausted. But, of course… That is how someone who held a crucial department of a magnum opus like Baahubali would look. Chai Bisket was friggin’ thrilled to see him take time out in the middle of DI at Annapurna Studios despite his fatigue, just to speak to us. You must be wondering why… He loves Chai Bisket, that’s why!!
Firstly, a huge thank you to Senthil sir, for letting us take his interview. Secondly, a magnanimous thank you for genuinely liking our articles.
(Between us… maa articles chusi gattiga navvuthunte, it felt awesome!!)
Okay, that’s enough of us boasting. Let’s get to it!
Chai Bisket presents Senthil Kumar, The Insatiable Cinematographer, the eye behind Baahubali.
Let’s talk Baahubali!
Chai Bisket: When Jakkanna narrated the story, you would have visualised the film in a certain way. Has the output exceeded the expectations or you think there have been some compromises?
When I heard the story of Baahubali, we already knew that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. But as it progressed it ended up being far greater than what we had originally imagined, in terms of budget, the scale or the execution. I feel privileged to be a part of this movie, either way.
CB: There have been constant comparisions of Baahubali with may be a Troy or a 300. How do you take them?
I personally feel that it is unfair to do so. Hollywood indeed is much more ahead of us in terms of technology, budgets and ideologies. We certainly take references from them, but every movie needs to be appreciated at its own capacity.
CB: Is there a change in your style of work specifically for Baahubali?
I don’t believe in such a thing as personal style. You have to do what is suitable for the movie. We need to mould ourselves according to what will present the best output instead of sticking to something personal, especially in this profession.
CB: Working with Rajamouli sir, considering his attention to detail, his perfectionism, could be a tad bit frustrating. How do you cope with that?
It does get frustrating sometimes. But we pull through it. Possibly because of the rapport I have with Rajamouli. Also because if we don’t get the work done, it will only get more frustrating. But seeing the response Baahubali is getting, it feels like it was all worth it.
CB: Are there disagreements about shots with Rajamouli sir?
Take any two people in the world, if you put them together there is bound to be a disagreement. But then, we work through it. Discuss, put our arguments on why our idea is better for the movie, and end up with a conclusion.
In the end everything we do is for the best of the movie, and not for our personal means.
CB: How do you coordinate and keep such a massive team together, even if it’s just one department?
I directly work with 5 of my Assistants but my team does have a huge number of people. I have to agree that they have been extremely supportive. Even the smallest shift in the light by someone can be useful. Everyone on the team have been dedicated and sincere in their efforts. Everyone believed in this movie and worked for it as it was their own.
CB: Tell us about the Pre-production and how much research and homework you had to do.
Again it was team effort. We had discussions with the entire team about visualization. Everyone came up with reference art works and ideas to get the best output. We all put our brains together to get all the details right.
CB: This sounds exhausting! Do you ever go home?
My wife pretty much kept my life together these three years. But, I used to make trips from RFC to home everyday during the shoot. It was exhausting but my kids and my family have been my stress-buster.
Now for questions by you guys!!
We could only get him to answer the first one, Shiva Kumar.
3D is a tedious process. Also 3D has its limitations technically and we as a team though that a movie like this shouldn’t have any limitations. That was the only reason.
Sravan, summing it up as how the coordination works between the big bosses of the team.
It’s a complementary job. You have to put forth your arguments and decide as a team. Sometimes it does depend on what kind of a person the opposite one is. I have that freedom with Rajamouli to take calls. I probably earned it.
You usually have to adapt according to what brings out the shot in the best way. But personally I like indoor set lighting close shots because you can play around with it.
Aa situation raadu. I’m in a place where if I got a chance like that Rajamouli would know and we would plan it out accordingly.
It’s too soon to say. The cast and crew is always dependent on who suits the script best.
Shalem Raju Chukka, this is him answering your last question.
He is a very committed person. He has always been. He can go to any lengths to do what is best for the role he is playing and I find that very admirable.
Some questions on his life and the industry...
CB: Tell us about Senthil’s evolution from Aithe to Baahubali.
It has been an incredible growth. I thank the Almighty for that. But I have grown as a person in terms of practicality and understanding of cinema. During Aithe I was more idealistic, stuck to the rules and believed movies were meant to be made a certain way. But as we grow we realize there are no rules, you just figure out the best way to present a story in its full potential. Tell stories the way people like it.
CB: You and Rajamouli sir both have reached here starting from TV shows. Do you think we will see a show the lines of Game of Thrones by you and him?
I think our television is still in the process of evolving into shows that are that grand in scale. We are more inclined towards content based shows. But when we do begin to venture into that realm in terms of technicality, I would be thrilled to be a part of it.
CB: How do you think Digital Media is helping films?
When I was starting off, digital media wasn’t big. But I think it has come up in a big way over all these years. The filmmakers of today have found an easy platform to showcase their skills. Talent is being recognized and that’s great.
This one for the struggling and aspiring cinematographers out there.
Never believe that you cannot make it in the industry because you don’t have a filmy backing. That is just an excuse. If you work that extra mile, you can always hit it big. I’m an example. I come from a humble family who have nothing to do with cinema and here we are talking about the biggest film of India. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
On that note… here’s our Chai Bisket style rapid fire with Senthil sir. We’re calling it Fatafat Chai.
Aaaand GO!
And that's how our Chai session with Senthil sir went. Hope you enjoyed reading the interview as much as we did doing it!
Let’s talk Baahubali!
Chai Bisket: When Jakkanna narrated the story, you would have visualised the film in a certain way. Has the output exceeded the expectations or you think there have been some compromises?
When I heard the story of Baahubali, we already knew that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. But as it progressed it ended up being far greater than what we had originally imagined, in terms of budget, the scale or the execution. I feel privileged to be a part of this movie, either way.
CB: There have been constant comparisions of Baahubali with may be a Troy or a 300. How do you take them?
I personally feel that it is unfair to do so. Hollywood indeed is much more ahead of us in terms of technology, budgets and ideologies. We certainly take references from them, but every movie needs to be appreciated at its own capacity.
CB: Is there a change in your style of work specifically for Baahubali?
I don’t believe in such a thing as personal style. You have to do what is suitable for the movie. We need to mould ourselves according to what will present the best output instead of sticking to something personal, especially in this profession.
CB: Working with Rajamouli sir, considering his attention to detail, his perfectionism, could be a tad bit frustrating. How do you cope with that?
It does get frustrating sometimes. But we pull through it. Possibly because of the rapport I have with Rajamouli. Also because if we don’t get the work done, it will only get more frustrating. But seeing the response Baahubali is getting, it feels like it was all worth it.
CB: Are there disagreements about shots with Rajamouli sir?
Take any two people in the world, if you put them together there is bound to be a disagreement. But then, we work through it. Discuss, put our arguments on why our idea is better for the movie, and end up with a conclusion.
In the end everything we do is for the best of the movie, and not for our personal means.
CB: How do you coordinate and keep such a massive team together, even if it’s just one department?
I directly work with 5 of my Assistants but my team does have a huge number of people. I have to agree that they have been extremely supportive. Even the smallest shift in the light by someone can be useful. Everyone on the team have been dedicated and sincere in their efforts. Everyone believed in this movie and worked for it as it was their own.
CB: Tell us about the Pre-production and how much research and homework you had to do.
Again it was team effort. We had discussions with the entire team about visualization. Everyone came up with reference art works and ideas to get the best output. We all put our brains together to get all the details right.
CB: This sounds exhausting! Do you ever go home?
My wife pretty much kept my life together these three years. But, I used to make trips from RFC to home everyday during the shoot. It was exhausting but my kids and my family have been my stress-buster.
Now for questions by you guys!!
We could only get him to answer the first one, Shiva Kumar.
3D is a tedious process. Also 3D has its limitations technically and we as a team though that a movie like this shouldn’t have any limitations. That was the only reason.
Sravan, summing it up as how the coordination works between the big bosses of the team.
It’s a complementary job. You have to put forth your arguments and decide as a team. Sometimes it does depend on what kind of a person the opposite one is. I have that freedom with Rajamouli to take calls. I probably earned it.
You usually have to adapt according to what brings out the shot in the best way. But personally I like indoor set lighting close shots because you can play around with it.
Aa situation raadu. I’m in a place where if I got a chance like that Rajamouli would know and we would plan it out accordingly.
It’s too soon to say. The cast and crew is always dependent on who suits the script best.
Shalem Raju Chukka, this is him answering your last question.
He is a very committed person. He has always been. He can go to any lengths to do what is best for the role he is playing and I find that very admirable.
Some questions on his life and the industry...
CB: Tell us about Senthil’s evolution from Aithe to Baahubali.
It has been an incredible growth. I thank the Almighty for that. But I have grown as a person in terms of practicality and understanding of cinema. During Aithe I was more idealistic, stuck to the rules and believed movies were meant to be made a certain way. But as we grow we realize there are no rules, you just figure out the best way to present a story in its full potential. Tell stories the way people like it.
CB: You and Rajamouli sir both have reached here starting from TV shows. Do you think we will see a show the lines of Game of Thrones by you and him?
I think our television is still in the process of evolving into shows that are that grand in scale. We are more inclined towards content based shows. But when we do begin to venture into that realm in terms of technicality, I would be thrilled to be a part of it.
CB: How do you think Digital Media is helping films?
When I was starting off, digital media wasn’t big. But I think it has come up in a big way over all these years. The filmmakers of today have found an easy platform to showcase their skills. Talent is being recognized and that’s great.
This one for the struggling and aspiring cinematographers out there.
Never believe that you cannot make it in the industry because you don’t have a filmy backing. That is just an excuse. If you work that extra mile, you can always hit it big. I’m an example. I come from a humble family who have nothing to do with cinema and here we are talking about the biggest film of India. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
On that note… here’s our Chai Bisket style rapid fire with Senthil sir. We’re calling it Fatafat Chai.
Aaaand GO!
And that's how our Chai session with Senthil sir went. Hope you enjoyed reading the interview as much as we did doing it!
