Turning visuals into emotions

Nonika Singh

In a world where crime thrillers are ruling the entertainment-scape, noted cinematographer Anay Goswamy would rather be a part of stories of hope. In Panchkula to meet his parents before heading for a Himachal retreat, he tells us after his latest cinematic offering, Mr and Mrs Mahi, that he is ready to sign on the dotted line for yet another love story. “Good romances,” he states, ‘are few and far between’.

Going against the current comes naturally to him. Part of an industry where jo dikhta hai who bikta hai… he would not blow his trumpet, but let his work speak. If on the sets he is behind the scenes, off it too he is rather reticent, has no social media manager, doesn’t give too many interviews; in short doesn’t care to hog the limelight, even as he makes many famous through his lens.

Working with superstars (Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan) is as much a part of the deal as ‘it is their business to look good.’ However, he remembers the late Sridevi (Mom) not as a diva but an example of, ‘how far humility can take you’. If not much is written about the relationship of actors with DoPs, he thinks, the artistic contribution of a DoP ‘the right hand man of the director’ does not get enough credit too.

In fact, he takes umbrage to them being referred to as technicians. He also busts the perception that pretty images make for good cinematography and is no fan of pictorial camerawork. If someone tells him ‘your cinematography stood out in the film’, he doesn’t take it as a compliment. For him, like any other element of filmmaking, DoP’s job is not to create breathtaking visuals but enhance the art of storytelling. Thus for Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30 he may not have been nominated for any awards, but the film was hailed and that was appreciation enough for him. Certainly, awards do matter. He began his career on a laudatory note and even won the Best Cinematography award in the Emerging Filmmakers section at the Cannes Film Festival. He quips, “Who doesn’t like validation?” But he is not in pursuit of awards.

His reasons for signing any project are multifarious; script is the starting point. And when it starts speaking to him visually, as the beautifully written The Japanese Wife and Fitoor did, and also the one he is reading currently, it’s a big boon. Production house is important too. Big banners like YRF and Dharma can be overwhelming, but also a privilege and an opportunity which translates into responsibility.

When a film gets decent reviews but does not work magic on the box-office, like Mr and Mrs Mahi, does it affect his fortunes as DoP? Before we go into the semantics of how a hit or flop impacts him, he informs that Mr and Mrs Mahi did break-even business. But even when a movie like Shamshera turns out to be a BO debacle, he remains mighty proud of his work and dubs the film as ‘one of my best’. To his filmography, comprising 12 significant films including Kai Po Che, he could have added a few more, “Only if I had opted for 40 day shooting schedules! Tiger 3, Shamshera and Fitoor took five-and-a-half years of my life.”

Choices are what defines us…and one that he would not trade for anything in this world is the FTII training, which not only equipped him technically but also expanded his vision. As for the BFA degree from the Government College of Art, Chandigarh, where he majored in photography, it sure was a springboard. To the students of his alma mater in City Beautiful, especially those aspiring to walk in his footsteps his advice is simple — focus on what you have. “Lack of something is when you are truly inventive.”

As for newer technologies like VFX effects, well, he doesn’t view them as detrimental to his signature, only a necessary tool. “Since no movie, even a Mr and Mrs Mahi, is made without VFX effects,” he takes keen interest in how these are integrated in his camerawork and is always hands-on with the VFX team. In his words, ‘DoP does play second fiddle. Script is the bible and director the captain of the ship, and DoP like chief engineer’, but for him no aspect of his work is secondary. As Rachel Morrison said, “Cinematography speaks to everything that women do inherently well: It’s multitasking, it’s empathy, and it’s channeling visuals into human emotion.”

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Growing up in a creative family in Chandigarh, which included his uncle, illustrious art historian late Dr B N Goswamy, artistic impulses were a given. Love for cinema was ingrained by his father. He still remembers how during his formative years, he would watch western movies at Neelam and Kiran cinema. Doordarshan was another window into the world of make-believe. The ones that stayed in his mind are Garam Hawa, Bagh Bahadur and 36 Chowringhee Lane.