Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Mani Ratnam and More Laud Ace Indian DoP Santosh Sivan Ahead of Cannes Honor (EXCLUSIVE)
Film industry luminaries have paid fulsome homage to Indian DoP Santosh Sivan, this year’s recipient of the annual Pierre Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography award conferred during the Cannes Film Festival.
Hosted by professional cinema lens manufacturer Angénieux at Cannes, the award pays tribute to a renowned cinematographer and recognizes an emerging talent. Estonian-U.S cinematographer Kadri Koop will receive the Angénieux special encouragement honor.
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Sivan has shot 55 feature films, including “Roja,” “Thalapathi,” “Dil Se” and “Iruvar” for Mani Ratnam, Cannes selection “Vanaprastham” for Shaji N. Karun, “Meenaxi” for M.F. Hussain and “Bride and Prejudice” for Gurinder Chadha, amongst many others. He has also shot more than 50 documentaries and directed 17 feature films including Sundance selection “The Terrorist” and Venice and Toronto selection “Asoka,” produced by and starring Shah Rukh Khan. Sivan is the first Indian member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
The DoP is the first Asian recipient of the Angénieux award, where past honorees include Agnes Godard, Bruno Delbonnel, Edward Lachmann, Christopher Doyle, Peter Suchitzky, Roger Deakins, Vilmos Zsigmond, Darius Khondji and Philippe Rousellot.
Sivan recalls using Angénieux lenses on one of his first films, “Raakh” (1989), starring Aamir Khan, and bought a couple of them subsequently. He’s been using Angénieux lenses ever since. He says that the award means a lot to him as previous recipients include DoPs he admires, including Zsigmond and Deakins.
The DoP pays homage to the rich visual culture of the southern Indian state of Kerala, where he hails from and whose ethos he is steeped in. “This award is a recognition that maybe the visual language that you speak is understood and interesting to people all over the world,” Sivan told Variety.
On the philosophy that drives his cinematography, Sivan said, “For me, light and shade is the melody and composition and movement of camera is the rhythm. If I find that these two things are there in a shot, then I’m most excited.”
Like most cinematographers of the celluloid school, Sivan misses shooting on film. He began the process of transitioning to digital with “Urumi” (2011), which he also directed, that was shot on tape. The first film Sivan shot fully on digital was “Thuppakki” (2012), starring Tamil cinema megastar Vijay. The digital medium was perfect for the film because there was a lot of candid camera work on the streets of Mumbai, Sivan said.
“Film is something that is like, what you see is what you get. Whereas in digital, you’re always looking at the monitor to see things. So both have their advantages and disadvantages,” Sivan said. “But now with film processing becoming more rare, and film stock itself becoming very difficult to get in India, film has slowly started fading.”
Sivan’s advise for newcomers is, “You should be very observant. And most importantly, you should not be afraid to experiment. You should really not try to play safe and imitate others, you should try and do things that come naturally to you. And try to be on the edge – to be edgy is fun, to experiment is fun.”
Encomiums are pouring in for Sivan. Shah Rukh Khan, who addresses the DoP fondly as Santa, like most of his friends in the industry, said, “He taught me that genius is not thought out, it is felt. Our belief has to be stronger than a desire just to succeed commercially. Most importantly, he taught us all that the greatest pleasure in filmmaking is going above and beyond all the obstacles that you face while telling a story, making a film, and all that with a big smile. And Santa’s work as a DoP is extremely unique and original, because it is seeped in his experiences and learnings of the Indian culture. So it’s dark and light at the same time. It’s mysterious and welcoming. Just like Santa himself. His resourcefulness on sets is shocking. His energy is infectious. His speed is flash. And his madness is genius. So Santa, thank you so much for making us and India so proud as you receive this award.”
Aamir Khan also praised Sivan’s ‘rasping pace’ on set and his people skills, adding, “His understanding of the film is not just that of a DoP, he understands the film from the point of view of other filmmakers.”
Frequent collaborator Mani Ratnam added, “With him, there’s no situation which is very difficult to light… Because from where he has come, he adapts everything that is around him, uses nature very well, uses all the available elements of light and is able to give you a result, gives you contrast, gives a unique Santosh Sivan stamp on it.”
Actor Vidya Balan, who starred in “Urumi,” said, “There was one thing I didn’t have to worry about. It’s about how I was looking because every frame of his is like a painting. It’s like poetry.”
Filmmaker Karan Johar said, “He is a force of nature. I still remember that he shot for 10 days for my debut feature film ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,’ a schedule that was planned for about 15 to 20 days was wrapped in half that time. He is truly just the most fantastic visualizer. His imagination, his incredible framing, his understanding of film, and his ability to just transfer that supreme energy on to celluloid is just his and his alone.”
Mira Nair, for whose “AIDS Jaago” (2008) anthology film project Sivan made a short, added, “What I love especially about Santosh is the sense of childlike wonder in his eye and in his heart.”
Malayalam cinema superstar Mohanlal whose upcoming directorial debut “Barroz” Sivan has shot and is the latest in a long line of films together, said, “Through his work, he has always mesmerized his audiences. His dedication to his craft and his pursuit of excellence are well-known. May you continue to grow from strength to strength, and do us all proud.”
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