Best Cinematography in A Regional Film
Welcome back.
So the next award on
the list is Best Cinematography in A Regional Film, and the nominees are…
Sebastian Edschmid
for Qissa: The Tale of A Lonely Ghost
Spinning a web of
stark harsh reality with a mythical dose, the cinematography of Edschmid
captures the heart of darkness of his protagonist Umber Singh with utter
mastery.
Much of the first
part of the film is confined to the patriarch looming house with the lighting
capturing a haunting quality to the complete darkness within. The films
exterior shots exploring at time both a barren and lively Punjab. Shadows creep
in when necessary with great significance; during Kanwar's mental breakdown at
the time of his/her gender identity crisis.
The spell is
completely bound during the ghostly transformation scene as the film reaches a
mythical plane, Edschmid gives a haunting but spectacle like vibe aided by the
scenic beauty of the barren lands of Punjab. It effectively codes his film in a
seamless appealing color pallet of browns. Making Qissa what it is; a
hauntingly magical old folk tale.
M.J. Radhakrishnan
for Ottaal: The Trap
In Ottaal, veteran
cinematographer Radhakrishnan is simply let be an observer capturing the scenic
beauty of a small village in Kerala and by it the marshes and rivers that
interact there.
This is not a knock
on his work, in fact through the lens Radhakrishnan builds the atmosphere of
the film. He captures a childish wonderment for the audience to truly invest in
our protagonist, to heartbreaking results.
In a way the film
live and dies on its cinematography, as its arresting visual intensity allows
the simple moments to be relished with glee and the easy nature of a
relationship build between the audience and the work. It's after all what any
filmmaker in any aspect works towards.
Avinash Arun for
Killa
It's always
difficult for a cinematographer to be able to truly capture the spirit of a
character and essentially become it without taking a completely subjective
stance [in this case angle] and to maintain that through a film.
Writers can do it
and so can actors. Such that their words and their performance essentially
encapsulate the characters. Cinematographer can get really close and most do,
to the point where one feels the character in their deepest soul through the
lens however is only accomplished by a rare few and that too on the strength of
their performers stealing that lens away.
Avinash Arun does
it, whether with a close up onto Archit Deodar's terrfied face as he is left
alone in the fort in a heavy rain or when the young boys are cycling into the
shining sun in a long shot. He takes these scenic moments and somehow manages
to make us feel that we are experience each and every singular point of this
wondrous childhood adventure and evolution.
Maybe, maybe that's
why the cinematographer is known as the magician?
Mahendra J Shetty
and Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar Majhe
Poetry in motion is
what the camera captures in Aditya Vikram Sengupta's tale of a marriage in dire
straights due to the financial crisis. Even then, bathed in the soft light and
presenting the serenity of it all; there was no chance the couple wouldn’t be
fine after all.
In Asha Jaoar Majhe
the cinematography escapes into an ethereal sense without losing its grasp on
the realism of the couple's growing angst and desperation to have that one
moment in the day where they may savor each others company.
Here is where the
cinematography takes us into a poetic beauty of the bed in a forest sequence
and truly in its own right becomes a labor of love for the art form.
Mrinal Desai for
Court
It's soberness is
what makes the camera work in Court stand out. It's hard to remember due to its
very cut and dry narrative, that the National Award Winning film is also a
technical marvel.
With many
uninterrupted long shots and moments of heady talk in its crux sequences; the
cinematography becomes an underrated aspect yet one that never wavers or
falters.
There is not a false
note in how Desai captures his subjects in a fittingly cinematic procedural
manner, taking up a characteristically brilliant stance of objectivity allowing
the viewer to both be hit by the satirical deconstruction of the system all well
as understand the nuances of each character without judgment or bias.
Essentially capturing the heart of the story.
And the Winner is...
Avinash Arun for Killa!
So there you go, the award show is going full steam ahead.
Up Next: A suffering woman blessing the love of two children, A guilt ridden mother forced to see her daughter become her son, A feisty compounded gypsy forced to live a lie of a marriage, A queen imprisoned for years thirsting to see her son and a warrior queen as the sharpest player in the game...HIndie Award for the Best Supporting Actor [Female] in A Regional Film
'Nuff Said
Aneesh Raikundalia
No comments:
Post a Comment