‘Major’ cinematographer Vamsi Pachipulusu: Adivi Sesh made my job easy but Mahesh garu and Namrata garu were the emotional pillars for this project-#BehindTheCamera! – Times of India

Hi Vamsi.. firstly, tell us how do you manage to get such quality output in limited budgets?


(He laughs) Well, it all started with ‘Kshanam’, which was made on a budget of Rs 1 crore. In such a shoestring budget, we had to give the quality output. We knew that we had a wonderful story. I worked as an assistant cinematographer under the supervision of Shaneil Deo for ‘Kshanam’. We wanted to come out of using RED and ARRI cameras and get something new. Then, we decided to opt for Canon EOS-1D X, which looks like a still camera but gives 4K resolution. It has better sensors compared to 5D cameras. When it comes to the crew, we were only 15 members in our team, including the cinematography department. Quality doesn’t come just with the kind of camera we are using or not with the kind of set we are building. For me, the pitch-perfect script causes the enhancement of the quality of the film. Well, I did have a good budget to shoot ‘Major’, much better than ‘Kshanam’ and our challenge here was to mount the film on such a huge canvas with what we had.

Was there any budget constraint?

No definitely. We were given what we needed. But I had the responsibility to take a slightly different approach for ‘Major’ in terms of lighting. I used a maximum of LEDs. Because if I use extra lights and stuff, the generator has to burn more fuel. Instead, LED has the enough technology to give the required amount of light. Whatever fits into our budget, we went up with them. We built a three-floor set in RFC to shoot Taj corridor scenes. I’m also particular about keeping our carbon footprint minimal on my sets.

Tell us about your approach regarding Major’s visual treatment?

There are different phases in Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s life. We showed from his childhood to how he died while serving in The National Security Guard (NSG). I don’t want to treat it like a regular film. I wanted the audience to feel his journey, the different phases of his life, especially his past. Unlike the routine, I thought why can’t the past look and feel like the present. All I had to do was change my lenses. Cooke S5i are used for child hood portions and remaining is shot with Leica Summicron lenses, which are pretty good with glass. It is not too soft as well.

Were there any instances where you had to suppress the technician in you and let that filmmaker in you to take a call?

There were plenty of situations indeed (laughs). No matter what gear you use, it needs a human touch and a strong instinct and judgment of what works and what doesn’t work for a scene. There were instances when I had to choose to shoot a scene with a handheld camera at the last moment just because what we planned was not working. So, technically it might be stepping down a little but aesthetically it is the right call that I need to take as a storyteller in order to get the emotion right.

Please talk about your chemistry with director Sashi Kiran?

Sashi Kiran and I have a different kind of bonding. When Shaneil Deo had to leave for other projects, I was asked to work for the rest of the shoot of ‘Goodachari’, and I did. Beyond stories, we talk a lot about human instincts and emotions. Above all, he is also environmentally conscious and greatly concerned about the carbon footprint. We also discuss the aesthetics of the film.

How was your experience working with Adivi Sesh in ‘Major’?

In fact, many times he made my work easier because he is also the writer of the film. As we know Adivi Sesh is also a filmmaker and directed two low budget films and brought audiences to the theatres. That itself is a big achievement. He can understand what is going to work emotionally and he knows how to keep space for things. He has a pretty good knowledge of sound as well. I like him as an actor, writer and a filmmaker. I can’t imagine this film without him.

Apart from producing the film, what was Mahesh Babu’s contribution to the film?

I am a big fan of Mahesh Babu sir. I was crazy about his film ‘Okkadu’, which made a big impact on me. I love watching his film first day first show. Mahesh garu and Namrata garu were the emotional pillars for this project. Even a small call from him about the proceedings of the shoot means a lot and gives you immense confidence. Mahesh sir and Namrata garu motivated us to execute the project within the budget.

What was your initial observation of Saiee Manjrekar, and how did it turn out to be?

She is quite young in front of the camera. Many of the heroines have some aura which makes it difficult to approach them. But Saiee doesn’t have that. She is quite approachable. I could easily communicate with her while shooting. I asked her to remove makeup on the first day of the shoot. She said she didn’t wear makeup. She is so pretty even without makeup. She played her part tremendously and made an impact.

What is that one thing you want to learn from Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s life?

One incident from Major Sandeep’s life stays with me forever. Once he took leave as he had to travel somewhere. He was carrying some money for his journey. He had to reach his destination through different modes of transportation. While he was travelling, he accidentally met one of his colleagues who didn’t have enough money to reach his native place. Sandeep didn’t think twice to give him all the money he had. Nobody knows how he traveled all the way without a single penny. Sandeep always goes behind emotions, not money. I wanted to imbibe that quality of Sandeep.

What advice would you give to aspirant and passionate technicians?

I started as an apprentice for a Malayali cinematographer. His way of teaching was completely different. With a background of editing and animation, I came to the industry with lots of enthusiasm. But things were completely different than I thought. The kind of knowledge you have to see before getting to the next level is more important. Spontaneity is very important. The way you communicate things is important. The kind of solutions you come up with for those unexpected challenges, the out of the box thinking is important.

What’s your take on the trend of pan Indian films?

Only the script and emotion can decide which can be a pan Indian film. This pan Indian success feels overwhelming though. In fact, after ‘Baahubali’ and ‘KGF’, filmmakers started asking about elevations, CGI and all. I don’t want to get that headache. I’ll rather stick to my basics. The script is more important than anything else.