Cinematographer Kabir Lal turns director

Kabir Lal, who has worked as a cinematographer on more than 100 films across Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, is now turning director. For his debut directorial in Kannada, he has picked up the rights of the Spanish film, Julia's Eyes. The thriller will also be made in Tamil and Telugu.

The cinematographer, known for his work in films like Pardes, Apne, Yuvaraaj, and Welcome Back, says he has been longing to turn director for a long time, and was in search of a good script. "When I saw Julia's Eyes, I thought it was the best one to begin with. I found the film so gripping that I watched it at one go non-stop. It is an opportunity to collaborate on the remake of this cult classic, and I am looking forward to bringing it to the Indian masses in multiple languages," he adds.

The film will have his son, Syed Shahid Lal as cinematographer. "Our family has a history with cinematography. My father SS Lal was a DoP for various films, and I inherited his interest. Now, my son who has assisted me for four years, will be working as the DoP on my first directorial venture. Syed has also assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the latest Hindi film, Padmaavat," he says.

Kabir tells us that his connection with Kannada films goes back a long way, and the Kannada industry has always been his first love. "I started my career as cinematographer in Kannada, and worked on nearly 25 films here. My first film as a DoP was Vishnuvardhan's Kartavya. I also had the opportunity to work with Dr Rajkumar, Ambareesh, Tiger Prabhakar, and Anant Nag, among other actors," he says.

His version of the Spanish film will be a thriller and revenge drama. "We have got the rights of the film and are only taking the soul of the film. The film will be adapted to Indian sensibilities," says Kabir, adding, 'The story is of a woman who is slowly losing her sight, but is trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister."

The team plans to go on floors in November, and are now in the process of finalising the star cast. "I want to associate with establish artistes for this film. It will be made in three south Indian languages with a different cast in each," he says.