Imagine you are a cinematographer, making your debut in a film that is being shot in the picturesque locales of Kashmir. You are spoiled for choice, with lush green cover, snow-capped mountains, dusty brown terrain, and foamy white brooks, among other naturally beautiful locations. And yet, cinematographer CH Sai decided to do away with any such distractions that didn’t serve the purpose of storytelling. “Amaran is a biographical drama. A story about the late Major Mukund. There was no need to capture the beautiful landscape of Kashmir, its skies, etc. I am a cinematographer who just wants to tell a story through my lens, and nothing more,” says Sai, who delivered a phenomenal blockbuster right at the start of his career.
In addition to hardwork and talent, any debutant who yearns for success in any field also needs someone to back them and vouch for them. On that front, Sai, an erstwhile assistant of noted cinematographer Ratnavelu aka Randy, had the unshakeable conviction of director Rajkumar Periasamy by his side. “My director was convinced after seeing my portfolio, and it was his conviction that brought everyone else on board with the idea,” says Sai, who strongly believes that his work should speak louder than his social media posts. "I don't believe in the necessity of putting myself out there, in terms of social media, etc. Our work should speak."
And it spoke loud and clear in Amaran, a military-based action film, which is a rare occurrence in Tamil cinema. His visuals maintained a sense of freshness without alienating the audience. “We used 48 frames for most of the action sequences because we wanted the audience to feel the intensity. They should feel like they are witness to the action, and every movement was choreographed and shot to accentuate the same. Realism was the key, and that’s where Anbariv masters and Stefan Richter stepped in. It was a deliberate choice to have the audience see the characters in action,” says Sai, who adds, “We only elevated the soldier, and never the star.”
Throughout the conversation, one aspect of Sai that shines bright is his clarity about what he wants and what he doesn’t, and that is clear in his choice of films that followed Amaran. If debutant director Aakash Baskaran’s Idhayam Murali gives him the space to ply his wares in the romcom genre, the much-awaited Srikanth Odela-Nani project, The Paradise, allows him to create a new world and showcase it to an audience waiting for it with bated breath. “Srikanth fed me with all that I needed to envision this world. He has an exceptional thought process. It is beyond imagination. For instance, we recently shot an action sequence for two weeks. I believe it will be one of the best scenes, ever...,” says Sai, adding how they used AI in the project to get an idea of how The Paradise could look. “Based on the ideas of Srikanth, we used AI to visualise a lot of things to understand what might work and what won’t. Of course, there are references from real life, too, but using AI allowed us to try out various things before zeroing in on what works for the film.”
Sai is also clear that he wants to be a cinematographer who completely surrenders himself to a particular project. Sharing that he doesn’t like to have any distractions when committing to a film, Sai says, ”Right from pre-production till the film is delivered after post-production, I work on the film. I prefer being involved 24x7 with a particular project. Also, having a personal style might come out eventually, but for now, I serve the film and its story first.” This is also a reason why he believes there is no time to get starstruck while working with actors while they are working together. “Probably after the film is over, we might feel such things. However, while shooting, it is all about the film at hand,” says Sai, who also points out a few admirable aspects of Sivakarthikeyan and Nani. “Working with Sivakarthikeyan was right in my comfort zone. He is one of the best actors to work with. Similarly, Nani is someone who is there on the sets even when his shots are not being filmed. He leaves only when we pack up. He gives all his energy. They inspired me a lot.”
Once again crediting the inputs of his directors and the support of the production for allowing him to use the right resources to tell the story in the right way, Sai says, “It is always about the directors. They enhance my creativity, and I can feel it growing and getting better with each project.” He also points out that the scale of the projects isn’t what he is gunning after. “I believe in what is necessary, and not the excesses. For Idhayam Murali, I might not need anything fancy, but whatever is required, I get from Dawn Pictures. In contrast, we are using three cameras every single day for The Paradise. We have drones ready for the aerial shots, gimbals, and infinity cameras are also in play,” says Sai, signing off by succinctly explaining the philosophy behind his cinematography. “At the end of the day, it is not about the equipment, my style, or anything else… It is always about the story that is being told.”