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Interview with cinematographer Ravi Varman
 It took an international award for this talented young cinematographer to be noticed by the media in his home country. A Tamilian, Ravi Varman got his break in 1999, in Malayalam director Rajeev Kumar's film 'Jalamarmaram'. It was followed by films with eminent award-winnning directors like Jairaj ('Santham', and Hindi 'Bebhestha'), Shaji Kailas ('Valliettan'), Rafi Mecartin, and Priyadarshan ('Kilichundan Mambazham). He has since done a Hindi film for Telugu director Teja, and for Honey Irani's first directorial venture 'Armaan'. Ravi Varman has finally arrived! Here he talks about the hardships he encountered, and the people he worked with.
Your background:
"I hail from a small village called Poyyoundarkudikkadu, near Thanjavur. We were five siblings, and I was the youngest. Tragedy struck our family at an early age. My sister committed suicide following a love failure. One of my brothers is mentally challenged. My family became involved in politics, the problems started in 1971, ending in my parents' death. Orphaned at a very young age, survival was the main problem, and I even tried to commit suicide a couple of times. I was saved in the nick of time, and through my friends in the village I took a train to Chennai, to earn my livelihood."
Your experiences after moving to Chennai:
"I worked for six months as a bearer in Hotel Amaravathi. Then, as an office boy in actor Ramarajan's production 'Neram Nalla Irukku', where I even appeared in a song. From there, I graduated to working as an assistant to cameraman Ranga. He bought a cycle for me, gave me a place to stay, and provided food at his own house. For 3-4 years he took care of me. I wanted to apprentice with P. C Sriram. He asked me to wait, as he had 6-7 assistants already. With Santosh Sivan too, it was the same story. Then I met Selvam (Dhanju's production manager), and it was he who suggested Balu Mahendra. But since he was doing only one film a year, and was aware of my financial problems, he advised me against joining him. Then I worked with Ravi K. Chandran, who was shooting for director Priyadarshan, for 12 days on the film, and apprenticed with him for 5 years."
Why cinematography:
"My interest grew out of an incident that took place in my village. My neighbour was a still photographer. I happened to see one of his photographs including a stray shot of my mother, standing in the background in our house. I took the photograph to many studios to see whether I could make her portion clearer, but there was no one who could do it. An interest in photography was kindled then. But frankly, I'd come to Chennai with the intention of becoming an actor. Photography came out of frustration, when I realised that I was not cut out for it!"
Your inspiration:
"The first one who impressed me was Balu Mahendra. He was the first one to be talked about, for his brilliant cinematography, and made the lay audience aware of it. After I came to Chennai, I slowly came to learn about the works of other cinematographers too. PC Sriram impressed me, he was a trend-setter of sorts. My perceptions shifted from Tamil to Hindi, to international. So many, like Ashok Mehta, Vittoria Sterero ('Piano')."
 Your Style:
"Each cameraman wants to have his own style and leave his mark. I'm not blaming anyone, but I don't agree with it too. A cameraman's work should go with the script, and be adapted to different styles. For 'Armaan', I used sophisticated equipments, for 'Santham' and 'Five Star', to give a completely different feel. I would hate it if anyone identified and said "that is Ravi Varman's work!"
Problems a cameraman faces:
"There may be financial, from the producer's side, or ego problems with the director. But if we understand the producer's problem and his budget, work becomes smooth. Again, not all directors have expert technical knowledge. They may have an idea, and with a cameraman's technical expertise, they can translate them excellently on the screen. Luckily, I've faced no problems till now. I've got the entiure scripts of all the films I've worked in, months before the shooting. So there was enough time to discuss the look, tone and mood."
Why Hollywood is ahead of us technically:
"They're thoroughly professional. The location, the lens, the timing, all are decided much earlier, and there is no room for any change. No on-the-spot decisions. They do a lot of special processing in their labs, which we lack, and they maintain their tone and look throughout. In future, I'm sure we'll be able to match them."
Await the concluding part of the interview...
Malini Mannath
Published on 21st
June 2003
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