‘Today unfortunately it’s the hero who decides the film, producer and director’: DOP Ravi Varman

At the Bengaluru International Film Festival in a masterclass, Ravi Varman said that cinema has changed a lot since his early years.

He is a National Award-winning cinematographer who has been inducted into the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) now. He is also with the Indian Society of Cinematographers and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At 51, cinematographer Ravi Varman, who hails from Tamil Nadu, is one of the youngest to perhaps have achieved all these accolades in his career. (Also Read: Jyotika says she was upset when Suriya's Kanguva got harsher reviews than other ‘pathetic’ South films)

Cinematographer Ravi Varman got candid on the state of the film industry.

Speaking at the Bengaluru International Film Festival in a masterclass, Ravi Varman, who has worked on diverse films like Indian, Ram Leela, Ponniyin Selvan, Barfi, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyadu, Anniyan, and more, said that cinema has changed a lot since his early years.

Ravi Varma on the changing film industry

“Earlier, we had the studio system where the producer would decide the hero, director and so on based on the story. Today, India has unfortunately lost the studio system and now, it’s the hero who decides the story, producer and director,” he explained when talking about the quality of cinema.

“Directors now come and go – they don’t last for years like several decades ago when you had stalwarts like Guru Dutt, Balu Mahendra, Bharathiraja, K Balachander and Raj Kapoor. Now, everyone wants to make contemporary films and they become stale after a few years. Earlier, we had a lot of stories and book writers and in fact, the best films come from books. We have lost the habit of reading and writing and we still have wonderful writers but we are not bringing them to the frontline.”

As for cinematography and his success in Indian cinema, Ravi Varman said, “I’m always innovating and working on new techniques and ideas. Also, when I started working in different languages, I didn’t know the language so I used to just focus on my work. I realized this helped a lot in my career because I didn’t indulge in gossip and the politics on set.”

On directors wanting to be in ‘comfort zones’

Most cinematographers often have a turbulent relationship with the director since they have different points of view on how a scene should be shot. Varman said, “The relationship with the director is like a married couple. They will have arguments and differences but their vision will be the same. This is normal and it helps bring out the best. Today, some directors also want ‘comfort zone’ cinematographers – people who’ll just do what they say.”

Nowadays, there has been a trend where cinematographers rise quickly and then disappear in the film industry after a few films. Varman attributed this to a change in attitude. “There is a difference between a star cinematographer and a great cinematographer – the star cinematographer is the one who will come and go in a few films, but a great cinematographer will thrive because he comes with a lot of experience, excellent cinematography techniques, is innovative and his body of work will transcend time,” he explained.

He added that he never watches his films because he knows the mistakes he has made in them, which he already has made note of during DI. “I learn from my mistakes and try not to repeat them in my new films – of course, there may be new mistakes I make! I spent at least 60 days on DI (digital intermediate) to ensure that our shots are done justice to and edited in a way that our vision comes through,” added Varman.

The renowned cinematographer also admitted that ‘art is business’ today. “Cinema is a business at the end of the day, and I am a good businessman. I pursue my artistic journey in this business,” stated Ravi Varman and signed off philosophically saying, “Success and failure is karma. I never think about that. I just do my work and sign films (big or small) where I can keep learning and be innovative.”