‘All on my own’

A still photographer, who has now established himself as a cameraman, Bhuvan has won praise from all corners for his latest film Pushpaka Vimana.
‘All on my own’

Bhuvan Gowda’s cinematography was what stood out in films such as Ugramm and Rathaavara. A still photographer, who has now established himself as a cameraman, Bhuvan has won praise from all corners for his latest film Pushpaka Vimana starring Ramesh Aravind.  

He has excelled in action-packed films and story-driven films, the next challenge is to picturise the period drama, KGF, starring Yash. For this a big-budget film, Bhuvan will work with Prashanth Neel for the second time.

Bhuvan chats with City Express about his craft and what it feels like to be a cinematographer. “I am my own teacher and a student... I learn from my own mistakes,” he says. “Other than a two-month course on lights, I have never enrolled for classes or assisted anyone in films. My years with still-photography is what guided me in my cinematography. I am glad that my work has finally paid of, says Bhuvan.

He says that all his learning from still photography, about lighting, colours and background, was adapted for cinematography. “I realised that, unlike in photography, I can’t play around too much with a video,” he says. “I have never liked using (Adobe) Photoshop so I try my best to work with a natural backdrop. The  moment I listen to a script, I think of the colours that needs to be considered for the story and accordingly plan for the locations. Along with colours, lighting is also important. Lighting and colour will vary between action-oriented and content-driven scripts. The latter depends mostly on visuals, which keeps the audience’ attention, and I have used that method in Pushpaka Vimana.”

He says that his latest film is also a vindication. “The appreciation I have received for Pushpaka Vimana has silenced a few people in the industry, who believed that I could only do action films.”
The cinematographer knows that his next, a period film like KGF, will require much preparation. “The advantage is that I have known director Prashanth Neel for a while now, and he has great visual sense. But then again, a period drama requires much background work and I interact more often with the art department and I am constantly in touch with Shivu.

I also join the team every time they go for a recce. Since it is period action drama, I will be taking off green from the frames and will maintain the (brownish) colour of rocks. We are working with detailed sketches,” he says.
Bhuvan is confident that KGF, which will roll out from first week of February, will be on par with Bollywood and south-Indian film standards. “KGF is the opportunity of a lifetime,” he says.

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The New Indian Express
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