Virupaksha is all set to release in a few days and Shamdat, the film’s cinematographer is a happy man. Having just witnessed the final cut of the film with sound, Shamdat, who has previously worked in Uppena, Sridevi Soda Center and Ranga Ranga Vaibhavamga is grateful that all the efforts borne by the film’s team have resulted in a decent output.
Speaking to CE over a telephonic interview, Shamdat is particularly effusive in his praise for Virupaksha’s lead actor Sai Dharam Tej.
“He came to work on the film just after his accident, where he had a close brush with death. It must have not been easy to go on with life as usual, but he braved the shoot with a smile. I called him after watching the film and told him that it is his career-best performance. He has done a fabulous job”
Speaking about the creative process behind the frames of Virupaksha, a mystical thriller, Shamdat says, “It is extremely imperative that the films we shoot match international standards. I went for a simple, realistic approach with Virupaksha. Simplicity is ironically the most complicated thing. In commercial films, we usually have to figure out how to do lighting for the hero and heroine separately. That was not the case with Virupaksha, because we did lighting for the story holistically keeping in mind the film’s mood and themes.”
Shamdat also notes that the realism he adopted in his cinematography also put the actors at ease.
“I did not want the actors to feel like they are in a film, the lighting we create should enable them to perform freely and confidently.”
Anticipating the care and attention to detail required for the film, Shamdat also remembers how he advised the director to edit the story on the writing table itself, lest they overshoot the film and lose it all on the edit table. Virupaksha is all set to release on April 21.