Murali G, the cinematographer of Vijay Deverakonda-Samantha’s multi-lingual romance Kushi, has a long travel with the male lead that many don’t know of. “We go way back. I was the cinematographer for his supposed debut, which was planned to be launched around 2012. We worked closely through the pre-production process, only to see the project eventually get shelved.
Then there was another project that did not materialise as well. Finally, we started working together in Kushi after all these years,” says Murali, laughing. The cinematographer made his mark through his collaborations with acclaimed writer-director Pa Ranjith, with whom he has worked in Madras, Kabali, Kaala, and Sarpatta Parambarai.
Kushi is Murali’s sophomore foray into the Telugu film industry, having previously worked in Andala Rakshasi. “I am personally more inclined towards socially conscious cinema with a gritty, realistic tone,” he says. “But romantic films are a different ballgame. There is an additional element of authentic emotion that translates into fantasy, and it is our job as cinematographers to project that abstractness onto the screen.”
Kushi is choc-full of Mani Ratnam references, how much of the auteur’s style seeps into the film’s visuals? Murali comments that the director’s collaborations with PC Sreeram (Alaipayuthey, OK Kanmani, Geethanjali, Thiruda Thiruda) were an inspiration for Team Kushi from the get-go.
“That said, we have carefully tread the line between inspiration and replication, making all due efforts to not fall into the latter category. Considering this is a Telugu film, the sensibilities do lean more towards the commercial side. Director Shiva Nirvana came up with some mainstream inputs, I balanced that out with my real isat i c perspectives.”
Murali has been selective throughout his career, working in just a handful of films over the last 18 years. Commenting on the same, he notes, “I don’t see cinema as a business and I like to be hands-on with my films, involving myself closely from the film’s nascent stage. So, the next destination in my pursuit of authentic artistic expression is direction.”