At sunset, the rays dance across the frames lined up at Thiruvanmiyur MRTS Park. Some glow in the golden hour light while others rest in shadow. People move through these shifting silhouettes, exercising and strolling past the large movie-set stills. A sparkle of recognition cross their faces as they pause before each frame. Then, slowly, their lips curve into nostalgic smiles — one that carries them back to their younger days.
These photographs that have been exhibited were clicked by Lakshmikanthan T, a veteran still photographer, between 1977 and 1983. “We have had access to a very small slice of his (Lakshmikanthan’s) archive, only 10 movies from a specific time. I had a list of about 60 movies I wanted to exhibit from the 200-odd films he worked on. Of the 60, 20 made the final list. From that, we got from one through 10, and it was time for his medicine, so we had to leave. So this six-year window is what we see here today,” points out Nirmal Rajagopalan, curator of ‘Maasaru Kaatchiyavaruku: Celebrating Lakshmikantan’s Five Decades on Sets of Tamil Cinema’, as part of Chennai Photo Biennale.
Frozen moments, lasting stories
Nirmal explains the role of a still photographer. The lensman has two important roles: to click continuity shots and to take photos for publicity. Continuity shots are used to check a scene’s setting, the positioning of props, the actor’s costumes, the lighting and more. “These photographers capture significant moments during the entire life span of a film. The second main responsibility is to click photos of casting, look shoots, costume shots, and film photos and send them out to the press,” shares Nirmal.
Talking about techniques used by still photographers back then, Nirmal says that in the 70s and 80s, fixed-length lenses were the only ones available, so the photographer shot what he could from where he stood. If it was just a photographer, he might frame the scene and click. Since the best angle was the cinematographer’s point of view, the photographer had to position himself slightly below the cinematographer’s camera. “That is why we could see some fingers or half a face in some of these photographs, but that’s just how they were shot. But Lakshmikanthan sir was unseen in these frames, he was in the right position to take those shots. He’s always off camera, but close enough, and his work is just magical,” he mentions.
A cinematic time capsule
Sharing some anecdotes, the curator says, “The movies were shot in colour, but the print media was still printing in black and white. Hence, the pictures displayed here are black and white.” In Lakshmikanthan’s career, there was only one double exposure image of Sridevi from the movie 16 Vayathinile. “We don’t know why it shot like that. But it is the magic of Lakshmikanthan sir,” he adds.
A diverse set of images are on display — from innocence to violence, comedy to companionship, habits to beliefs, and candid to posed. All these themes are coupled with Thirukkural. For example, a shot from the 1981 movie Tik Tik Tik where Kamal Hassan plays the role of Dilip, a photographer. In the image, the actor is seen striking a pose, holding cameras and magazines while descending the stairs. The Thirukkural printed on this photo is Kural 236, which translates to ‘Appear with fame if you must appear; or else it is better to not appear at all’.
The idea behind this, according to Nirmal, is: “These images are lyrical and poetic in the sense that when you look at them, a sense of emotion and action is conveyed. There is a hint about what is happening just prior or what is to come just after. And it’s all encapsulated in one single frame. And I thought the Thirukkural does something very similar in just seven words. Each of the couplets compresses a significant amount of meaning into it.”
Framing a legacy
Similar are Lakshmikanthan’s photographs — A scene from Alaigal Oivathillai (1981) where Karthik kneels before his mother to accept his relationship with a Christian girl and the mother blesses them; from 16 Vayathinile (1977) when Kamal Haasan wears trousers for the first time after winning over the enemy; from Sigappu Rojakkal (1978) when Kamal Hassan talks to Sridevi looking at her through a mirror — Each photo has an in-depth meaning if looked at closely, sharing messages of societal differences, triumph and family dynamics.
These photos are compared to the Magnum Book by the visitors. Nirmal says, “One of the visiting photographers was talking about how a lot of these portrait shots are pictures that you see in Western content, like the quality of a Magnum Book. But those are the ones that a photographer is looking at as a reference, to say, this is how I should learn to shoot. But we have localised in-house references. The images on display are just as good, if not better or comparable to what you have grown up learning as a photographer to look at as reference images.”
The 83-year-old Lakshmikanthan is one of the photographers who revolutionised the way cinema set photographs are clicked. His career can be a learning for many budding artistes. Beyond still photographs, he has a huge collection of cameras and lenses. “I hope to have a more structured opportunity to explore his archive and feature his work differently. Maybe that will include and interpret his equipment as well. This will happen at a time unknown,” says Nirmal.
Currently, Nirmal and his team at the Chennai Photo Biennale are celebrating the visual narratives captured by Lakshmikanthan, hoping more Chennaiites will come see the pictures and go on a trip down memory lane. “March 16th is our scheduled close. We are hoping that the corporation would permit us to have the exhibition up for a little while longer,” concludes Nirmal.