As a cinematographer, Satya Hegde has captivated an entire state. Over 15 years, he has worked with 25 films and several of them have won awards. In his latest, Maasthi Gudi directed by Nagashekar, the DoP is all set to spin magic.
After hits such as Sanju Weds Geetha and Mynaa, the cinematographer says that a good story needs a good backdrop, without which, even a well-crafted script can fail. “The visualisation holds the audience’s attention,” he says. “Whether the beautiful locales of Bidar shown in Sanju Weds Geetha or the Doodh Sagar Falls, which is now known to Kannadigas as Mynaa falls, I am glad that I presented some of the best locations in the state through Sandalwood. Picturisation is good only when it fits with the script, and this can happen only when the director’s ideas and mine gel.”
For Satya, the most challenging part of shooting for Maasthi Gudi was capturing the beauty of the forest during the off-season. “For my last film, Raate, I had shot at the same location during the rainy season and everything looked green,” he says. “But now, in summer, it is a totally a different picture. We have used a few dry locations, which form the backdrop, and I believe it has produced a unique picturisation.”
The film relied heavily on computer graphics and Satya says that CG work here is not done exactly it is done in Hollywood. “Everything needs to be done along with technical support team,” he says. “In fact, it doubles the work for a cinematographer. A film that brings in CG requires pre-visualisation, otherwise the picturisation and graphics do not sync.”
Maasthi Gudi is the third film for Satya with Vijay, after Duniya and Junglee. “Everytime he sees me, Vijay has only one line to say... Nannannu Chennaagi thorisi (make me look good). So his words are always there in the back of my mind. As an actor, his strength lies in his stunts and talent in acting. But this film also presents Vijay in different get-ups and shades,” says Satya.
The DoP does not believe in travelling abroad or shooting in exotic, foreign locations. “Going out of India and shooting in foreign lands is a not an achievement,” he says. “There are many unexplored locations in our state. I can promise you that after watching Maasthi Gudi, the locations will be a topic of discussion.”
Satya started as an assistant cinematographer and has even worked, in his initial days, with negatives and then slowly transitioned to the digital world. With many still photographers taking a leap-of-faith and turning cinematographers, the competition has only intensified for cinematographers like Satya Hegde. But he says that this is the best time to be in the industry. “I started out when cinematographers were not well respected in the industry. It was the costliest hobby and not everybody could master it, but there would be 10 cinematographers eyeing one project. But today, cinematography has flourished and with digitisation anybody can be a cinematographer. There is healthy competition now, with newcomers who have a fresh vision. But whatever be the changes, all I say is that we focus on the story and go by the script and stay in line with the director’s vision. All the rest is secondary.”