Mumbai: As a cinematographer, your mind is always buzzing with ideas. From the moment the script lands in your hands to the day you step on set, there’s an ongoing inner dialogue—thinking about everything from art direction to costumes.
One of the most critical aspects is the color palette. Staying aligned with your production designer and costume designer right from the start is essential, since their choices can either enrich or disrupt the visual storytelling of the film.
For Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, we were fortunate to have a creative team that constantly delivered fresh ideas. My responsibility was to prepare an initial look board for the film—something my team and I crafted as a visual guide. When we presented it to the director, he appreciated it, and that became the foundation for the film’s overall color design.
On the technical side, director Santosh Singh wanted to break away from conventional filmmaking patterns. For conversation sequences, we deliberately avoided standard over-the-shoulder shots. Since Vikrant Massey’s character is blind, and Shanaya’s character is blindfolded as part of her preparation, there were no conventional eyelines. This gave us the freedom to experiment beyond typical cinematography rules.
I must credit Santosh Singh—he allows complete creative freedom, stepping in only when something drifts away from the narrative. His openness ensures that good ideas always support the story.
Of course, this posed unique challenges for my focus puller. When actors can’t see, you can’t expect them to hit precise marks. He had to depend on instinct and visual judgment to maintain sharp focus, going beyond standard techniques.
Working with Vikrant is always rewarding. He instinctively knows where the light falls, the lens in use, and the dolly’s movement, making the cinematographer’s task much smoother.
Shanaya, too, was flawless—always attentive to direction, with an incredible presence before the camera. She catches light beautifully, and it feels almost natural to her.
In the end, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan was both a challenge and a joy. If given the opportunity, I would happily collaborate with the same team again and again.
