‘Director Ranjan Sir wanted to set a benchmark in O.Baby’: Cinematographer Arun Chalil
Express News Service
Of late, we are noticing Malayalam filmmakers from an older generation showing an inclination to collaborate with up-and-coming technicians in various departments—a much-welcome move for talents who wouldn’t have attracted notice otherwise. Moreover, it helps bring a new perspective to filmmakers looking to expand their horizons. Such a collaboration materialised recently when director Ranjan Pramod entrusted his latest film, O.Baby, to the hands of cinematographer Arun Chalil, who had, up until that point, only one feature-length movie to his credit, Kallan D’Souza (2022).
“Ranjan sir accorded me complete freedom,” says Arun. “Of course, he was completely monitoring it, but he unleashed me on the set in a way that enabled me to work well, and I’m grateful to him for that. He was receptive to new ideas.”
Working on O.Baby was, for Arun, a dream come true as he remembers getting enamoured of cinematographer N. Alagappan’s work in Ranjan Pramod’s Mohanlal-starrer Photographer (2006) while pursuing a Visual Communication course.
“Getting a chance to shoot on forest terrain with a director who had once traversed the same in Photographer is a surreal experience,” muses Arun, who first landed an assistant cinematographer gig in Madhupal’s directorial debut Thalappavu, following which he got to work with Alagappan in Sathyan Anthikad’s Innathe Chinthavishayam (2008).
“Ranjan sir gave Malayalam cinema a different face. I would also say the same of Amal Neerad sir, with whom I worked in 5 Sundarikal. Had I not, at the time, committed to doing some ads, I would’ve worked with the latter in Iyobinte Pusthakam.”
As much as Arun was excited about the prospect of shooting inside the forest, he didn’t find it an effortless endeavour either. “The risk factor is huge. You have all these expensive cameras, lenses, and all other gear to carry while climbing, like going for a hunt or something with a heavy arsenal. We had to use a rope to climb. We are talking about some of the toughest terrain here. With all the rain, the chances of slipping are high. It takes a lot of effort. While shooting for a certain sequence, Dileesh ettan had an accident and broke his leg. It’s essential to have your passion being a motivating factor. Everyone on the team worked hard to execute these sequences, and that’s why O.Baby needs the big screen experience, given the scale of it all…”
While on location photography, Ranjan Pramod was particular about setting a benchmark with O.Baby, a challenge to which Arun rose. “Let’s remember that Dileesh ettan had set a benchmark with his portrayal of Idukki in Maheshinte Prathikaram, and Ranjan sir wanted to do something of that sort in our film too. After watching the film, a few people asked us where these spots were or whether it was all CGI; all are actual locations,” asserts the Kannur native, who found some of the region’s natural phenomena stunning, such as the cloud variations. “We don’t see these things in movies today. People don’t seem to be interested.”
Why? “I think it’s because they are concerned that audiences won’t like it if such variations are present in a scene.”
Arun wanted to break that notion. He looked at the possibility of capturing all those through digital cameras. “It was another risky idea because of the wind and all the clouds passing swiftly. Ranjan sir wanted these visuals captured just as they are, and I’m not sure any other director would’ve accepted that. I would say it’s for those visuals that I got the highest appreciation.”
Considering the astute observational skills of today’s audiences, the team decided to shoot the night portions at night (instead of day for night). “O.Baby was shot on a tight schedule, during a particular time of the day, for which the cast was completely on board. These Gemini cameras work so well in low-light situations. There was a particular sequence where we had to create an otherwordly atmosphere in order to make people wonder whether it was a dream. The inspiration for Ranjan sir was the Garden of Eden itself. In fact, he pictured all the events in the film as happening in the same garden—during the beginning of time.”
This inspiration seems to have dictated the colour palette too. Green is the predominant colour owing to its soothing quality. The two conflicting families’ homes, too, had specific colour palettes. “The choice of colours in and of itself is a political one,” says Arun. “Dileesh ettan’s character lives in a home painted with bright colours, as are the clothes his family members wear. However, the family on the opposite side is characterised by white and elegant colours.”
Some of the most memorable images in the film have Dileesh Pothan in the background, pictured parallelly with a pig getting barbecued in the foreground. The analogy here is obvious, achieved through calculated composition. “One can interpret such images in any way,” adds Arun.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the exceptional fight choreography (by Unni Perumal), executed to create the impression it was all improvised. “Ranjan sir and I were particular about making it look that way. We weren’t interested in doing it in a cinematic manner, and that’s why it worked so well —plopping the viewer in the thick of the action, all captured through a handheld camera. We used the same approach in the other fights, including the intense climax, because the idea was to sustain the intensity. Handheld works when used sparingly. We shouldn’t overdo it; use only when really necessary.”
And what about Nalan, the dog—who had a notable presence in the film? “You know, he was just eight months old when he started working, and now he is acting in Suriya’s film, Kanguva. Would you believe it if I told you that everything Nalan did in our film was the outcome of training? He was with Ranjan sir all the time and was living in the facility adjacent to Ranjan sir. He had 5-star treatment on our sets,” recalls Arun with a smile.
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