The sunlight crashes inside the penthouse of a sprawling high-rise in Chennai like waves against a shoreline. Fitting, since it houses a sorcerer of light—cinematographer Ravi Varman. This year’s national award winner has dominated cinematography in the Indian film industry for the past two and a half decades. He has a unique ability to lend life and colour to the landscapes visualised by filmmakers. From period dramas to romances to action thrillers, Varman has experimented with glare and flare, silhouettes, and out-of-focus frames. The dramatic use of colour in each frame— whether in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013) or in Shankar’s Indian 2 this year—has become his signature.
“I have learnt everything I know from day-today life,” he tells THE WEEK, seated on a sofa in a small work room that is crowded with books by the likes of Ci.Su. Chellappa, Thi. Janakiraman, Ashokamitran, Jayakanthan, and Sundara Ramasamy. “It was Chellappa’s novels that shaped my thoughts and gave me an understanding of modern literature.” In a corner of the room is his old Zenith 6 camera, which he bought with his first salary to learn photography.
This story is from the September 08, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 08, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Next industrial revolution will be driven by biotechnology and bio-economy
IN AUGUST 2024, the Union cabinet approved the BioE3 policy—Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment, a framework policy to leverage biotechnology for India's economic growth, environmental sustainability and employment generation. It prioritises bio-manufacturing initiatives in various sectors like biopolymers, smart proteins, bio-therapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, and marine and space research.
Sync the watch; go clockwise
Time travel is all fiction. You get into a time machine, shut yourself in, and vroom! The next moment (oops! no 'next moment' in time travel) you show up in Akbar's court, Asoka's vihaara or Ajatashatru's battlefield. Take care; the last guy killed his own pop.
Give or take
The power-sharing pact in Karnataka cannot be conveniently forgotten now
The AAP doesn't have a face
WHILE THE BJP has swept the last three Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, it has faltered at the assembly stage. Since October, Baijayant Panda, BJP national vice-president and Lok Sabha member from Odisha, has been spearheading the party's campaign to break its “capital jinx”. In an interview with THE WEEK at his home, adorned with works of Jamini Roy and M.F. Husain, Panda was optimistic that Delhi voters were ready for change. Excerpts:
Free for all
The Delhi elections will be a referendum on freebie politics, and the stakes have never been higher for the Aam Aadmi Party
Claim the name
What's in a name? Shakespeare asked. A rose by any other name would still smell divine. Yet, call it \"bramble-blossom\" and it immediately loses its allure. In that single twist of language, we experience how names can alter our perception of the world. Name is not a mere label to identify us. In carefully chosen syllables, it is an echo of our roots and a tribute to the faith others have placed in us. It carries with it the memories and legends of the ones who have come before us and also the gentle reminder of new beginnings.
Doctor's doctors
Internists deal with prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all kinds of diseases, while also coordinating with doctors across specialties
WORK THIS OUT!
What is the true cost of a 90-hour workweek? Reduced productivity, mental health issues and severe health risks, say doctors
The experience of oppression
The British enacted several laws that might appear liberal, only to then veto the invocation of progressive measures. Nevertheless, these milestones guided the founding fathers in conceiving and creating the Constitution of India
One, two, buckle my shoe!
“Darling,” I said to my life companion of more years than I care to remember, “Do you think there is any correlation between pain in the feet and attending prayer meetings?”“You really are a stupid old man!” said the light of my life. “Can’t you think of anything more bizarre so late at night?”
