Kochi: Meera Jasmine is one of the few female actors who has displayed her versatility with every character she has played. Following in her footsteps her brother Georgy Joseph is also stepping into films, but as a cinematographer.
Ask him if his sister Meera influenced him to get into films, he says that was a mere coincidence. “Our thinking and perception always matched. When I began to appreciate films, she had already begun to establish herself as an actor. However, she always insisted I grab the first opportunity that came my way to realise my ambition. I knew this is a creative job.
To create an aesthetic sense, one needs to experience it first. So, I worked as an assistant cameraman for eight years.”
The young cinematographer who debuted as cameraman with Homely Meals says, “Homely Meals is my first independent venture as a cinematographer and I am so happy to be a part of it. This is a concept we have been working for one and half years. I and Anoop Kannan, the director of the movie, met on the sets of Classmates and since then have shared a good rapport and that’s how the idea of this movie was born.”
Talking about the craft he has used in the movie Georgy says, “The story is set in 2005, a time when technology advancement in Kerala was just beginning. So the main challenge while shooting the movie was to be realistic without getting gimmicky.”
Georgy’s love affair with the camera began in his school days, when he wanted to become a photojournalist. However, he later realised that cinema was his true calling. “Initially I wanted to become a photojournalist. But at some point, I started developing a love for cinema and I began to pursue it as a career.”
Georgy has worked with ace cinematographers like Rajeev Ravi and Manoj Pillai. Quiz him about what took him so long to start his career as an independent cinematographer, Georgy says, “I wanted to learn the working of this industry in depth and I believe that helped me a lot when I cranked the camera for Homely Meals. I could relate myself with some of the characters in the movie.”
Georgy hopes to work with his sister in the future.
He says, “We used to discuss cinema a lot. Jasmine’s character in Ore Kadal is my all time favourite as that was one of a kind character you don’t find in films easily. She is also looking for a good story to return to cinema. I and Jasmine are looking for a unique story on which we could work together.”
