Behind the lens

Mukesh G is on something of a lucky streak this year — his latest project Dear Dad, directed by Tanuj Brahmar and starring Arvind Swamy has been met with a positive response. Having been roped in for Puri Jagannath’s Rogue, which wrapped up shooting, he has also been signed on as cinematographer for another Telugu movie. Produced by NTR Arts half of this yet-to-be-titled movie, will be shot in Spain. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect as he was set to leave for Hyderabad the next day.

“It’s a milestone in my career,” says Mukesh on his Tolly projects and being signed on by NTR Arts, “As a cinematographer, I want work in all the major regional film industries and not be stuck in one thing.” That said, it looks like 2016 will be for Telugu films only as he won’t have time for much else! This profession was something he has been leaning towards since his 15-year-old self was completely taken by Santosh Sivan’s camera work in Kala Pani. And it has come full circle as the ace cinematographer congratulated Mukesh for his work in Dear Dad. “Arvind Swamy and he are good friends and after a private screening, Santosh sir texted me saying he appreciated my work. I couldn’t believe it and I told him that he was the one who started it for me all those years ago,” he smiles.

The Hindi film, his first one in B’town, was completely different from what he has done before. Having worked mostly in ad films under various cinematographers like PS Vinod, Mukesh had branched out on his own in 2010, entering commercial films with Andhra Mess. Dear Dad turned out to be his first art house film, totaling his feature length productions to four. “Each film has to be treated differently and with that in mind, I chose to shoot the whole film in 1.85:1 ratio, which is rarely seen in commercial films. The shooting was completed in 29 days, but I never felt any pressure. As an art house film, it was content-driven and the whole thing was very satisfying for me creatively and I could focus on framing each scene well,” he says. Also, the reception the team received was phenomenal and heartwarming — after watching the film, a few people reached out to them on social media, having been encouraged to come out of the closet themselves! It’s good to make a difference.

Yet, life never really stops and Mukesh’s ambition to be technically diverse calls to him. He’s done ad films, feature films, shorts and now, TV series is something he is looking forward to as well. “TV and online series will be on the rise, judging by how well Netflix and other websites are doing. R&D is happening in a small way and I definitely want to be a part of it,” he says. He is yet to make his debut in a full-scale commercial Kolly film — something he is eagerly looking forward to. Malayalam movies are also in his bucketlist. The only bit of bad luck we can confess — he had to turn down an offer from Malayalam due to prior commitments. But that’s not going to happen again. With his current streak, we’re sure it will happen.