Shamdat Sain: Frames of versatility

Even though cinematographer Shamdat Sain has been active in Malayalam film industry for the past 10 years, it was after he cranked the camera for Ulaganayakan Kamal Hassan’s Viswaroopam 2 and Uttamavillain that he became popular among film buffs. The cinematographer, who made a comeback to Malayalam with Fahadh Faasil-starrer Ayal Njanalla, is now getting busy here. Shamdat, who cranked the camera for the recent hit Kattapanayile Rithwik Roshan, is now working on Raffi's Role Models.  Sham says it was at the behest of actor Dileep with whom he has worked in Marykkundoru Kunjadu that director Nadhir Shah approached him for the KRR. “One day, Dileep called me and said Nadhir Shah liked my work and would approach me soon. It was later that I came to know that he was planning to offer me his second film KRR. In fact, I was very eager to work with him,” he says.”

Many of his well wishers asked Sham why he said yes to a non-star film, when he was working with big stars like Kamal Hassan, Mammootty, Prithviraj and Dileep. “I wanted to do different kinds of films. You can see that in the movies I have done so far. For choosing this movie, I have many reasons — first, I liked the subject and screenplay. Second, it was set against the backdrop of Idukki, which gave me more space as a cinematographer. And of course, the director has been my idol during my mimicry days. I used to lift many of his numbers when I had a troupe Jolly Rambers,”  he laughs.

It was his friendship with Raffi that led him to take up Role Models. “It was while working with his brother Shafi's Make Up Man that I became close to Raffi ikka. He was then shooting his multi-starrer China Town at Ramoji Film City, where Make Up Man was also being filmed. He called me for the clashworks of China Town and his first independent project Ring Master. Role Models will be my first 'complete' film with him,” he says. Quizzed whether he was interested in direction like many of his contemporaries, he says, "Of course, I love cinema. I joined the film institute to study acting and later shifted to cinematography. My ultimate aim is to do a film. I hope it would happen soon."