Tanvir Mir, the man behind the stunning visuals in the recent Mysskin’s venture, Psycho, briefs about his experience in the film. He talks about how it is to work with the writer-director Mysskin, the one of the most enigmatic minds in Tamil cinema. He talks about the director’s headspace and his stretch of madness in conceiving a film like Psycho and how he was able to give life to his ideas through the imagery. We had a handful of questions for him and he was sweet enough to answer each of them patiently.
It was P.C Sreeram, who was said to be the cinematographer for Psycho initially. Tell us about the turn of events that got you on board to the project..
I was in Mumbai at the time. I was grading in Prasad studio for my Marathi film. I got a call from P.C. sir. And the next moment I was on my way to the Airport and came straight to Chennai at the set of Psycho. I entered the project in its initial stage itself. I came into the film because of PC sreeram sir suddenly felt unwell and that’s when he called me to take over. P.C. Sir is my mentor, a fatherly figure, a Guru, not just to me.. to all of his assistants. And if he says something to us, We take it up as an order. We respect his words. We show our deference for his one word and complete his order as our responsibility. To the person I have turned today, it’s because of him. That’s how it happened.
It’s a big team – the film has many outstanding people in its crew, Music Maestro Ilaiyaraja, Writer-Director Mysskin and more to name a few. Could you tell us if there was any pressure within you and if so, how did you handle it?
No, there is no pressure at all. When we worked with P.C sir, We have handled a lot more pressure. I joined P.C sir’s team and worked closely with him for almost 7 years. I was working as his associate for OK Kanmani, Shamitabh, Ki & Ka to name a few. When I worked with him, he trained me in a way that I would not know what the pressure means. You will feel the pressure when you don’t know your craft. But P.C sir trains his associates to acquire knowledge in all the aspects of film making and not just cinematography. There are around 21 departments that come together to create a cinema. The Makeup, the Art, the Direction, the Production Design, the Music, the Audiography and many more. You don’t need to be master of all crafts but you need to know basics of each craft. And P.C sir makes sure that we do. We got to learn the whole filmmaking process when we worked with him. I am glad that I didn’t feel the pressure.
The response to the film is incredible. Audiences rave over the fact that the cinematography is the most real headturning aspect of Psycho, How do you feel about how your work is being received?
I am glad the film is doing well. But I’ll tell you there is no such thing as good cinematography or bad cinematograhy. Good cinematography is something that does justice to the vision of the script. It’s a beautiful script and my job is to bring the visuals on the celluloid, on the screen exactly how I read it. You can never degrade the script, you can only enhance it through your skills. And when I do justice to the script, that’s the most satisfying moment in my work. Hard work pays off.
What is your Guru, P.C. Sreeram’s response to your work in Psycho? Did he share his appreciation or criticism with you?
I am not sure if he has seen the film in theatre but he has been praising the film on his Twitter handle. P.C sir never tells us that we did a good job. He is usually calm if he is satisfied with the visuals. He wouldn’t say that we did a good job. Because I think it’s essential not to get those appreciations to our heads which might limit us to progress further. Everyday brings new challenges and one can’t prepare himself more for the challenges that yet to come. Everyday, We are in dire need to bring justice to our work. Everyday is a learning process. And I am still learning from my mentors to get it perfect everytime.
How is it to work with the Director Mysskin?
Mysskin sir is wonderful to work with. I am very fortunate to work with him because he knows his craft very well. He exactly knows what he wants, how he wants it. He is one of the directors who is very well-read. It is actually fulfilling to work with him. We always discuss on the set. he is very clear about what he wants in his work.
Did you have any arguments with Mysskin about how he wants his script to be presented?
There is always room for healthy arguments when we work with Mysskin sir. And it’s called healthy discussions. We have discussions before every scene. When he writes a scene, he has a visual in his mind on how it should be captured. To be a cinematographer in Mysskin sir’s film, you have to be a really good listener. Before you speak out, before you say something, you, first, listen to him. It’s my job to listen to him and to know what he wants. Becasue he is the writer. I should conceive the scene just the way how he expects it to be done. That’s the beginning point. And then we discuss about the camera placements and the rest. The scenes with Aditi Rao Hydari, He had a scheme in his mind. I too had a scheme in my mind after reading the script. He listens to my inputs too. We come together on the decision when he always says what’s the best for the final output. And I listen to him too. I should only help him to get what he wants rather how I would want it to be done. Because, ultimately, the script is his child. It’s my job to present what’s written on the script. When I read a script, some visuals always strike my mind and I should be succeedding in giving life to that imagery when it comes on the screen. Generally, I should never incorporate any ideas that would change the intended mood of a scene. I should only abide by the script by bringing justice to it.
You’re from P.C Sreeram’s team. Could you tell us any particular thing that you learned from him that you got to apply in Psycho?
I spent 6-7 years with P.C sir and it is a journey that lasts for my lifetime. I had the chance to witness the master of his craft. He is not just a great cinematographer, He is the best storyteller I could think of. When you look at the camera placements, the camera movements in OK Kanmani, it is really beautiful. He has a vision for how to tell a story through his device. The most important thing that one can learn from P.C sir is how incredibly one could show the brilliance in placing the camera. At the same time, I learned about the editing process too while conceiving the scenes. You will learn what shot we should cut to after each shot, when should we cut to close up and to shoot for a match cut, and keeping in mind at the same time not to cross 180 unless called for deliberately etc. You will learn to edit while you are on the camera itself. If I had not joined P.C sir, I wouldn’t have had the chance to learn about the entire film making process. The few years, I spent with him at least made me today of who I am, to do justice for the film I work on and apply my learnings. He is a film school himself. These are the things I learned from him that are going to stay with me for my lifetime.
What are your upcoming projects?
I had just finished a hindi film with the legendary director Rajkumar Santhoshi who is known for Ghayal, Damini, Andaz Apna Apna, Pukar and many more. I started working on his film “Bad Boy” when I was working on Psycho. I finished a Marathi film too. I have signed up for a Telugu film, it is in pre-production stage. I got calls for Tamil films too when I already signed up for the one in Telugu. But I am looking forward to work more projects in Tamil as well. When I worked on OK Kanmani with P.C Sir, he said it was time for me to go on my own, to start my own journey. He asked me to go on the field and meet him there as a competitor. His love and care is always there. I am on the field with his blessings. But if P.C sir calls me any time to work with him again, I would drop everything in a second and go to him. My respect for him knows no bounds. Not just me, all of his assistance Sathya, Vivek, Karthik, Nirav sir would tell the same thing. They would drop immediately anything at his one word and be ready to fulfill his commands. It would be a fulfilling experience to get a chance to work with him again.
We wished him all the best for his future endeavours. We are eagerly looking forward to witness some more of his excellent works.
As told to Anjali Raga Jammy, Penbugs
