Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham’s Dishoom Dishoom from the top of a Hummer, Deepika Padukone wooing the audience in ‘Besharam Rang’… ‘Pathan’ was a celebration of action and glamour. One of the main protagonists of the film ‘Pathan’, which is rocking the Indian box offices, is a Malayali. Yes, Satchit Paulus, the cinematographer of Pathan Cinema, hails from Ernakulam. He is the only son of Paulus and Daphne, natives of Muvattupuzha. Satchit’s father CJ was once a star at Pune Institute. Paul Son Satchit Paulus also came to Abhrapalli after studying from the institute. Pathan is Satchith’s debut film. Satchith is also soaring high with Pathan, which is going to be Bollywood’s biggest hit…
∙ About being part of the study.
Pathan is my first feature film. Advertising films were being made. I mostly enjoy shooting cars and bikes. I had a wonderful collaboration with ad directors. Learned a lot from them. A lot of new things could be tried through advertising films. What attracted me to the study were the ingredients that excited me. Car chasing, bike chasing and all my favorite things are in the film. I had been invited to some films before but none of them seemed to excite me. But the study seemed to have the right ingredients for me to work with. There was something about Pathan that attracted me to this film. That’s how the invitation to this film was accepted.
∙Malayali connection in education
I am a native of Ernakulam Muvattupuzha but born and brought up in Bengaluru. After graduating in architecture, he joined the National Institute of Design (NID) to study film and video communication and later specialized in cinematography at the FTII Film Institute, Pune. At FTII I was fortunate to study under talented teachers and meet many people who inspired the art in me. My father C.J. Paulus is also a pass out from the Pune Film Institute, where he studied film direction in 1974. It was only after I joined the Film Institute that I was able to find out a lot about my father himself. It was a new chapter in my life.
∙ Father was a star of Pune Film Institute
I came to know that my father studied at Pune Film Institute. While studying there, my father worked on several documentaries as part of the film division. It was only when I got there that I realized that my father had studied direction and had received many critical awards for his films when he was a student. My father never told me this.
I was interested in music first. I worked with some musical bands in Bengaluru. My father did not think that I should be educated at the Pune Film Institute, but I ended up there. It was a new realization for me that my father is still celebrated and respected at the Film Institute. It was only after learning about him from the institute that I was able to connect with him more. After that, the color of his relationship with his father changed. Talked more about film with dad and was able to learn more.
∙Was Pathan filmed with an IMAX camera?
Pathan was not shot in IMAX. The file was converted to IMAX to get the IMAX experience. Apart from India, Pathan has shot in Spain, UAE, Turkey, Russia, Italy and France. The film’s climax was shot on the frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia. Shooting above the frozen lake is challenging as well as beautiful. If we want to get such a weather we have to plan our shooting in time or the ice will start melting. I came there to shoot in freezing weather. Special care should be taken when driving in snow. Traction and grip can only be obtained by attaching special chains and spikes to the tires. Shooting in such weather is tough because of the extreme cold. Especially when shooting chases and stunts. But once the shoot starts, neither cold nor difficulty becomes a problem. Immerse yourself in the goal of making the film as good as possible and forget everything else. Shooting with Deepika, Shahrukh and John in the frozen lake was a creative experience. This is the first time I am doing a camera in such a place. So I really enjoyed doing that work.
∙ With Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan is a person who gives a lot of positive energy. He enjoys whatever he does. While standing in front of the camera, anything is choreographed so that the camera can capture it. For example, if Shahrukh sees me doing a handheld shot during the action, I have seen him adjust his position to help the camera to make my job easier. It is very helpful in making the shot better. His body coordination and muscle memory are incredible. You can see that he takes care to be right for the light while shooting. I feel like Shah Rukh is dancing with the camera when he acts and it’s a visual treat. Shah Rukh also enjoys doing action choreography. Shahrukh is a very simple superstar. The energy he radiates when he reaches the set is something else. Shah Rukh returned from the set with a smile and a wish from Light Boy to everyone.
∙ How is Pathan different from other Bollywood films?
To be honest I haven’t seen many Bollywood movies and the world of cinema is new to me. I was in the advertising world for so long. That was my Mekha.la I know more about it. Pathan is my first film. There was good coordination between the team members who worked in all areas of Pathan. It is a triumph of teamwork. We were careful to make the film very realistic. The background score by Sanchit Balhara is incomparable and beautiful. Working with director Siddharth Anand was a great experience. Siddharth used to welcome it if I suggested trying something different or experimenting with new references, new colors and so on, if it would benefit the film. As I am a newcomer to cinema and have not seen many Bollywood films, I feel that I was able to approach Pathan very fresh.
∙ Do you watch Malayalam movies? Interested in working in Malayalam Industry?
I have seen classics by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, John Abraham, G Aravindan etc. I have not been able to watch many contemporary Malayalam films. My roots are in Malayalam. So definitely interested to work in Malayalam cinema if given an opportunity.