‘Always finding a new way to redefine my craft’, says Cinematographer Saket Saurabh

By Online Desk

Best known for national award-winning films ‘The Lost Behrupiya’, ‘Aadha Chand Tum Rak Lo’, Cinematographer Saket Saurabh talks about his upcoming thriller film tentatively titled ‘Surveillance’ starring Dhruva Karunakar, Aksha Pardasani and Madhoo Shah.

Surveillance is a fictional story of a Biomedical Researcher who has found an ayurvedic serum against cancer and dies in an SHS-protected Safehouse. Safe House Surveillance (SHS) is an agency of the Indian Government that protects important individuals in the country. 

Giving insights about the same, Saket shares, “The working title, “Surveillance” (name yet to decide), is a mystery thriller set in a present-day suburban town. It’s a story of a veteran undercover agent who works for a top-secret government agency mission named “Safe House”. It provides a safe and secure environment for precious assets of the nation like researchers, doctors, and scholars who refuse to take any security and are targeted by hostile organizations seeking to exploit their groundbreaking work.”

The story starts when an asset of the Safe House blows the whistle against the pharmaceutical mafia. The cast of this film includes renowned actors such as Madhoo, known for her memorable role in the film “Roja,” Anil George, recognized for his performance in the popular series “Mirzapur,” Aksha Pardasani, who gained recognition from her role in “Jamtara,” and Dhruva Karunakar.

Saket has worked with all Bollywood biggies including Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Prakash Jha, Dhanush and many more apart from sharing a great bond of work with renowned Bollywood directors and producers such as Mani Ratnam, PC Sriram, Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra, R. Balki, etc.

Sharing about his journey as a cinematographer he tells, “My first influence for aesthetics came as a child as I distinctly remember picturing the moving clouds, stars, and moon in the folk stories my mother told me while we slept on the terrace at night. My first affair with image formation was with a Yashica SLR camera to capture relatives’ wedding ceremonies which I immensely enjoyed and thereafter my journey as a visual storyteller started. After lots of even-odds, I landed in Chennai, joined LV Prasad Academy as a cinematography student, and my journey began by assisting legendary cinematographer PC Sriraam.”

Cinematographers evoke emotions through the lens and lights. Every shot is carefully crafted, with a deep understanding of composition, colour, and movement, resulting in visually stunning and immersive cinematic worlds. With a keen eye for detail and an innate sense of light and shadow, this visionary cinematographer transforms how we experience cinema.

Speaking about the kind of challenges cinematographers face, Saket says, “As a cinematographer, there are various challenges that can be encountered throughout the filmmaking process. My worry is not always getting comfortable and always finding a new way to redefine my craft. My primary role as a cinematographer is to give the director’s vision to visual life and help him translate the story on the screen where I try to understand their ideas and interpret them most efficiently.”

“We(cinematographers) work closely with various departments, including direction, production design, art direction, editing, costume design, gaffer, grips, sound design, VFX, special effects, choreography, stunt team, post-production, and more so effective communication among all departments are very necessary to find creative solutions for every problem. Each production brings unique circumstances, and cinematographers must be flexible, creative, and technically skilled to overcome these challenges and create visually compelling films,” he added.

<br /> Best known for national award-winning films ‘The Lost Behrupiya’, ‘Aadha Chand Tum Rak Lo’, Cinematographer Saket Saurabh talks about his upcoming thriller film tentatively titled ‘Surveillance’ starring Dhruva Karunakar, Aksha Pardasani and Madhoo Shah.</p> <p>Surveillance is a fictional story of a Biomedical Researcher who has found an ayurvedic serum against cancer and dies in an SHS-protected Safehouse. Safe House Surveillance (SHS) is an agency of the Indian Government that protects important individuals in the country. </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Giving insights about the same, Saket shares, “The working title, “Surveillance” (name yet to decide), is a mystery thriller set in a present-day suburban town. It’s a story of a veteran undercover agent who works for a top-secret government agency mission named “Safe House”. It provides a safe and secure environment for precious assets of the nation like researchers, doctors, and scholars who refuse to take any security and are targeted by hostile organizations seeking to exploit their groundbreaking work.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });</p> <p>The story starts when an asset of the Safe House blows the whistle against the pharmaceutical mafia. The cast of this film includes renowned actors such as Madhoo, known for her memorable role in the film “Roja,” Anil George, recognized for his performance in the popular series “Mirzapur,” Aksha Pardasani, who gained recognition from her role in “Jamtara,” and Dhruva Karunakar.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Cinematographer Saket Saurabh</p> <p>Saket has worked with all Bollywood biggies including Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Prakash Jha, Dhanush and many more apart from sharing a great bond of work with renowned Bollywood directors and producers such as Mani Ratnam, PC Sriram, Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra, R. Balki, etc.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Sharing about his journey as a cinematographer he tells, “My first influence for aesthetics came as a child as I distinctly remember picturing the moving clouds, stars, and moon in the folk stories my mother told me while we slept on the terrace at night. My first affair with image formation was with a Yashica SLR camera to capture relatives’ wedding ceremonies which I immensely enjoyed and thereafter my journey as a visual storyteller started. After lots of even-odds, I landed in Chennai, joined LV Prasad Academy as a cinematography student, and my journey began by assisting legendary cinematographer PC Sriraam.”</p> <p>Cinematographers evoke emotions through the lens and lights. Every shot is carefully crafted, with a deep understanding of composition, colour, and movement, resulting in visually stunning and immersive cinematic worlds. With a keen eye for detail and an innate sense of light and shadow, this visionary cinematographer transforms how we experience cinema.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.82 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.82 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Speaking about the kind of challenges cinematographers face, Saket says, “As a cinematographer, there are various challenges that can be encountered throughout the filmmaking process. My worry is not always getting comfortable and always finding a new way to redefine my craft. My primary role as a cinematographer is to give the director’s vision to visual life and help him translate the story on the screen where I try to understand their ideas and interpret them most efficiently.”</p> <p>“We(cinematographers) work closely with various departments, including direction, production design, art direction, editing, costume design, gaffer, grips, sound design, VFX, special effects, choreography, stunt team, post-production, and more so effective communication among all departments are very necessary to find creative solutions for every problem. Each production brings unique circumstances, and cinematographers must be flexible, creative, and technically skilled to overcome these challenges and create visually compelling films,” he added.<br />