Cinematographer Soumik Haldar gears up for his 100th film

For cinematographer Soumik Haldar, the road from a film school classroom to the sets of 100 feature films has been long, layered and deeply personal. An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Haldar passed out in 2000 and entered the industry in 2002 with Rasta, starring Bratya Basu. “That marked the beginning of my career in cinema,” he said. Over the years, Haldar has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Bengali cinema, including Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Srijit Mukherji, Kamaleswar Mukherjee, Kaushik Ganguly and Dhruva Banerjee. “I had the fortune to work with almost everyone,” he shared. Reflecting on the journey that led him here, Haldar credits Rituparno Ghosh as a defining influence. “Among the people because of whom I’ve been able to achieve this milestone, one of them is definitely Rituparno Ghosh,” he said, adding that Shob Choritro Kalponik gave him a major breakthrough. Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee also played an instrumental role in shaping his career. Another key turning point came with Autograph, directed by Srijit Mukherji. “From Autograph onwards, my professional journey took a significant leap,” Haldar said. His 100th film, Saptadingar Guptodhon, is the fourth instalment of the popular franchise and is set against the backdrop of the Sundarbans. “It has a very interesting background and story,” he said