Shekhar Kapoor remembers cinematographer Peter Pereira: He was a gentle genius

Cinematographer Peter Pereira who passed away on 10 January created magic on screen from behind the screen. He shot six of Manmohan Desai’s biggest blockbusters beginning with Sachcha Jhutha in 1970, followed by Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Amar Akbar Anthony, Desh Premee, Coolie and Mard.
Manmohan Desai considered Peter to be indispensable to his cinema. “Amitabh, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Peter are the three kingpins of my cinema.I would be lost without them,” Desai had once conceded.
Peter’s piece de resistance was Shekhar Kapur’s Mr India in which Peter not only did the cinematography for but also contributed to the special effects.
Shekhar recalls Peter and says, “He was a gentle genius. Patient. Always innovative. Constantly coming up with solutions. Mr India still stands tall as a spectacular visual effects film. And that too from long before we had sophisticated digital visual effects. Remember the scene where the kid and Mr India first discover the invisibility bracelet? That scene required three passes of the film negative in the same frame! It was the most patient and careful work I’ve ever seen on camera.”