Taking a different angle: Mahesh Muthuswami

���������I really wanted to have some body of work behind me before talking to the media. It was only during the promotions for my previous film Vamsam that I interacted with presspersons for the first time,��������� begins Mahesh Muthuswami, who has received critical acclaim from the likes of Sasikumar, Sasi and Balaji Shaktivel, Pandiraj and Samuthirakani on his captivating visuals in Nandalala.
Formerly a mechanical engineer, Mahesh ��������� who has also worked on Chithiram Pesuthadi and Anjathey ��������� is a product of the prestigious National Film Institute in Pune. He says, ���������We had students from all over India with different ideas and approaches to films and filmmaking.���������
And when maverick cinematographer P C Sreeram decided to take him under his wings, Mahesh couldn���������t believe his good fortune. Interestingly, it was his mentor who was initially supposed to do Nandalala. ���������But the film didn���������t take off then and Mysskin began Anjathey,��������� says the cameraman, who was recommended to the director for Chithiram Pesuthadi by editor Mu Kasi Viswanathan.
Unlike most directors, Mahesh says, Mysskin doesn���������t narrate the film to his cameraman. ���������Instead, he gives me the bound script and once I read that, I give him my feedback. On reading Nandalala���������s script, I was moved,��������� he recounts.
The low angles and wide frames that we see often in their collaborations, Mahesh says, reflect Mysskin���������s personal tastes. ���������Mysskin believes that he has to go for a close-up only when needed. In fact, in Nandalala, we have only a couple of instances when we have gone for close-ups. As his cinematographer, I serve his vision,��������� he elaborates.
Legs are another constant motif in Mysskin���������s films and Mahesh explains that they have used this to great effect in a few critical scenes in Nandalala too. ���������A face can, at times, express too much of information whereas legs convey very little and help in maintaining an ambivalent tone,��������� he remarks.
So, what���������s next? ���������I���������m also busy working on animation film, Alibaba and the 41 Thieves.��������� Animation film? Mahesh explains, ���������Yes. In animation, a shot goes through various stages. A cameraman���������s job is to sit with the animators and help them design the visuals. During a peak period called blocking, he has to be with the animators for two to three months at a stretch. After that, he has to only supervise the work on the other stages. We recently showed some footage at an international animation conference and the delegates were amazed by the quality!���������
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