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Meet Senthil Kumar, the Man Who Shot the ‘Baahubali’ Films

Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar tell us what makes ‘Baahubali’ director SS Rajamouli tick.

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Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar had worked with director SS Rajamouli on 5 projects before deciding to dedicate 5 years of his life to the two Baahubali films. I spoke with the talented lensman about Rajamouli, the Baahubali films and the art of juggling camera work with VFX in cinema today.

Q: You graduated from the Film and TV Institute of India (FTII), Pune, what drove your interest in filmmaking? What were your early influences which made you want to pursue filmmaking or cinematography?

Senthil Kumar: To be very frank, filmmaking happened to me by accident, I was not interested in cinema, I was preparing for my civil services exams. To be in the mode for competitive exams, I wrote the film institute exam also. After I got through the exams and went for the orientation course, they have a one week orientation course which happens, so when I went there then I came to know about the process of filmmaking and thought it was very fascinating. Then I decided that even if I don’t get through this year, I’m going to join filmmaking.

One of the first films I saw at the institute was a film called Red Beard by Akira Kurosawa and I was really impressed. I never knew that another world of cinema existed apart from regular Indian commercial cinema. When I saw that film, I was really blown and I wanted to get into this world of cinema which is so fascinating.
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Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar tell us what makes ‘Baahubali’ director SS Rajamouli tick.
Senthil with the Baahubali ladies - Tamannaah, Ramya and Anushka. (Photo courtesy: Twitter)

Q: And since you weren’t interested in films really, how did you decide on cinematography? Why didn’t you take up direction or editing?

Senthil Kumar: It actually sounded good, “motion picture photography” sounded good. Kuch bada tha aur achha lag raha tha. Once I got into film school I started believing in destiny, like God had said that was not your path, this is. He picked me up and put me on the right path.

I needed to keep up with people since I had an inferiority complex, because I got in on my first attempt and did not have any experience. I started putting lots of energy and hard work into it, I used to spend time at the library and understand all things related to cinema, not only about how the camera works and the camera department but also about filmmaking.

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Q: You have worked with Rajamouli on seven films, what do you think makes him special and sets him apart from other filmmakers?

Senthil Kumar: There are so many things. Every director does it with passion but he is willing to give every bit of energy into his film. Like so many masters have been doing, he really eats, breathes and sleeps cinema. He only talks about the film he’s doing, dreams about the film he’s doing. When he’s doing the film, everything else takes a backseat. For him, his total focus is only that film.

He’s constantly trying to make every shot better, the story better, every bit of his energy is into making things better. Making the film better in terms of presentation, how do I exploit the actors, how do I make a better set. We start off with the concept art, till the time we shoot it, till the time the last VFX is done, he’s thinking about how to better it. He’s willing to listen to everyone, he’s very open and patient. There are a lot of things that set him apart.

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Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar tell us what makes ‘Baahubali’ director SS Rajamouli tick.
Senthil and SS Rajamouli and that camera(s). (Photo courtesy: Facebook)

Q: You’ve worked so closely with Rajamouli, what is the one thing you find irritating about him as a director?

Senthil Kumar: The same thing I like about him I find irritating, because if he gets involved into it, he wants to go till the end. Probably, if we plan a shooting today starting at 6 am and we have to end it at 6 pm in the evening for example, and the shot is happening or something is required and we need to stretch, so he will not mind to stretch it to the next day also. He is willing to work hard and push everything. So obviously sometimes you feel ‘arrey 6 baje pack up karna hai’ but it never happens, it goes on and on and on. He likes to push for perfection which is motivating but sometimes irritating as well.

Q: I know you can’t tell me about Baahubali 2, but looking back at Baahubali 1, which is the most difficult shot in that film?

Senthil Kumar: Between Bahubaali 1 and 2, the biggest challenge was staying focused and staying motivated for so long. Coming to the difficulties, we do so much of pre-planning and testing before trying some complicated shots or sequences, we don’t want to go on to the set without preparing for it. We need to be prepared because so much money is involved, we can’t take a risk of just going on set and starting. We pre-plan so much, we do so much rehearsal even before the actors come in. We try to get to it as close as possible, so we know the difficulties we are going to face before we go on to the sets. So that way, doing this film was not very difficult on set but there were so many things beyond our control which we had to take care of. But we had a great team to take up these challenges

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Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar tell us what makes ‘Baahubali’ director SS Rajamouli tick.
Senthil in action on the sets of a film. (Photo courtesy: Facebook)

Q: There’s a fair bit of green screen work and VFX in the Baahubali films. Do you feel that it takes away from your craft and control as a cinematographer?

Senthil Kumar: Sometimes it definitely feels so but the thing is that it is an extension of cinema. Now I don’t think there is any film that doesn’t have VFX. If you want to make a film which is beyond imagination, larger than life or fantasy, which you can’t make as conventional cinema, VFX is a part of it which you have to learn and understand to take your craft beyond.

For example, if you want to make a film like Life of Pi or Gravity, which is not possible to make conventionally, VFX becomes an integral part. So as a cinematographer I need to understand VFX in a better way to present my craft in a seamless way.

I get myself involved in the pre-production stages of what we are planning to the process of shooting to when I am grading the film, so I need to match the VFX scenes to the other shots that don’t have VFX. I am completely involved in every process. Like there are so many times I give my inputs to the VFX guys and they give me theirs. It is a very collaborative process which is happening and I think it is an evolving process, so I need to upgrade myself with this process and understand how VFX and cinematography can gel, where the story can be told in the best possible way.

I don’t think I am taking a backseat or VFX is taking the front seat. Finally, both VFX and cinematography have to take a backseat and present the story in the best possible way. We are not screaming here for attention.
Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar tell us what makes ‘Baahubali’ director SS Rajamouli tick.
Senthil with his team members who worked on Baahubali 2. (Photo courtesy: Facebook)
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Q: Who are the cinematographers that you look up to?

Senthil Kumar: Whenever I think that I am doing good or have mastered the art, I see the work of Emmanuel Lubezki, Robert Deakins and then I feel like, ‘okay, shit there is a really long way to go’ because their work is like free flowing and there is really so much more to learn and to do. It’s so integrated with the film, it doesn’t seem like the camera exists. And in the Indian context, Ravi K Chandran is someone whose work I have always admired and recently, Ravi Varman is also doing a great job.

Q: Which are the filmmakers that you wish to work with in India?

Senthil Kumar: There’s a long list, starting from Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Raju Hirani to Mani Ratnam. There’s a very long list but these are the three names that come to mind.

Q: Do you see yourself making a film in some time, turning director?

Senthil Kumar: I will definitely do it but I haven’t decided when and how. I am still in the process of learning cinematography, jumping on to direction still has a long way to go.

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