Ranbir Kapoor in a still of Sanju
Ace cinematographer Ravi Varman, who teamed up with director Rajkumar Hirani for the first time in "Sanju," is impressed with Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Sanjay Dutt in the biopic. "Sanju" marks Varman's fourth association with Kapoor, after previous acclaimed films such as "Barfi!", "Tamasha" and "Jagga Jasoos".
"I knew Ranbir would deliver a sterling performance with his role as Sanju. On the sets, I didn't see Sanjay Dutt but I witnessed how Ranbir impressed everyone with his portrayal of Sanju, " he said.
Varman is known for his stellar cinematography in films such as "Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu", "Kaatru Veliyidai" and "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela" to name a few. Having worked with the actor in some of the major Hindi films, Varman says Kapoor understands camera well.
"Ranbir is one of the few actors who understands the lens and lighting. He does his part with ease, which in turn makes my job pretty easier," he said.
Varman said that life has taught him to explore the real beauty even in the smallest of things through his frames. "The Ravi Varman everyone knows in the industry right now is poles apart from the Ravi Varman I know. A small town boy who doesn't even know how to differentiate between an airplane flying at a distance and a firefly. My mother used to me tell a lot about my father. How he rode his Bullet, how he dealt with people, about their love and everything else,'' he said.
"My father's life was my bedtime story every day. I was not fortunate enough to see him and live those beautiful moments with him. I could only envision all of this through my mother's stories. That's the reason I want my frames to reflect the real beauty in small things. My shots are the reflection of myself," he said.
Although Varman understands Hindi pretty well, he says he did not know the language during his initial days in Bollywood but always believed in his ability to capture the emotion.
"Emotion is universal; language is no barrier to capture a feeling. But through the years I have learned Hindi, and now I can understand it pretty well. After I receive any script, I read it over and over again,'' he said.
"The story and emotion in a scene gets registered in my mind. So, there is no need for someone to explain a sequence to me on the sets. I am, then, well-equipped to handle it," he said.
Ranbir's Sanju is receiving quite positive response of audience nationwide. Also starring Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Dia Mirza, Vicky Kaushal, Sonam K Ahuja and Anushka Sharma in pivotal roles, "Sanju" released last Friday.
(With PTI Inputs)
