With two releases in a year, both very distinct and very different from each other having shot Gehraiyaan which is on Amazon Prime Video,To AN ACTION HERO which has released in theatres just now, Kaushal Shah has been praised for how in sync to the narrative and well shot both the films are.
‘’I have always believed that being a cinematographer, you are the gatekeeper of the image and its your responsibility to make sure the story is being narrated in the right way visually. Its just not about how pretty the frame looks, its about what is right for the story.’’
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With Gehraiyaan praised for its layered visual design, and stunning cinematography across mediums and people who saw it, he speaks to us about his latest film AN ACTION HERO.
“I FELT AN ACTION HERO WAS A GREAT SCRIPT TO START WITH and for me on a craft
level something really opposite to what I had been doing. Apart from CARGO which was unique for its Indie-sci fi spirit
JAMTARA TO MUMBAI DIARIES and most recently GEHRAIYAAN, it was always about trying to decide the visual language that fit the narrative which ended up being towards the grey.
AN ACTION HERO, was full of satire humor, a lot of action and had a very Guy Ritchie films feel to it. That was a challenge and one that I was really excited for.”
With the film getting a lot of love critically and viewers who have seen it, he briefly explains the method to the madness.
“We shot most of the film in the chilly winters of the ISLE OF WIGHT for months in UK .”
Kaushal Shah on the sets of An Action Hero.
Laughing at how horridly cold it was,
‘Visually it gave the film a beautiful aesthetic. Maanav starts from the grunge and texture heavy locales of HARYANA and runs off to the UK countryside and the film continues there and cuts back and forth between INDIA and UK. I wanted the film to always be on the run visually with Maanav. Trying to be in his head, but also observing the world and the meta layers the script was unfolding as he escaped to UK ,and what the world was doing as a film actor gets stuck in this mess.
He says the film or rather any film is still about how you portray the characters in it and how you visually show them.
“ I reiterate, Cinematography is more about always rooting for the story,
Yes the Action needed panache and a certain stylized treatment to it, that’s a given . The entire film has a layered approach to how the way action is photographed.
It evolves as the film goes on ,
but the Film is about Bhoora (Jaideep Ahlawat) and Maanav (Ayushmann khurana). Your actors are the nucleus of any screenplay, and hence your approach to the cinematography, everything else will surround them and eventually come together.’’
Even though the film has got a lot of love from audiences to critics alike, The turn out in the cinema halls is not as expected. To that he says,
“ We are indeed surprised at why less people are going with such amazing reviews across, and strong word of mouth. This film is supposed to be enjoyed on a big screen, the action, the locations and just on a narrative front its a BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCE. So we are hoping more and more people go, with such strong word of mouth.”
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