'Sita Ramam', 'Vikram Vedha' and more: The magic of PS Vinod’s camera

South cinematographer PS Vinod received the Best Cinematographer award for 'Vikram Vedha' at the recent Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2023. (Photo: Twitter)

Sometimes, it’s about waiting for the best light. Sometimes, it’s about waiting for the best vadai. The art of cinematography forms the grammar of a film — influencing moods, emotions, rendering metaphorical meaning, rooting the story and aiding characterisation. Among the many talented cinematographers working in the Indian film industries is PS Vinod, a technician who has an interesting and varied body of work that ranges from neo-noir gangster dramas like Aaranya Kaandam (2010) to action comedies like Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020).

Vinod, who assisted ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan, made his debut as an independent director of photography with the Tamil film Rhythm (2000), a gentle musical drama directed by Vasanth. It was a rare film for its time, exploring the relationship between two people who lose their respective partners in an accident. Since then, Vinod has successfully straddled the Tamil, Telugu and the Hindi industries.

His last two releases were Sita Ramam (Telugu, 2022) and Vikram Vedha (Hindi, 2022). The first, directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, is a swoony period romantic drama while the second is the remake of a blockbuster Tamil film by the same title, directed by Pushkar-Gayathri. Incidentally, both films make a good study for anyone who wants to understand why cinematography isn’t just about capturing the beauty of a location as is often assumed.

In Sita Ramam, for instance, it is crucial for the viewer to have an otherworldly experience, where such an earnest love can endure. Vinod, who worked with Shreyaas Krishna on the film, also had to capture two time periods in which the film is set — the '60s and the '80s. Nearly every review of the film comments on how each frame looks like a vintage painting; the mirror shots in particular, that reveal layers to Sita’s (Mrunal Thakur) feelings are important for the plot progression. Ram (Dulquer Salmaan) doesn’t know her real identity, and Sita is harbouring a dangerous secret within herself. When she visits him for the first time, there is a brief "hall of mirrors" moment when Sita and Ram are reflected in multiple mirrors, Sita in the foreground and Ram in the background — the effect is not just poetic, it also hints at the unreal nature of their relationship, the truth of which is hidden from us.

Vikram Vedha, on the other hand, is a faithful remake of the Tamil film that was released in 2017, and is a contemporary action thriller about the cat and mouse game between a hard-nosed cop (Madhavan/Saif Ali Khan) and a gangster with a philosophical bent of mind (Vijay Sethupathi/Hrithik Roshan). Vinod was the cinematographer for the original, too, and this is another film where the camera adds a layer of commentary to what’s happening on screen. The film opens with a long take that introduces Vikram and his team and the rapport that they share — Madhavan walks casually, bantering with the other officers, even as they prepare for an attack.

The long take not only establishes the relationship between Vikram and the other officers, it’s also a reflection of his state of mind. He is confident about the mission, and there is a fluidity to his thoughts. He’s dressed in white because he believes himself to be doing the right thing. It’s only in the end that he realises that his team was playing him all along, and his sense of right and wrong, good and evil is overturned (he’s dressed in black in the end). The average viewer may not "decode" the long take as such, but it certainly creates a subliminal effect on us about Vikram’s character and how we view that action sequence. Similarly, when Vikram and Vedha are engaged in conversation and debating their actions, the camera circles them, as if to hint at the circular nature of the story that they’re trying to piece together. It’s also suggestive of how the point of view shifts in the narrative.

Of course, not every shot in a film needs to be symbolic of something larger. Among the most talked-about scenes from Vikram Vedha is Vedha’s introductory sequence where he walks in with a vadai to surrender himself. Vinod, in an interview, revealed a hilarious anecdote about Vijay Sethupathi — while the cinematographer wanted to capture the scene in early morning natural light, Vijay Sethupathi was dissatisfied with the size of the vadai provided on the set and wanted a bigger one. Vinod was anxious about losing the light but, thankfully, the right vadai arrived in time. The shot establishes Vedha’s swag, his devil-may-care attitude, and is responsible for catapulting Sethupathi to superstardom.

Vinod is also the magician behind the lens for maverick director Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s neo-noir films — Aaranya Kaandam (2010) and Super Deluxe (2019). The first is about an ageing, impotent gangster Singaperumal (Jackie Shroff) and Subbu, his wide-eyed moll (Yasmin Ponnappa). The film was especially challenging to shoot because of its timeline — the incidents happen over the course of a single day, and the crew had to get the lighting right. A cockfight sequence that features in the film is among its clever usage of symbolism to convey sexual tension and frustration. The rooster that represents Singaperumal — the shot is framed such that Singaperumal is behind the lunging rooster — loses, and the gangster lashes out against the opponent who was pulling his leg. Just before this, we see Subbu in bed with one of Singaperumal’s minions, Sappai (Ravi Krishna).

While the cockfight is about the battle between the birds, the focus isn’t on how they’re attacking each other. The effect is created through the soundtrack and fluttering feathers, and it is the human responses in the play of light and shadows that gains primacy in the scene. According to the film’s editor KL Praveen, there were 21 different versions of this sequence.
Though Aaranya Kaandam wasn’t a commercial success, it acquired a cult following in later years. It’s not surprising that when Kumararaja made his second film, he again chose Vinod who partnered with Nirav Shah for the film. In an interview, Kumaraja revealed that the cinematographers also pitched in with ideas for the film. Among Vinod’s suggestions was the tragicomical scene where Vaembu (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) and Mugil (Fahadh Faasil) throw a bed stuffed with a body from a height. The bed doesn’t just land on the ground, the camera captures it passing by each floor in the building, accentuating the drama in the moment.

Other memorable scenes from the film are that of a distraught Shilpa (Vijay Sethupathi) weeping under the green flickering light of a subway, and confessing her role in a crime to Arputham (Mysskin), a devout Christian who considers himself chosen by the Lord. He’s disgusted by what Shilpa tells him, but at the end of the conversation, he realises that he wasn’t exactly blessed by the Lord as he’d assumed. The shot composition is such that while Shilpa walks towards the light at the end of the tunnel (literally), Arputham is left grappling in the dark, watching the growing distance between them. Is she a sinner and is he a good man? Or is it the other way around? Or does it not matter at all?

Then there is that long take with Leela (Ramya Krishnan), who pleads with people at a hospital to help her pay for her son’s treatment. The urgency is heightened by the way in which the camera follows her as she rushes from one room to another, through the narrow corridor, begging everyone to pitch in. It was, perhaps, necessary to highlight Leela’s maternal quality thus because she isn’t only a "mother" in the film, she’s also a porn actor. The scene is designed to create empathy even within the most judgmental of viewers — an appeal to look past morality and view her predicament for what it is. The colour palette of Super Deluxe particularly stands out, making each scene vivid and unforgettable.

Other films in which Vinod’s work has received critical acclaim include Musafir (2004), Tees Maar Khan (2010), Manam (2014) and Oopiri (2015). From peppy dance numbers (we’re still grooving to Sheila ki jawani) and high octane action sequences to quiet moments between lovers, there is much that his camera has made special in a film. Fair to say, there is certainly more to this job than just training your eye on pretty scenery.