Director Govind Nihalani’s tribute to cinematographer VK Murthy

Director Govind Nihalani is an institution in himself. He has donned the hats of a writer, director and cinematographer and his name is synonymous with some of the most important Indian films — Junoon, Ardh Sathya, Vijeta, Bhumika, Kalyug, Party, Tamas, Manthan — to name just a few. He has worked with great filmmakers such as the celebrated VK Murthy and was associated with several films of Shyam Benegal and the cinematography of Richard Attenborough‘s Oscar-winning Gandhi. He has won several National Awards, Filmfare Awards and was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2002.

Govind is in Bengaluru for the Bengaluru International Film Festival, where he is one of the key speakers for ‘The Centenary Celebrations of VK Murthy’ (on March 24).

Govind goes down memory lane and shares with MetroPlus his experience of working with VK Murthy.

In his words:

I am a student of Shree Jaya Chamrajendra Polytechnic Institute (SJP, the present Government Film and Television Institute). Having trained in cinematography in SJP, I came to Bengaluru years ago with a lot of excitement and expectation. And, now to be one of the speakers at VK Murthy’s centenary celebrations is an emotion that cannot be described in words.

It is a satisfying moment for me and an important event for us because Murthy ji was also a student of SJP, but, by the time I joined the institute, he was already working in films in Mumbai and was a name to reckon with. Murthy was and is still a role model for us.

Govind with his mentor and guide VK Murthy
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

After my training in the institute here, I went to Mumbai and the first person I wanted to meet and work with was Murthy. I found out where he would be on a particular day. Impulsively, I took off to meet him without an appointment. I reached his house in Sion, where he lived for quite a few years.

The moment he met me, there was a warmth, and he was thrilled when he came to know that I too was an alumnus of his institute. I told him that I wanted to work with him. Without hesitating, he said, ‘okay’! Then, he gave me a name of a studio and asked me to meet him there. I had no clue where the studio was as I was relatively new to Mumbai then. I said yes and took off as I was too excited to even ask him where the studio was.

After hours of searching, I found the studio. I started early and began walking. It was evening when I reached the studio and realised that I had reached the place earlier than I was required to.

They were shooting a Hindi film at that time and Mehmood was one of the main actors in the film. I was asked to join the crew and had no clue what I was supposed to do. I wandered around aimlessly. Murthy ji saw my confusion and called me and said: ‘The first thing you need to learn is how to walk on a film set.’ It was then that I noticed that I was surrounded by cables, and observed that everything was artificial. I had to manoeuvre cautiously. I became his assistant the moment he asked me to fetch something from the first floor. As soon as I reached the landing, there was a huge crash. I was stunned and everyone looked up at me. The false ceiling had landed on me. Murthy just looked at me and nodded his head slowly.

I will never forget that day or the emotions I felt. The shooting went on late into the night and once done, I walked all the way back home. I was excited and the sense of being accepted as a student by Murthy was just too thrilling. He was a huge name by then and many of his films were coming up. That was a very important day for me, my very first introduction to VK Murthy. I told myself, I should never forget the date, but ironically, I cannot remember it (laughs), but I never forgot the emotions.

Change in cinemtography through the years

There are hardly any changes in the technique of cinematography. The basic approach, principles remain the same. What has changed is the technology, film raw stock that we use and the lighting style. The kind of lights that were manufactured in the past and now are different. The lens they used to make the lights then were different. We had lights in varied intensities. They were large in size, and were not as sophisticated as those of today. Some of them came in large containers. Today, lights are sleek and small in size.

The challenges we faced were about working within a limited budget. We had to learn to make the most with the least amount of resources. Murthy ji had already gone through that stage and was sympathetic and always helped everyone. There were a lot of things that were also spoken about during the making of a film. And we learnt by not only watching him work but also listening to him talk.

It was when I worked with him that I discovered the difference between a teacher and a guru. Both are important. A teacher teaches you the technicalities and the focus is just on teaching as that is what they are supposed to do, but with Murthy, the teaching part is reduced. He imparted knowledge. He taught us by his actions. I learnt about the ways of life, basic principles of living, importance of being truthful and open-minded, and the importance of reading — these are the things I imbibed from him. He would share some interesting stories of his life and just by being around him, I became a different person. I was in awe of him and became his disciple as I went beyond understanding the basics and understood what went beyond cinema, life and camera.

At Suchitra Film Society
| Photo Credit:
BHAGYA PRAKASH K

When we made films, we spoke about cinema and it was not just limited to cinematography. So we were writing scripts and I was aided to become a filmmaker. Cinematography is a specialisation and just one aspect of filmmaking.

Importance of films festivals

Film festivals are important for a filmmaker because filmmaking does not stop once you enter a studio. What works is how you expand your mind, bring the writing alive through visuals and create a moving art. So film festivals open up your mind. You see films from across the world, get new perspectives, meet directors, share ideas through discussions, criticisms and appreciation — all under one roof. Learning never stops. This is one thing I learnt from Murthy.