Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran’s son and Baaghi 2 DoP Santhana Krishnan discusses films...
Veteran cinematographer Ravi K Chandran’s (Dil Chahta Hai, Black, Fanaa, My Name Is Khan), son Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran made his big-ticket debut in Bollywood with Baaghi 2. Sajid Nadiadwala ‘believed in him’ and was pleased with his work and with the actioner receiving praise from everyone, the 24-year-old opens up about bagging the film and what he plans to do now.
Is Baaghi 2 your first film? How did you bag it?
This is my first Hindi film, but I’ve already done a Tamil and Malayalam movie each. The makers of Baaghi 2 wanted someone young and energetic, and I knew Deepti, the EP (executive producer) of the film. I then met Ahmed (Khan) sir whom I kind of gelled with and we had an instant connection. So, we were just jamming on the film and it happened.
Does being Ravi K Chandran’s son add more pressure on you? Did your dad guide you through the filming process?
There’s definitely a lot of pressure. And every time I do a film, I’ll be compared to my dad because he has a great filmography. I need to live up to it, so it’s pushed me harder to do better. My dad is my guide. He showed me the way to go about filming, but at the same time, he also gave me space. We’re two different people who have their own way of making films. People like Ahmed sir call me the calmer version of my dad.
When did you realise you want to become a cinematographer?
The idea of me becoming a cinematographer is funny. I was a brat and every time my parents wanted to punish me, they would send me to Mumbai and ask me to work here. So, I walked into a film set for the first time when I was 14-15. I had done a lot of ads with Ayananka Bose and was good at photography, so it all worked out for me.
What kind of films do you want to do?
Every genre has its own beauty — a thriller or drama will have its own storytelling. I don’t have preferences and DoPs should be shape-shifters, able to mould themselves with different genres. We experiment and learn new things. But since I’ve done an action film, I realise that’s a lot of fun to shoot because there’s a lot happening.
What’s the best compliment you received for Baaghi 2?
It’s from Tiger (Shroff). He was pleased with the way I made him look. Even now and then, he thanks me for making him look good. I just lit his face the way he wanted and that complemented his features. After watching the film, Sajid sir came and told me, ‘I’ll give you a big film under my banner again’. There can’t be anything more encouraging than this for a 24-year-old.
What are you working on next?
I am doing a Tamil-Telugu bilingual film called NOTA. So, I’ll be working in all four languages now. I’m in talks with a few directors working on a beautiful art-house film, which is made for festivals. So that’s exciting.
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 "Santhana Krishnan")
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