Stories behind the negatives of Arjun Kallingal’s film stills

“Film is truth 24 times a second,” French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once said. And it takes 24 photographs or frames to create the truth. Clicking the right moment needs an unmatchable talent and

Arjun Kallingal

owns it. Arjun is a still

photographer

who has been working in Mollywood for the past five years. The name would sound quite unfamiliar to many, but his photographs, including the fierce moments from Lijo Jose Pellissery’s ‘Jallikattu’ would make a good introduction for the talented photographer. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, Arjun Kallingal, the rising shutterbug, opens up about what it takes to be a film still photographer and shares the stories behind the negatives of his photographs.

You have worked for some prestigious projects in Mollywood including ‘Ee.Ma.Yau.’, ‘Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil’ and ‘Jallikattu’. Tell us where it all began.
While doing my graduation in business management, I had a friend, who is a photographer. So I was his favourite model. That’s how my relationship with the camera began. During that time, our college conducted a photography competition. Luckily on the day of the competition, I got my hands on a DSLR camera for the first time. So, I decided to participate and I won the third prize! This surprised me and also made me think. Because I was holding a camera for the first time and won a prize for the same. The theme for the picture was ‘Green in college’. I clicked a picture of a tree, focusing on the three fruits it bore. The three fruits were different in texture, and age. I think that struck the judges.

Later, I started to work as a wedding photographer. And then I got a chance to work as an assistant photographer for the movie ‘Love 24x7’. After doing that, I bagged another project and that was Lijo Jose Pellissery’s ‘Angamaly Diaries’. I worked as an assistant still photographer.

Tell us what goes into the process of being a motion picture still photographer. Do you go through the script prior to the actual shoot? Are you present at the set each and every day?
Yes, initially I hear the screenplay. I go through the script. Reading it thoroughly will give me an idea about the movie. My stills will be used for marketing and promotional purposes, and also for posters. So knowing the script will help me in conveying the essence about a particular character or the emotion of a particular sequence in the film. Also, I am present on the set from the day the movie goes on the floors till pack up. So the process is like - I will be at the set from 6 am, after wrapping a day’s shoot, I will pick the best I clicked, process it and send it to the director.

One of your most popular pictures is the iconic shot from ‘Jallikattu’, where Antony Varghese Pepe is surrounded by hands, which are trying to pull him downward and attack him. How do you decide which moment to capture during a shoot?

In movies, I think it’s a bit easier. Because, let’s say, during a fight sequence, there will always be a crucial point where the emotions are expressed at its best. We have to judge the particular moment before it happens and try to freeze that moment. Choosing the right moment, where a single picture could tell a lot of stories is important.

What is your favourite way of capturing a moment? Is it taking it on the sets while it happens or is it recreating?
I love to click it when it happens for real. Because clicking it on the real-time of filming, will make the photographs livelier. The emotions will be real. Recreating it will always remain as a re-creation. Although it takes more effort to click while they are acting, I find joy in it. For example, when I worked on ‘Ee. Ma. Yau’, a major part of the movie was shot in rain. Instances like Chemban Vinod Jose walking away or sitting in the rain, we can never recreate it. While capturing a movie in the midst of the filming process will get you the true emotion, trying to recreate it for a still will raise the chances of the artist trying to make himself look more photogenic. Such a picture will lose its soul.

You have worked multiple times with Lijo Jose Pellissery. How different is it working with him? Does he give any instructions about which sequence is the best one or ask you to click from a particular sequence?

Working with Lijo Jose Pellissery is the best. Because on his sets there is always freedom to share our ideas regarding the stills. He listens to them and most importantly respects them. Remember the picture from ‘Jallikattu’ where there is a kind of timeline of ancestral man, which is inspired by Darwin’s evolution of humans. I suggested the idea. I treasure the picture a lot. Because, it is almost impossible to click such a picture again, especially with the costume and the whole setting. So I asked the artists, whether they were okay to pose for such a click. They were ready and when I asked Lijo Jose Pellissery, he said ‘as I wish’. That is something very rare and also a positive aspect when working with him.

Which was your most challenging shot? And also tell us about the favourite photograph of yours.
In ‘Ee. Ma. Yau’, there is a shot where Vavachan Mesthiri (Kainakary Thankaraj ) is on a bus and holding a duck. There are a lot of similarities between them, be it the way they have placed their faces or their destinies, it’s a very special moment. I was lucky enough to click that. Because the shot was taken on a moving bus. I don’t know how I took it. I had no assistants then, I had my camera bag and all, but somehow I clicked. It’s pure luck!

How is it different being a still photographer for films?
It’s a different experience altogether. For example, during ‘Jallikattu’, the movie had a sequence where the buffalo is being rescued from the well. I got the opportunity to get inside the well along with the cinematographer

Girish Gangadharan

and click pictures. We can’t experience such a situation in real life! Those pictures are rare.

What was the most exciting part of working with cinematographer Girish Gangadharan?
He is a man who has lots of patience. I have been working with him since ‘Angamaly Diaries’. He is an excellent individual. While spotting a good moment, he will encourage me to click pictures. Also, while filming, he has a certain trust in me. In a sequence, if he is running with the gimbal, I will have to chase along with him to click the picture. But he isn’t afraid that I would lose my balance and fall upon him and spoil the shot. It is because he has immense trust in me. It’s very rare. Also, cinematographer Shyju Khalid is a great person to work with. He is extremely brilliant, there’s a lot to learn from him.

What are your upcoming projects?
Tinu Pappachan’s ‘Ajagajantharam’ is an upcoming one. Also, Lijo Jose Pellissery’s ‘Churli’ and Shane Nigam’s ‘Veyil’ are the projects I have recently completed.

Do you think the job is under-appreciated?
Yes, I think film still photography is the least appreciated part of a film. Lack of recognition is real. These stills we click play a great role until the movie hits the screens. Be it the promotional or the marketing part, stills play a pivotal role. But I think very few recognise our existence. We rarely get any credit. But this is also the kind of work which nobody else could experience. In the upcoming movie ‘Ajagajantharam’, we have elephants, so getting on an elephant and clicking the still and looking at the world from a different perspective is something special.

Revealing that he is aspiring to become a cinematographer some day, Arjun Kallingal signs off on a positive note!