Inside the making of Kantara Chapter 1: Cinematographer Arvind S Kashyap on building worlds, facing challenges, and pushing boundaries

One assumes that Kantara: Chapter 1 was always meant to be bigger than Kantara (2022) in terms of scale, theme and reach. How big did you guys imagine it to be?

The world of this story is so huge, and it was going to be visually driven, right from the script level. So we knew from the very beginning that we had to deliver on that front. The term ‘big’ aside, our initial conversations with Vijay Anna (producer Vijay Kiragandur) were about remaining rooted to the ethos of Kantara and operating within the framework that people loved and appreciated previously. Rishab (Shetty), too, was clear in instructing all of us about approaching the film (Chapter 1) as a new venture, without the baggage of the previous part’s success. The scale didn’t necessarily go up just for the sake of it, but because the story and the setting demanded it that way.

The production design of a film reflects a lot of its scale. What was it like to put this world together, given that this is arguably your biggest project to date?

I had met the production designer, Vinesh Banglan, on the sets of the Malayalam film Vilayath Buddha (yet to be released) a couple of years ago, and our collaboration began right then. I had briefed him about Chapter 1 and our plans to create a particular world, and he grew quite interested during those initial discussions. We got in touch with a research team that would pick up references from academic books, novels, old texts and other sources, and slowly, it all began to come together because of a large combined effort. Rishab himself contributed a lot to designing the world, and it helped that Pragathi Shetty, the film’s costume designer (my fifth collaboration with her), too, worked with us from the scripting stage, so each department was on the same page as far as the visual aesthetic was concerned.

What kind of inputs did the large team, including director Rishab Shetty, have for one another during the making?

A film like this happens only when you work as a tight unit, and what worked in our favour was keeping each other in check. We would point out if any of us were crossing the creative line we had set for ourselves early on. Be it acting, cinematography, art direction, or any department, we gave each other constant feedback. If I were to go overboard with, let’s say, the lighting of a particular shot, someone would make sure to point it out, and if I found any frame having a few too many props, I’d let the art team know right away. As much as the visuals matter, we had to make the story work, and our focus was significantly laid on that part of the making.

Rishab Shetty in conversation with Arvind S Kashyap on the sets of Kantara Chapter 1.

That line you speak of, it could be at different points for different individuals, isn’t it?

It is, but we knew all along that we wanted to make the world beautiful while also keeping it authentic. You push or pull on that line more than required, then the essence is lost, and you start feeling that while it’s happening. For instance, if you look at the interiors of the palace in the film, they match the dimensions of the existing relics because we didn’t want the space to look grand and massive without feeling close to life. The Kantara forest, too, is designed based on the countless pages of research material out there. We took some cinematic liberties as well, but only introduced new elements to a world that was first etched out of actual references.

The forest is a stark contrast, in terms of the terrain, its look and feel, compared to the Bangra Kingdom. How did you go about designing it?

I had some clarity from the beginning as to what the space must look like. We found the forest location during scripting, so we were able to decide at that very point that Berme’s (Rishab’s character in the film) entire settlement has to reside next to a water source. Many smaller details, like how the tribe could be equipped to make use of the waterfall energy, began to emerge soon after. Also, if you look closely, the production design is quite functional: the huts near the water, for example, are raised four feet from the ground because they need protection during the monsoons.

Also Read | Kantara Chapter 1 movie review: Rishab Shetty crafts a visual world far beyond expectations, but pays for it with the action drama’s soul

How challenging was it to shoot those forest portions on location?

There were times when it rained so heavily that we couldn’t get out of the forest, and required emergency evacuation (if someone was late by even 10 minutes, they would have gotten stuck inside the forest for weeks). Snakes, other reptiles, and wildlife like bears, panthers, and cheetahs were all around us, but luckily, we had a greater driving force with us that kept us safe. We had amazing support from the production team as well, who stood by us like warriors. The logistics were mapped out very well by our line and executive producers, and Hombale Films was with us through thick and thin. If we were able to achieve all this, it’s because of them.

There are two elements to your cinematography here: one is capturing the diverse terrains in the story, and the other is working alongside extensive VFX requirements. Which of the two is tougher?

Such depth of VFX is always tough, but I am well-versed in the cinematography required for it. My collaboration with the VFX team was strong, and I had done a lot of homework on how it would be employed, so those technical aspects weren’t very difficult to crack. The tricky or difficult part, though, was blending the two distinct worlds – of the Kingdom and the Kantara forest. One was lavish with all sorts of resources, whereas the other was primitive yet rich in its own way, and the challenge was to make them look unique individually and also connect them in such a manner that the overall visual palette felt seamless.

On top of that, we had a huge number of set pieces, and you don’t get to shoot linearly, as in the script, because of the many constraints. So, going back and forth with these locations meant that I had to be aware of the context of a particular scene and what its mood or effect is on the narrative. Maintaining that level of clarity was more challenging than anything else for me.

Any sequence or scene that gave you sleepless nights?

Almost all of them (laughs). The entire film gave me sleepless nights because none of us had touched anything of this scale. It was very ambitious on paper, and we knew that if we managed to shoot what was written, we would have a great film in our hands. So, the execution part was always going to be a mighty challenge.

Arvind S Kashyap on the sets of Kantara Chapter 1.

The approach or style that Rishab Shetty and you adopted in the past was quite different to this, wasn’t it? In that, Kantara (2022) was shot with a bit of an indie spirit, where you figured things out on location and made decisions as circumstances dictated. How did the style change for Chapter 1?

We didn’t have that luxury this time around, given the number of people involved. We all moved to Kundapura very early for pre-production, planning each detail of the making day in and out. It was a robust process, and that was the only way we could have gotten this done in such a short span of time. Many believe that we took 3 years to make the film, but it’s been only around 18 months between the first day of shoot and the release date. We shot for 5 months in a six-month schedule, and that’s a big achievement.

Rishab and you go back a long time, with Lucia in 2013 kicking off the journey. Having worked for so long with one another, how did you handle the pressure on him? And how did he handle the pressure on you?

Rishab called me to Mangaluru before the shoot began and told me that he needed me to be his shoulder throughout the process. So, I always knew that I had to be there, and that’s the reason I moved entirely to the shooting spot (my family was with me for 8 months). Similarly, I knew that he would solve whatever problems I was facing, so it was about stepping up for each other whenever required. There were times when he would go in for makeup for six hours at a stretch, and the rest of us – including the co-writers Anirudh Mahesh and Shaneel Gautham – would take charge for that time being. On other occasions, he (Rishab Shetty) would go to great lengths to get something I needed as a cinematographer.

Did you two ever sit down and wonder why you had taken on such a tall mission?

So many times (laughs)! Just that we didn’t have a choice, and we were neck deep in the water, and the only way out was descent. But seeing the response of the audience today, it all feels worthwhile.

What would you miss the most from this experience? And what would you not miss at all?

I’ll definitely miss the joy and the adrenaline rush of pulling off something so tough. What I won’t miss is the previous night’s anxiety, when you know what’s ahead, and you feel everything is going wrong around you. I am very happy about that bit being over.

Finally, actors and directors seldom go back to doing a small film after working on such big projects. As a cinematographer, do you wish to go back to doing something more intimate and small after Kantara: Chapter 1?

I think a film becomes small or big only after it releases. If you mean the scale of a project, then I look for a story that excites me, and one that requires cinematography to be essential. The scale is not as important as the opportunity that needs my work the most.