Cinematographer Raju Gauli: Shows like Naagin are demanding in terms of delivering the expected quality

Raju Gauli with Jamai Raja actors Ravi Dubey and Nia Sharma.

Hailing from Dehradun, Raju had been an assistant cameraperson to Natrajan Subramanium, Vinod Pradhan, Ashok Mehta, B. Laxman and N. Satyan before making it big himself. He has shows like Ishqbaaaz, Dil Bole Oberoi, Jamai Raja, Bidaai, Choti Bahu, Saubhagyavati Bhava and Bhanwar to his credit, all from varied genres. The DOP explains how shooting style differs in each one of them. “Its a different experience in terms of shot taking. Not just on TV, but shooting for any medium is challenging in terms of lensing, lighting, framing. With each subject or with each genre the entire process changes.”

And does he prefer sticking to the screenplay while shooting or like to improvise things? “Any technique has to compliment the subject and cannot overpower it. So the blend of screenplay and DOP’s work is very important. A good DOPs work should not overpower the content instead be in sync with the content. So improvisations are always welcome keeping in mind the above.”

Raju Gauli is currently working on Ishqbaaaz.

Raju has also worked on Ekta Kapoor production Naagin 2. The series is ready to return with its third season soon. The cinematographer shared how shooting for CGI heavy shows is challenging. “It’s a learning experience. Working on shows like Naagin, you have to keep in mind the time constraint. Hence it’s extremely demanding in terms of creativity and delivering the expected quality and quantity.”

Raju has been associated with Ekta Kapoor’s banner Balaji Telefilms for years now. He said, “It’s always fun to work on all Balaji’s projects. Recently I shot for ALT Balaji’s web series Karle Tu Bhi Mohabbat and it’s very close to my heart.”