Industry mourns Somak Mukerjee

“It’s a personal loss for me. I had first met him at the FTII and liked his innovative way of work. I offered him Black And White in which he did some brilliant work. As a tribute to him,I screened the film for the students of Whistling Woods,” said Ghai.

Jha,who directed Sikandar,with Somak on board and was in talks with him for his next film,recalled,“Somak was extremely intelligent and at the same time he was very supportive of the director’s vision. I wanted to capture the beauty of Kashmir in a particular way and he understood and captured the state like never before. There were constant debates and discussions between us as he would want to present his point of view which helped me get a better perspective and a clearer picture.”

Chattopadhyay,who knew Somak for 15 years and had offered him his debut film Pankh,was also in talks with Somak for his next feature. He said,“I could not believe when I heard about the accident. It is shocking to know that he is no more.”

Sachin Khot,too,was shocked at the turn of events. Khot,debuted in Hindi films with Ugly Aur Pagli said,“He was an extremely talented cinematographer. His strength lay in the fact that he used to add his technique to the director’s vision,” he recalled.

Cameraman Manoj Lobo,Shilpi Dasgupta and others present shared the same view about the cameraman who was also filming a Hindi film starring Naseeruddin Shah.