In a stunning ceremony on the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Indian cinematographer Santosh Sivan was awarded the celebrated Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography honour. Actor Preity Zinta introduced the award.
The occasion passed off on Friday on the iconic Palais de Festivals, celebrating the artwork of cinematography and the profound influence of Indian cinema on the worldwide stage.
Draped in an elegant-toned pink saree, Preity Zinta graced the stage to current the award to Sivan, her longtime collaborator.
Their skilled journey started with Mani Ratnam’s 1998 romantic drama ‘Dil Se,’ the place Sivan’s cinematography fantastically captured Zinta’s debut efficiency.
Their reunion at Cannes highlights a major milestone of their careers, as they’re set to work collectively once more on the upcoming interval drama ‘Lahore 1947,’ directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.
The Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography award, launched in 2013, honours excellent contributions to the sphere of cinematography.
Santosh Sivan’s recognition is especially noteworthy as he’s the primary Asian to obtain this accolade, becoming a member of the ranks of legendary cinematographers like Edward Lachman, Agnes Godard, Barry Ackroyd, and Roger Deakins.
Reflecting on his journey, Sivan expressed gratitude and nostalgia, recalling his early use of Angenieux lenses within the movie ‘Raakh’ (1989), starring Aamir Khan.
In an interview with Variety, he acknowledged, “This award means a lot to me as previous recipients include DoPs I admire, including Zsigmond and Deakins.”
Sivan’s illustrious profession spans a long time, with greater than 55 characteristic movies and quite a few documentaries to his credit score.
His notable collaborations with director Mani Ratnam on movies corresponding to ‘Roja,’ ‘Thalapathi,’ ‘Dil Se,’ and ‘Iruvar’ have left an indelible mark on Indian cinema.
His cinematic artistry additionally extends to worldwide tasks like Gurinder Chadha’s ‘Bride and Prejudice’ and MF Hussain’s ‘Meenaxi.’
Discussing his creative philosophy, Sivan eloquently described, “For me, light and shade is the melody, and the composition and movement of the camera is the rhythm. If I find that these two things are there in a shot, then I’m most excited, I like that.”
Sivan additionally spoke about his transition from celluloid to digital cinematography, marking this shift along with his directorial enterprise ‘Urumi’ (2011) and absolutely embracing digital with ‘Thuppakki’ (2012).
