N Chandra uses a Panvision camera to shoot his next that is used by Hollywood directors like Spielberg and can only be hired 
By Reshma Kelkar, May 8, 2007 - 03:51 IST
The man behind hard-hitting films like Ankush and Pratighaat is back with another film titled Breaking News with a very realistic feel, after his short stint with comedy flicks like Style and Excuse Me. “Though Style was a hit, people felt it was not my kind of film. Maybe because people did not expect comedy from me”, says Chandra. “Actually, you can craft family or comedy films but you cannot craft hard hitting films. Such films must be issue based and you should feel about the issue so strongly that you would have no other alternative but to make a film on it. Films are the best medium to communicate with society. But for the last few years I didn't connect with any issue on which I could make movie. So I didn't make any hard-hitting films. If you try to craft hard hitting films, you will end making it worse”.
People come home late and switch on the television to watch news channels rather headlines, my film explore those headlines
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So does his new hard-hitting film 'Breaking News' talk about media as the title suggests? “No, it is not based on media. People come home late and switch on the television to watch news channels, rather headlines. My film explores these headlines. Breaking News explores the stories behind those headlines. It talks about what exactly converts a news into a breaking news. It explores the stories behind breaking news. We see lot of violence around and wonder how the world is going on. It gives a positive feeling when you see that something good comes out of these violent stories. It's about redemption. It's about redeeming yourself.”
Any similarities to Page 3? “No. It's not about a specific story; rather it's about an entire society. The main theme is discriminative attitude of people which we carry on different level. It may be rich and poor, Hindu and Muslim, reservation and unreserved or upper and lower cast. There is discrimination between car owners and auto rickshaw drivers too. Every car owner hates an auto rickshaw driver. The main theme of the story is that there is a biased attitude in our society but when the need arrives, people leave the differences aside and help each other. Nothing in this world survives except humanity.”
The film stars Anupam Kher, Rajit Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Perizaad Zorabian, Sarika, Seema Biswas, Vijay Raaz and Atul Kulkarni. “I agree my star cast is not big”, confesses Chandra “But they all are very well known actors. They have their own set of audience. And then the uniqueness of the script will be the selling point of my film”.
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You can buy an Arriflex camera but you cannot purchase a Panvision camera.
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But what's the most notable aspect about the film is the fact that it is shot entirely on a Panvision camera. “There are two companies in the world which make cinema cameras. Arriflex is very commonly used camera. Panvision is used by big Hollywood directors like Spielberg and the league”, details Chandra. “The specialty of Panvision camera is that you cannot buy it because the company doesn't sell this camera. You have to hire it. You can buy an Arriflex but you cannot purchase a Pan Vision camera. They have outlets of hiring out these camera and they give this camera to renowned filmmakers. This is the lightest camera in the world.”
But why did he choose a Panvision camera over the regular Arriflex? “There were many moving shots in the film which required a handheld camera. In such cases you need to shoot with moving characters and it is quite difficult. So we opted to Panvision which made things easier”, explains the filmmaker experimenting with new techniques. “You will not find any regular shots like the way they have shot in other films. Panvision Camera gives live effects to the film”.
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You can craft family or comedy films but you cannot craft hard hitting films. If you try to craft hard hitting films, you will end making it worse.
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Not just that, the film also has a foreign cinematographer, Matthew Boyd. But unlike a film like Namastey London where Vipul Shah used a foreign cameraman (Jonathan Bloom) because he wanted someone who could shoot London with his proper knowledge of the foreign city, Chandra's film is shot entirely in Bombay. So why did he opt for a foreign director of photography? “Hum logon ki nazar mar gayee hai (our vision has died)”, laments Chandra. “We don't look Bombay as it should be looked may be because it is a part of our life. I wanted an alien person to look at Bombay from a different point of view and then show it from a totally viewpoint too. So I choose Boyd”
So with all these minute detailing, will Breaking News be as hard-hitting as an Ankush or a Pratighaat? “Yes, this film will be a hard-hitting film but now it's up to people to decide that how successful I am”.
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Perizaad to play a lesbian onscreen
