For ‘RRR’, cinematographer Senthil Kumar wanted the sharpest visual quality

Cinematographer K K Senthil Kumar on the technical strides for ‘RRR’ and his quest to keep offering better visual experiences 

K K Senthil Kumar, director of photography for S S Rajamouli’s action drama RRR, is mighty pleased with the appreciation he has been getting for his work. “Filmmaking is teamwork and all of us have put in so much work to give the audiences the best possible visual experience. It is hugely rewarding when people appreciate it,” he says, taking time out for a chat amid location hunting for his next film. 

Senthil has worked with Rajamouli since the 2004 film Sye, through Chatrapathi, Yamadonga, Magadheera, Eega and the Baahubali films, each time setting the bar higher for a visual experience.

He recalls Rajamouli telling him in the initial stages of Baahubali that he wanted it to be a visual film. “It was music to my ears. What more would a cinematographer want?” That brief had changed for RRR with Rajamouli’s emphasis on not letting viewers’ attention waver from the ‘intense emotional drama’ on screen. 

For a fleeting moment, Senthil wondered if there would be scope to showcase something new visually. But he soon dived into the task, determined to translate the director’s vision on screen in the best possible manner.

“A part of the challenge was to provide cinematic magic while remaining authentic to the period, the early 1900s,” says Senthil. The production design, costume and visual effects departments collected references from the time period. Photographs and paintings of the era helped study the costumes, bazaars, people’s fashion sense and body language. Senthil also looked at international films that had stories set in the early 1900s. “ Baahubali happens in an undisclosed time period and we had some liberty to do what we wanted. RRR was a new experience.” 

The vivid colours and the clarity with which one can spot the details even in a crowd called for meticulous planning and technical know-how. “We more or less decide what colours will work and what to avoid for each scene’s location and the characters. But I keep the look and feel of the final product open till the final stages of post-production. A lot of effort goes into colour grading during the Digital Intermediate stage.”

Ram Charan’s introduction sequence amid a sea of protestors takes advantage of the earthy surroundings while NTR’s introduction sequence in the jungle uses the green hues to good effect. Senthil says the intention was to show the differences between the two characters subtly rather than use stark oranges and cool blues simply because the protagonists are represented by the elements of fire and water.