Last week, All We Imagine as Light created history, becoming the first Indian film to win the coveted Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival. Not many know that the film has a distinct Kolkata connection, as both its cinematographer and music director spent their foundational years in the City of Joy. As accolades poured in for Ranabir and Dhritiman Das from around the world, My Kolkata caught up with the brothers for a short chat. Excerpts follow…
My Kolkata: What was your childhood in Kolkata like? Did your family have any background in cinema?
Ranabir: I had a great childhood — with people around me all the time. There was an immense sense of community. Our family did not have any particular background in cinema, but growing up in Kolkata, arts and culture were always present in some form — whether it was in festival celebrations or school competitions.
Dhritiman: We grew up in the ’90s and 2000s in Kolkata, when it was a simpler time. (Filmmaker) Anik Dutta was our downstairs neighbour and we spent quite a bit of time at his house. He definitely would be an early influence towards cinema. Besides this, my parents are big music fans and we would generally listen to a lot of music.
What were your earliest artistic influences?
Ranabir: I grew up watching films on TV and whatever was released in theatres. The most ‘arthouse’ films I had access to were the films of Satyajit Ray. My parents’ friend, who is like an uncle to me, had a large collection of DVDs. Towards the end of my school life, I had full access to his vast DVD collection, where I saw films like Trainspotting and Snatch, which opened up my cinematic world. After that, I studied Mass Communication and Videography at St. Xavier’s College, where I was exposed to a huge variety of cinema from India and the world.
Dhritiman: For me, it was probably the Led Zeppelin IV and Dire Straits’s Money for Nothing cassettes that our parents had in the car. Along with cartoon music.
Ranabir, how did FTII impact you? Given the dialogue around student politics, how do you think public universities can encourage political discourse?
Ranabir: FTII had a huge impact on my life, both academically and politically. After a point, the two aspects merged. I strongly believe in affordable public education. Unfortunately, public institutes are becoming more and more expensive. These spaces can only remain relevant and encourage political discourse if it remains accessible to all. If it becomes an elitist space, like various public universities have become over the years, it will be useless to the nation. There are many such private institutions that are made only to maintain the status quo and give opportunities to the elite. A space like FTII is somewhere in between at this point. Not only has filmmaking historically been an elite profession, but with the rising fees, access to quality film education is sadly out of reach for many.
Ranabir with Payal Kapadia, the director of ‘All We Imagine as Light’ Aboli Maharwade
How has your relationship with Mumbai evolved? Since All We Imagine as Light is about multitudes within the city, were there any of your own experiences that you incorporated within the film?
Ranabir: Mumbai is not an easy city to negotiate, but it can be quite rewarding. I moved there after FTII and assisted in the cinematography department for a few months, but felt quite lost. I was lucky though that soon after, I got a few offers to work as a cinematographer, and also developed and shot two films with Payal. I must say though, I moved to Mumbai with a lot of privilege and that is not the case with everyone. It is a city of contradictions. I was thrown off initially by its business-like nature and fast pace, but the more time I spend there experiencing life a little more in-depth, the more I like being there. I think some of our experiences would naturally creep into the film, but not in a direct way.
Ranabir, you mentioned being involved with the film since before it went into production. What was that like?
Ranabir: Payal and I work very closely together and I got to see the script develop. This is a dream scenario for any cinematographer, as everything becomes really ingrained by the time we reach shoot. We also developed the visual language of the film. The production designers were involved from an early stage too, and we spent a lot of time experimenting and arriving at a colour palette, lensing, framing, camera movements, lighting, colour grading, etc. It’s a privilege to work in this manner, where every aspect can be given a lot of thought.
Dhritiman, how is the music for All We Imagine as Light different from your independent singles? What was your vision while crafting its soundscape?
Dhritiman: The music for AWIAL is mostly minimal, with just synths and no percussion. That’s a big difference. The vision was ever-evolving, but the main point was to capture emotions intimately, and not in a larger-than-life way.
What were the emotions running within you when the film was screened at Cannes?
Ranabir: We were quite nervous, and felt relieved after the screening. I think all the feedback that we received has been largely overwhelming.
How do you straddle the lines between creating art for the masses, and for yourself?
Ranabir: Honestly, I do not know how to answer this question. Hopefully a day will come where the lines become blurry and they will both be the same.
With alternate forms of distribution, has the job of an independent filmmaker become any easier over the years?
Ranabir: With online platforms, there are more ways to exhibit independent films. In that sense, there is more scope for an independent filmmaker. With time, we will get to know if these films will have an impact on mainstream cinema.
What's next for you?
Dhritiman: I have no idea!
Ranabir: For now, I’m just thinking of getting some rest. After that, we’ll see.
