Mumbai, January 28th, 2019: The Prahlad Kakar School of Branding and Entrepreneurship (PKSBE) hosted celebrated cinematographer Manu Anand for the first of two exclusive masterclass sessions at its campus. Organized for students enrolled in the Ad, Filmmaking, & Branding programme, this session saw Anand closely interact with the students in order to better understand their perspectives on the film industry and its inner workings.
The session began with a round of introductions before Anand threw the floor open to the students and fielded a host of questions from the eager filmmakers-to-be. The first query was around the relationship that existed between directors and cinematographers, and the dynamics that drives their interactions. In response, Anand stressed the importance of mutual respect, stating, “Fight when you have an opinion you believe in. But never forget how to negotiate.” When a question on setting the mood of a film arose, Anand highlighted the advantages of various camera angles for certain moods, while also underlining the importance of music to a scene. “Time moves faster when you’re happy – what you feel in real life is what you convey to the audience.”
As the session progressed, Anand narrated his experiences in the industry, doling out advice both theoretical and practical. When faced with a question on the source of his motivation, his answer was straightforward, “Peer pressure can be the greatest motivator and your best advantage.” He emphasized his point by highlighting the intense competition within the industry and spoke on the importance of drive and passion. In the final minutes of the session, Anand shared his most important piece of advice, “I genuinely believe that no one is born talented. Practice, hard work, and dedication are the only paths to success. And success can only be earned, never bought”
With close to two decades of experience in the industry, Manu Anand is well known for his work on films such as Fan, Shuddh Desi Romance, and Dum Laga Ke Haisha, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Cinematography in 2015. A regular cinematographer at Yash Raj Films, his latest project is the recently released Zero – his second movie with actor Shah Rukh Khan.
