Santosh Sivan opens up about working with Rajnikanth, Mohanlal and Vijay

Avid film buffs and aspiring cinematographers arrived at the master class which was presented by ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan in Dubai. The event featured a live interactive session where the RJ Shaan, the host quizzed Santosh Sivan on his craft and how he brought out the best out of actors in films.

On being quizzed about who the most photogenic actor he’s worked with he said that it’s not one, but every actor needs to be appreciated, he added by saying how he had the opportunity to give a gold tone in the film Thalapathi, which suited Rajinikanth’s skin tone so much, that the superstar insisted he work on his other films too. However, Santosh Sivan declined to do so as he wanted to learn more and experiment on other films too. He also said how Vijay has a very similar and interesting skin tone, and he had the opportunity to use suitable lighting for the film Thuppakki.

He was then quizzed about which actor he was massively impressed with while working on films. To which Santosh Sivan said “Each actor is different. While Mohanlal reacts spontaneously on the sets, Aamir Khan prepares quite a lot. Shah Rukh Khan is like Charlie Chaplin who tries to deliver a subtle act, while Salman Khan will walk away casually in a scene even if a blast takes place”.

When he was asked if has ever fallen in love with any heroine he’s worked with he said “it’s not good to like someone who is consumed by his/her own beauty, but I have instances where I stop and stare at a heroine to check the right angles for the camera, and when I am caught staring they ask me if everything is fine”. He also said how much he enjoyed working on new projects and didn’t quite enjoy acting.

Santosh Sivan is a 12- time Nation award-winner. He made his debut with the Malayalam film Nidhiyude Katha in the year 1986.