Fiction stories have populated cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar’s 23-year filmography. Now that he is neck-deep in his first biopic, he agrees he couldn’t have asked for a more ambitious project. He has wrapped up two schedules of Maa Vande, a biopic on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that sees Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan portray the leader. It’s not only the story, but also the film’s technical finesse that has the cinematographer excited.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with actor Unni Mukundan; (right) KK Senthil Kumar
Kumar reveals that Maa Vande is being shot on the ARRI 265, a 65 mm large-format camera rarely used even internationally. “The sensor is three to four times bigger than a 35 mm sensor. The imagery will be much sharper, something not seen before on Indian screens,” he says, adding that Hollywood director Christopher Nolan sometimes uses ARRI equipment.
Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan reportedly used ARRI equipment for wide shots in ‘Dunkirk’
Maa Vande’s beating heart, however, will be its story. Penned by director Kranthi Kumar, the multi-lingual film will focus on the prime minister’s bond with his mother Heeraben Modi. Kumar elaborates, “This film shows how his mother inspired the prime minister to become what he has today. We did not want this to be a propaganda film.”
KK Senthil Kumar has shot many of SS Rajamouli’s films, including:
. ‘Magadheera’ (2009)
. ‘Eega’ (2012)
. ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ (2015)
. ‘Baahubali: The Conclusion’ (2017)
. ‘RRR’ (2022
