As the wait for the release of Mohanlal’s directorial debut, Barroz might finally come to an end in December 2024, all eyes are on how the movie will turn out. One man, whose lenses have served to make Mohanlal’s directorial vision a reality, is its cinematographer Santosh Sivan.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the acclaimed director-cinematographer explains the challenges that came with shooting a 3D children’s fantasy with Mohanlal at the helm, and why the team has taken their due time to bring it to theatres.

Mohanlal’s Barroz is a very tricky film: Santosh Sivan

Talk to him about the expectations on the film, given that it is directed by the superstar, Santosh says, “See, Barroz is a very tricky film. It’s not a ‘mass’ movie. There are a lot of African and Spanish actors and a few Malayalam actors. We never know how it would turn out for our audience, given that they will have to read subtitles for the foreigners’ portions. That said, the storytelling relies on brilliant visuals; it has got a lot of fantasy elements that will surely appeal to children.”

The cinematographer, who was honored with the Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, also explains that Barroz as a film will be “fulfilling for the audience”. “But it doesn’t always delve into the known realm of emotions that we have experienced in theatres. The protagonist is a girl and not Lal sir. There’s no big heroism from his character. But he is great in that role,” he explains.

‘Whatever Mohanlal does, he does it from his heart’

Ask him about Mohanlal’s ‘role’ as a filmmaker on the project and Santosh says, “I feel the movie has come out well. I asked him once why he chose to direct this film, and he said, ‘If I don’t direct this, no one ever will’. That is true. He’s an interesting director, and unlike other filmmakers, he doesn’t give you references of shots from other films. Whatever he does, he does it from his heart. Whether it’s right or wrong, he isn’t bothered. He is a spontaneous director and his process is very organic. He is honest about his craft. That said, I don’t think he is going to direct again because he doesn’t want to.”

Santosh Sivan on challenges of shooting Barroz

As Barroz gears up for its release – which is expected either in December 2024 or January 2025, the makers are set to drop its trailer soon. Santosh says that the team had been working hard on the post-production of the film, which has spanned over two years, to ensure that they bring out its best version.

“The biggest challenge was that Barroz is in 3D and also has an IMAX version,” he explains. “It’s not easy shooting for IMAX format because the frame size is different. The format is supposed to give an immersive effect to the audience, and the frame rate is different. Fortunately, we took all of that into account while shooting the movie. In India, even films like Kalki 2898AD are shot and then blown up for IMAX during the post-production.”

The cinematographer also adds that the audience must choose the best theatres to watch the film. “For any 3D film, if the theatres aren’t equipped for its visuals, it would make for a forgettable experience for the audience. This is even when we have given the best possible output during the post,” he concludes.

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