!Dil Dhadakne Do Updates#2! Screening at IIFA! pg132 - Page 90

'The climax was a logistical nightmare, shot in different months and in different countries'

Carlos Catalan is an integral part of writer-director Zoya Akhtar's team, having worked with her in Luck By Chance (2009), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and now Dil Dhadakne Do. The Spanish cinematographer however insists that this journey was a different story altogether with its own challenges.

For one, they were shooting on a luxury cruise liner as it sailed through France, Spain, Tunisia and Italy with 2,500 people on board apart from the crew. "It was the same six-day itinerary for five weeks. The passengers kept changing but it was always the same pattern. Day one they were really nice and curious, after that with every passing day they liked us less and less. Luckily they would get off in a week and a new lot would arrive," he laughs, adding that for him what was painful was that he didn't know which direction the ship would dock as that's only decided when they get into the port. "So sometimes we would plan a scene on the left deck and the sun would be on the other side."

The biggest high for Carlos in this journey through six countries (they also shot in Turkey and India) was the food. "The pasta in Italy and the kebabs and baklava in Turkey were yummy! And since our day off was always in Barcelona it was perfect!" he beams. "And shooting in Hagia Sofia in Istanbul which was opened only for us was amazing!"

Quiz him on cinematic innovations and he insists that he likes his camera to be invisible rather than intrusive... Keep things simple and enhance certain elements in each scene with framing and lighting to help the audience understand or perceive the story in a particular way. "There aren't too many closeups. We chose not to be with anyone in particular but with all of them," he explains.

Also, Carlos prefers film over digital any day. But he admits that there aren't too many film labs left and post-production houses don't invest in film equipment anymore. "Everything is set up for digital so I decided to mix formats and blend the best of both worlds. I'd shoot digital for nights and interiors and film for day and exteriors. I did some tests and I realised that I could match it all in post. There is something about film that is still unbeatable," he asserts.

The climax, however, was a logistical nightmare since it was shot in different months and different countries and so not easy to match in the limited time that they had. "Shooting in the Hammam baths was also painful because the heat was unbearable. And there was one sequence filmed in a life boat which was tricky. The actors were in a small dinghy in the middle of the ocean and me and the focus puller in another little boat which was tied to the main crew boat. To add to our problems it was so hot," he reminisces.

Ask him about his favourite actor and he picks the dog Pluto who Carlos describes as a "one-take artiste who didn't need any final checks between takes." Pluto always got top priority. If he wasn't in the mood to shoot, they did something else and if he was responding, they focused only on him. "He was our biggest star, pampered by everyone. Anil Kapoor had named him Brando," chuckles the 'storyteller' cinematographer.

Carlos believes in long-term collaborations, pointing out that many directors shoot with the same DoPs, eg- Roger Deakins and the Coen brothers, Sven Nykvist and Ingmar Bergman, and Steven Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski. "Finding a good director is not easy and when you do, you stick to him or her," he says, pointing out that Zoya has the unique ability to bring together talented, like-minded people and has a faithful team. "There is an incredible connection and a beautiful sense of family between all members of the crew which makes shooting a total blast," he maintains.

So after a car and a ship will it be a train or a plane for Zoya and Carlos next? "Spaceship, maybe," he laughs.