“I recall watching ‘The Godfather’ several times with my dad. One time, I understood that there’s more that goes into the movie than just cinematography. Such as screenwriting and directing. Right then, I started writing short stories and took an interest in direction over cinematography. I wanted to question certain things and wanted to voice them out effectively to the audience. As a writer and a director, I have the liberty to do things which wouldn’t be possible as a cinematographer. On the plus side, Indians are addicted to cinema. If they like something that they see, they won’t hesitate to follow it.”

“I worked with my dad in the printing industry for a year. Then I pursued my filmmaking course at Blue Ocean Film and Television Academy in Chennai. I was trained by experienced directors and scriptwriters from the industry. The first short film I made was for a college assignment. During the 4 days, I had to make the short film, I spent 2 days writing it and finished shooting in a day. I called it “Shortcut”. Now I have made 4 short films in total and am currently directing a Kannada movie, “Vrithra”.

“Anurag Kashyap’s movies encouraged me to sincerely begin my journey in the industry. He showed us all that it was possible to make great low budget films in not-so-fancy locations with minimal equipment. Coming from a middle-class family, this really inspired me. My goal to produce visually empathizing videos was also shaped by Martin Scorsese’s and Alfred Hitchcock’s movies.”

“If you’re passionate about shooting movies and short films, what’s important is to learn to work a camera and tell a story. Nobody needs a big budget. It is okay to mess up a short film. If you do, you don’t need to show it to others. Own up to the mistakes and learn from them. When confident about your skills, invest a small amount of money and reap the benefits. I am Gautham Iyer.”