Viraj Singh Talks Crafting TEST, Real Cricket Shots And Working With Nayanthara, Madhavan And Siddharth

Cinematographer Viraj Singh has worked on many well-known projects like Sweet Karam Coffee, Navarasa, and Harmony with A.R. Rahman. Now, he brings his talent to the cricket-based series TEST. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, Viraj talks about his journey, his style of working and the challenges of shooting realistic cricket scenes. He also shares fun stories about working with actors like Nayanthara, Madhavan and Siddharth. From shooting inside the Chepauk Stadium to making the crowd look real with clever camera work, Viraj explains how much thought and teamwork goes into every frame. Excerpts:

Q. What inspired you to become a cinematographer?

A. I liked the idea of working with my hands, making things — like a carpenter, like a craftsman or a technician. The physicality of it attracted me to it — the fact that I have to hand-hold the camera, and that there was balance to it, almost like a dance. I also liked the idea of it being a part of my life, not something I left and went home. I also loved the idea of it being a collaborative art; you can't make a film on your own.

Q. What were the challenges of filming cricket scenes?

A. The goal was to make the cricket feel as real as possible — that it was really Siddharth playing with the two national teams of India and Pakistan. From a camera point of view, we wanted the experience of watching it to feel like how we usually experience cricket on TV. So we used the actual cameras and lenses that they use when they film cricket. We also hired the same camera operators who traditionally shoot cricket. I had to tweak the cameras to work for our needs, as these cameras are usually designed to broadcast live and not go through any manipulation like we usually do with our cine pipeline.

We also came up with a different way of doing the crowd manipulation, where we didn’t do any rotoscopy or green screen. We all always surrounded the cricketer that we were filming with the limited crowd that we had and left the rest of the frame empty. This way, the cricketers always looked very authentic because they were actually in Chepauk Stadium, and we just filled in the other parts using CG.

Q. Any interesting anecdotes with Nayanthara and Madhavan or from the series?

A. Yes, it was quite the privilege to work with all the three actors. Sidharth and me had shot something before, so we had already had a working banter — he always looks for ways to keep pulling my leg.

Nayanthara has a huge aura around her, but I think the atmosphere that Sashi created on the set made everyone very relaxed. Stars usually go back to their trailer in between shots, but she and Maddy sir would always be hanging around, talking while we would light for their shot. She would even come and help me check her light when I would ask her. There was a time towards the end of the shoot, when it was at the end of the day, and she managed to catch a mistake in my lighting — which I to this day don’t know how she caught, as the shot hadn’t been taken yet. So she wouldn’t have known what my exposure was going to be. Speaks volumes about her knowledge of technicals and lighting.

Working with Madhavan is such a great experience. Early on in the shoot, he told me about how it’s so important to him to see his eyes in the shot. Later on, he told me that I had totally gotten it right. Just the other day at the release party, he told me that someone had complimented him about how good his eyes were expressing. I was really happy to hear that.

Q. How has your approach to cinematography evolved over the years?

A. I have just become more thoughtful with my choices and how I conduct myself around people on a set. At the end of the day, film is a collaborative process.