Bollywood or down South; which do you prefer the most?

I have never restricted myself to a particular region or language. I have worked in about 34 films with 32 directors, and each one of them have had something individual to offer. All my directors - be it Mani Ratnam, Anurag Basu, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shankar Shanmugam or even Gautham Vasudev Menon; they have been wonderful to work with and I have learnt different things from them.

Has it ever happened that one learning experience helped the other? If you could draw a parallel...

Yes. I had worked with Priyadarshan in a Malayalam film called Kilichundan Mampazham that helped me handle the grand scale of Shankar's Anniyan and Kamal Haasan's Dasavathaaram. Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed Ram Leela was a visual show; the experience of working on grand-scaled films just mentioned helped in envisioning a film like that. Same way, I could work on a Kaatru Veliyidai, a film that was in a painting-space because of my experience on working Ram Leela. Anurag Basu's Barifi! And Jagga Jasoos were totally on the magical side. Working on the former helped me with the latter.

What generally goes into your technical preparations for a film?

I am basically a very non-technical person. The only thing I prepare myself is understanding the soul of the film because cinematography is essentially like story-telling. What I see and think is what I can bring alive. Yes, with technicalities one can make even a corpse look polished but that is not what I am here for. The real excellence lies in being able to communicate through your visuals without any technical aid.

Does this mean that anyone with a penchant for camera can become a cinematographer?

Absolutely. In today's day and age, even an iPhone has become a shooting medium. Earlier we required a big camera and waited for the right opportunity to come along. But now, with the evolution of web series, YouTube channels and what not anyone can shoot with just his/her phone, form any kind of story and prove their mettle. All they need is a passion for camera and the ability to visually communicate.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has termed you an artist. Your work has been appreciated by Hollywood director Wes Anderson. Has there been a moment like this that you cherish to date?

Well in my 17 years of cinematography, I have won about 28 domestic and International awards but they have never given me the satisfaction that comes from doing the things I truly want; be it at work or a simple life pleasure. Also I generally do not cherish or regret anything as I am well aware that both appreciation and depreciation are temporary. It is only your work that stands out at the end of the day. That way, I am my biggest fan.

Who is your personal camera-favourite? Also whom do you feel brings the most out of you, both in-front and behind the camera?

I cannot mention just one name. As a cinematographer, it is my job to treat every image equally and bring out the best in even the dullest of pictures. And all the directors I have worked with, have brought out a different aspect in me. And even though Mani Ratnam is an inspiration, I still have to say that I've liked all the directors I've worked with.

The ace cinematographer also did have a parting message to give his audience which went,

"After birth, you constantly feel there is no time After death you realise you had a plenty of it."

Such is the irony of life he says. As ironical as his dark & intense past and his more than colourful present, we feel.