Salman Khan and Preity Zinta in Jaan-e-Mann; (below) Sudeep Chatterjee with Nagesh Kukunoor on the sets of Dor

You are easily the most successful Bengali cinematographer in Bollywood today. How does that feel?

The definition of success changes with time. I consider myself as unsuccessful as I was 10 years ago. I graduated from FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) in 1994. The struggle is still on. The perspectives have changed, though. The struggle of travelling on a local train or earning the next month’s house rent has gone. Financially, I’m a lot more comfortable than a few years back. But I’m still struggling, struggling to try not become a part of the mediocrity and compromise that surrounds and threatens us. Struggling to become a good human being, struggling to be a good father...

Which cinematographers have been your inspirations?

Subrata Mitra (Satyajit Ray’s cinematographer who shot most of his films, including the Apu Trilogy, Charulata and Nayak) for his control over his craft. Conrad Hall (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Beauty, Road to Perdition) for his childlike simplicity and elderly wisdom. Darius Khondji (Se7en, The Beach, Panic Room) for his style. Emmanuel Lubezki (A Walk in the Clouds, Sleepy Hollow, Children of Men) for his sheer variety. And Dinen Gupta for being a part of Subarnarekha.

Why did you move to Mumbai in the first place? Was it for lure of better work or more money?

I did not make a decision to shift to Mumbai. The question of choice was not there. I had to be there to do what I wanted to do. I wanted a certain kind of life for myself, which was not possible to attain being a cinematographer in Calcutta. Before moving to Mumbai I did Bada Din with Anjan Dutt. I would always be grateful to Anjanda for placing that trust on me when it mattered.

But honestly, my career in Mumbai has given me a comfortable life, given me the freedom to choose the kind of films I want to do. Today, I can afford to do a Kaalpurush, an Iqbal or a Dor. I do it with a smile on my face. Today when somebody approaches me with a film saying “I have a great script but I don’t have the budget”, I can consider his film only because a Jaan-e-Mann or a Lucky lets me do that. I do not have to bother about my EMIs, my comforts and the savings I want to do for my children. That’s the life for which I shifted to Mumbai.

You have worked in films that demand great images like Road, Kyun Ho Gaya Na, Lucky, Dor and now Jaan-e-Mann. Do you pick them or they just fall into your lap?

I can’t deny that I have been very fortunate. But I do pick my films with a lot of care. I listen to a script, close my eyes and if I see a good film, I jump at it.

The cast and crew of Ram Gopal Varma films become part of the Factory. Why did you not do any work with him after Road?

Ramu (Varma) says he’s not found the right film for us to work together on and I trust his judgment. We have become very good friends and we keep talking about projects. We’ll definitely do something in the near future.

Kyun Ho Gaya Na was a disaster despite your best efforts. Can good images rescue a film?

Good images cannot salvage a bad film but they can enhance a good film.

Why did you slip a Kaalpurush into your heavy duty commercial Bollywood work?

I desperately wanted to move away from a certain kind of work that I was doing. The time was right for some rediscovery. Kaalpurush came like a godsend. The photographic approach that Buddhada (Buddhadeb Dasgupta) helped come up with changed my perceptions dramatically. I had just lost my father and the exploration of the father-son relationship in the film was in a way a very personal experience.

Your latest release Jaan-e-Mann shows a different New York as opposed to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. What was the brief?

(Director) Shirish (Kunder) and I were looking for a city to set up the story of Jaan-e-Mann. We landed in New York and fell in love with the city. The buzz was fantastic. The colour, the life, the jazz… to me it was the perfect fun city. We just had a great time. The brief that we gave ourselves was that let’s try to capture the spirit of the city and to celebrate the architecture.

What does the husband-wife team of Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan bring on board?

Pure unadulterated fun on the sets. They are the most amazing, fun-loving couple that I know.

What new films have you committed to?

As you know, I am shooting Shimit Amin’s Chak De India for Yash Raj Films. Next would probably be something with Nagesh Kukunoor again.