Polish Cinematographer Artur Zurawski on working with Salman Khan and Rani Mukerji

Of late, Indian filmmakers are looking for an outside eye to realise their creative vision. They are turning to European directors of photography to give their celluloid dreams a shade of everyday reality. One of the most significant names of this surge is Artur Żurawski, whose lens work has redefined the visual language of commercial Hindi cinema. After capturing a monsoon-soaked Goa in Kaizad Gustad’s Jackpot, the Polish cinematographer pivoted to raw realism when he injected a documentary-style grit into the Bollywood thriller Mardaani. Then he grounded Salman Khan’s Sultan, a sports spectacle in Haryanvi texture, and this year he reunited with Rani Mukerji to frame the third installment of Mardaani.

In Delhi for his solo exhibition of still photographs with the Polish Institute, Artur says his role is to bring larger-than-life stories closer to life without making the experience too exotic for the audience. Initially shocked by the colours in frames, Artur says he is trying to balance art and culture. In European cinema, he says, actors have minimal hand gestures. “Here it is a little too much for me. I would advise the directors to limit it, but then it is culture,” he says. As for the emotions, Artur says they are not too different from what he experienced back home. “People of both countries have learnt to live with generational trauma. You faced Partition, we were not on the map of the world for more than a century,” he says.

Rani Mukerji with Artur
| Photo Credit:
Artur Zurawski

What worked with Artur was that he didn’t come to India with an image in mind. He was introduced to Satyajit Ray’s cinema after working in India. Someone had gifted him a DVD of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, but he didn’t know Rani was conscious of her camera profile or that no one can say no to Salman. “For me, they were performers without any baggage of stardom. Rani trusted me completely. Salman comes to the set for a limited period of time, but he is open to suggestions. I knew I had to get the best out of his charismatic face. For the rest, there are body doubles!”

This intimacy is reflected in the 40 photographs on show at the exhibition, meaningfully titled I See You, where the moving images of Rani Mukerji and Aditi Rao Hydari go beyond the characters that exist on screen. “These are not behind-the-scenes photographs. The idea is to preserve traces of encounters and relationships that remain invisible once the film is complete,” he muses.

Kaizaad Gustad
| Photo Credit:
Artur Zurawski

As a cinematographer, Artur, who still cherishes his conversations with Pradeep Sarkar, says his job is not just to suggest to the director what angle will work, but also to stop him from spending time and money on unnecessary shooting. “I don’t always succeed because sometimes the director is not clear in his head and shoots everything in wide angle as well as close-up and leaves the decision for post-production. When the director scratches his head, I sweat,” Artur grins.

Pushing for discretion in the use of technology, he says, as small drones have become accessible and affordable, the surprise factor in aerial shots has almost gone. “In Mardaani, I shot action sequences with one camera, but in Sultan I deployed seven. Yash Raj (Films) ordered an anamorphic lens from Germany for me to help elevate the wrestling sequences and add emotional depth.”

Against the use of artificial intelligence in cinema, Artur, who took a workshop at AJK Mass Communication Research Centre in Jamia, says making movies through generative AI would be a catastrophe for creativity. “It can be used for creating a particular moment, like the way special effects are used, but these days it seems producers are eager to create entire movies through AI. It will still require a DOP because only he knows how to frame a shot to get the emotions. The danger is if the new generation of DOPs grow up with AI, they might not be able to differentiate.”

Aditi Rao Hydari
| Photo Credit:
Artur Zurawski

Reflecting on the trends in cinematography, Artur shares that these days old lenses are being tuned to create an unpretentious effect. “Lenses that have issues with focus or edges are being used to create an impactful image. It could well be for one scene. Filmmakers want to recreate the effect of an iconic film, so we research to find the lens used, then when it could not be created through lighting and special effects.”

After commercial success in India, Artur is now working on an art-house Nepalese film with director Bikash Subedi. Called Shirjara, Artur says, it is about the transformation of a young London-based AI engineer who travels to Nepal with her grandmother to code empathy. “The story is simple, but it requires technology to shoot at night or at dawn with natural light. I convinced Bikash to take the equipment from India, and we will do the post-production in Poland.”

This cross-pollination of ideas and experiences between the two countries is something that Artur cherishes. “I can say the food on Indian film sets is much better than what we get back home.”

The exhibition runs until August 29 at Anant Art Gallery, Safdarganj Enclave.