The Man who impressed both Thala & Thalapathy !

15/10/2013

Not many people know that a technician named Aravind was the innovator of Helicam camera which is used in Our Kollywood, Helicam Aravind as he is known today recently opened up on his journey from being cinematographer to being a best buddy of Ajith and how he impressed Vijay recently

"I was the cinematographer for 'Sivelaperi Pandi', after which I started working on ad films. After a while, when I started touring foreign countries, I stumbled upon the concept of helicam, which influenced me deeply. Until then, when any scene had to be shot from a considerable height, a jimmy jib had to be used; but dismantling the assembly post shoot is cumbersome. The other alternative was the expensive choice of hiring a helicopter. But helicam - remote controlled helicopter fitted with specialised camera - seemed to be an efficient option. So I set out procuring the materials to make my own helicam and also succeeded in marking my mark as a proficient helicam cinematographer."

"Like how school kids run out to play cricket on every holiday, I and Ajith used to rush to Achcharapakkam runway soon after the shooting schedule got over, for aero modelling. Those were fun days, as Ajith had just begun pursuing his passion. Now in 'Arrambam' I shot a risky shot on a running train. Ajith acted in a fight sequence atop a running train in Odisha. On seeing the rushes of the sequence, Ajith was moved that all his efforts have come to light in camera". 

"Similarly, Ilayathalapathy Vijay and Mohanlal were in awe with the sequence I shot for director Nesan's 'Jilla' in the set erected for the film. I shot a continuous sequence canning the entire house, entering the helicam through a window and recording every room in the house".