Preetha (inset), niece of the national award winning cinematographer P C Sreeram, has arrived in the Tamil film industry with Radhamohan's Abhiyum Naanum. After assisting her uncle for many years, she made her debut as the cinematographer of Priya's Kannamoochi Enada.
As Abhiyum Naanum continues to make waves, Preetha talks to Shobha Warrier about her experience.
What element of Abhiyum Naanum attracted you when Radhamohan first told you the story?
There is a moment in the story where Abhi brings a beggar home. That attracted me. The story was so simple and beautiful that I could see all the characters right in front of me. I knew it would be a nice journey for me.
One felt the setting -- that of a tea estate -- is like a character in the film.
Except for the conflict between the father and daughter in the end, there is a harmonious relationship in the whole film. This harmony can be seen in nature too.
On the other hand, the family is small with just three people but the world of tea estates is vast. The outside world, as well as the family, is like a picture postcard -- beautiful.
Whose idea was it to set the film in a tea estate?
Radhamohan wanted the film to be set in a hill station so we started scouting locations. We thought of Ooty and Kodaikkanal but these places have been shot in films ad nauseum. We didn't want to go abroad and shoot. So we went to Munnar, Kerala, and were blown away by its beauty. So we decided to shoot the outdoors in Munnar and the interiors in Ooty. But the story was set in Ooty.
Also Read: Meet the creator of Abhiyum Naanum
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Preetha (inset), niece of the national award winning cinematographer P C Sreeram, has arrived in the Tamil film industry with Radhamohan's Abhiyum Naanum. After assisting her uncle for many years, she made her debut as the cinematographer of Priya's Kannamoochi Enada.