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Planet Powai spotted a handsome young man driving a Black
Sports Mahindra zipping in Hiranandani alongwith a small family
of two small sons and his wife. On some research it came to
be known this suave, outdoor appearing person is none other
the Ranjan Kamath an International Cinematographer staying
in Powai. These days one can see his Film "Wild India"
being shown on Discovery Channel in the Programme 'India Week'.
Many years back this young talented man developed an unusual
interest when he was in School in Calcutta thru local theatre
for music, stage and lofty aspirations to scale greater heights.
Very soon he graduated as an Associate of Trinity College
of Music, London and later in 1989 he completed his post-gradua-tion
from London Inter-national Film School with a distinction
in Cinemato-graphy. In between he managed to complete his
graduation in Political Science from Xavier's College in 1984
ranking second in the University of Calcutta.
Ranjan acquired the perfect seeds of a thinking and active
intellectual waiting for creative outlets for his pent up
talent. Armed with necessary qualifications to find avenues
of release in acting and film making involving social, political
and environment issues with the world his audience. For more
than a decade he has been working both as producer and director/cinematographer
on Indian Features, international co-productions and short
features for the BBC, Channel Four, National Geographic and
Discovery Channel amongst others. He has been associated with
a variety of major projects including City of Joy, WILD INDIA
and Elections '98. Presently, Ranjan is producing and directing
feature documentaries - 'Fishers of Men' and 'The Die is Caste'.
His wife Padmavati Rao teams up with him in his work. She
herself is an actress and has featured in various parallel
cinema films particularly with Girish Karnard in the TV serial
Malgudi Days and she happens to be the sister-in-law of Shankar
Nag who had directed Malgudi Days. She has done a small role
in Subhash Ghai's well known Film Pardes in 1996. Probing
some personal aspects to this Powaiite doing international
quality work based here we learnt that he travels all by himself
with his hitech camera eqpt and drives his own Sports Jeep
to any and every part of India by road always.
It is commendable on his part that he has chosen India as
his Canvas and loves his Country to project its correct image
and problems to the outside world. Wherever, he has been in
India he has experienced a warmth and people have welcomed
him in the remotest areas. Even in tribal and insurgency infested
areas he has built instant rapport with local ethnic populace.
He cites an interesting incident of Bihar where he had been
recently for filming a documentary on the Naxalites and Ranvir
Sena, the local police wanted to give him escort which he
denied saying I feel safe without you, they may feel intimidated
with the presence of police.
It has been an amazing experience for we at 'PP' to learn
about such happening people gracing this suburb, who mainly
find this place congenial living amidst nature and still be
near to the city. Ranjan symbolises a new genre of cosmopolitan
Indians who live by their courage of conviction and are applying
their sum total of their education, ethos, emotion and social
equation in the Indian Context.
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