Cinematographer-director Sanu John Varughese on shooting for ‘Malik’ and his directorial debut, ‘Aarkkariyam’

He says working in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema throws up fresh challenges and keeps him on his toes

A coastal village on the shores of the Arabian sea is where Ahammadali Sulaiman (Fahadh Faasil) grows up to become Malik. As the camera pans the picturesque landscape, it takes in densely packed shanties, country boats and places of worship that shape the lives of people living there. The frames eloquently paint the character’s background in Mahesh Narayanan’s Malik. For cinematographer-filmmaker Sanu John Varghese, it was this challenge of capturing the multi-layered narrative that makes Malik special for him. “It is different from the stereotypical, male-centric Malayalam films that focus on the hero and his transformation over a period of time into a one-man army righting the wrongs done to him in the past. In some ways, Malik has the same thread but never once does Sulaiman turn into a muscle-flexing macho man. Moreover, the women have significant roles to play. Malik navigates through believable incidents and characters,” says Sanu.