Polish DOP Artur Żurawski on bringing European realism to Bollywood
New Delhi: Indian filmmakers are increasingly turning to European directors of photography to lend everyday realism to larger-than-life stories, and one of the most significant names in that surge is Artur Żurawski.
The Polish cinematographer, in Delhi for his solo still photography exhibition with the Polish Institute, has redefined the visual language of commercial Hindi cinema — from capturing monsoon-soaked Goa in Kaizad Gustad’s Jackpot, to injecting documentary-style grit into the thriller Mardaani, grounding Salman Khan’s sports spectacle Sultan in Haryanvi texture, and reuniting with Rani Mukerji for Mardaani 3 this year.
Żurawski said 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 Indian frames, he said he is trying to balance art and culture. In European cinema, actors use minimal hand gestures, he noted. “Here it is a little too much for me. I would advise the directors to limit it, but then it is culture,” he said.
On emotions, he found common ground: “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.”
