INTERVIEW | Satheesh Kurup On His Rare Bond With Jeethu Joseph And What Makes Mohanlal's Drishyam 3 Unique
Cinematographer Satheesh Kurup opens up about his bond with Jeethu Joseph, working with Mohanlal, visual storytelling, AI in cinema, and Drishyam 3 expectations.
By ETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Published : May 8, 2026 at 9:03 PM IST
Cinematographer Satheesh Kurup is regarded as one of the technicians who transformed the visual language of Malayalam cinema. Making his independent debut with Amal Neerad’s Anwar in 2010, Satheesh has now reached one of Malayalam cinema’s most-awaited projects, Drishyam 3. Along the way, he became part of several beloved films. In a candid conversation with ETV Bharat's Akhil Vinayak, Satheesh opens up about his eight-year-long successful collaboration with director Jeethu Joseph, his experiences with Mohanlal, and much more.
Q. From debuting with an Amal Neerad film to now working on Drishyam 3, how do you look at this cinematic journey?
- I became an independent cinematographer in 2010 through Anwar. From there, the journey has now reached the third instalment of Drishyam. It definitely gives me immense happiness. I consider myself fortunate to have been part of many films that audiences embraced wholeheartedly.
Q. You’ve now done 12 films consecutively with director Jeethu Joseph. Such chemistry is rare in Malayalam cinema. How did this professional bonding happen?
- Cinema is teamwork. From the very first project I did with Jeethu Joseph, we had a great understanding between us. That later evolved into a strong friendship and professional bond. Sometimes, even a single look from him is enough for me to understand what he wants. Our wavelengths match perfectly, and that’s why we’ve been able to do so many films together.
The foundation of any successful film is good teamwork. The comfort zone we shared while working together was excellent. More importantly, the output was a series of quality films. Perhaps these are the reasons why Jeethu Joseph continues to collaborate with me on his films.
Q. How do Jeethu Joseph’s views on cinematography and screenplay align with your style?
- Jeethu Joseph is a director who remains completely faithful to the screenplay he writes. He doesn’t want cinematography to overpower the script, and my approach is the same. Our aim is to visually present exactly what the screenplay demands. That alignment is the reason behind the quality of our films together.
If there’s anything more specific about his preference toward me, that’s something you’d have to ask him directly.
Q. Sujith Vaassudev handled the cinematography for the first Drishyam. Did you feel any pressure when you came on board for the sequel?
- When moving from Drishyam 1 to Drishyam 2, the minimum requirement for me was to maintain the essence established in the first part. Drishyam is a benchmark film in Malayalam cinema, a masterclass work in Jeethu Joseph’s career. The cinematography of the first film was also handled by one of Malayalam cinema’s leading cameramen.
Malayalam cinema can almost be described as ‘before Drishyam and after Drishyam’. That was the real challenge before me. It wasn’t a technical challenge, but a personal one. Someone else did the first part, and I got the opportunity for the second. But I never saw it competitively. My only goal was to preserve the benchmark created by the first film.
Q. How did you maintain continuity in terms of story, characters, and locations within the Drishyam franchise?
- Because of my previous experience working with the director, his ideas get imprinted in my mind more deeply and easily. By the time we were shooting Drishyam 2, I had become more than just a member of the technical crew; I had become part of George Kutty’s family myself.
The rest involves adapting to changes in age and nature. Jeethu carefully maintains continuity according to the screenplay through sheer intelligence. Technically speaking, the art director and costume designer are the biggest supports for a cinematographer. When George Kutty’s family moves from 2021 to 2026, their physical appearance, financial growth, and aesthetic sense all need to be reflected visually. That depends greatly on the craftsmanship of the art director.
Q. Some critics say the Drishyam films don’t focus much on visual quality. What’s your response?
- Jeethu Joseph is the same filmmaker who created a visually appealing film like Memories. The visual style of Drishyam is exactly what he intended. Perhaps this particular style of storytelling was what he wanted.
The making of any film depends on its story and screenplay. Maybe the cult status of Drishyam itself is why these criticisms arise on such a large scale. In my opinion, films like Drishyam are designed to tell the story in a 'matter-to-matter' manner. The narrative progresses directly through characters and dialogues without much breathing space.
Q. What’s the difference between this ‘matter-to-matter’ style and a cinematographer’s performance area?
- If you observe films like Anwar or Pranayam, which I shot, you’ll notice there’s breathing space within the storytelling. That’s where my performance area lies.
Two characters talking is the matter of a scene. But the moments leading to that conversation, the anticipation, the feeling that something is about to happen, that is what I call breathing space. That’s where a cameraman can truly perform.
Films like Memories have more such space. But in Drishyam, the story needs to move quickly from point to point through the lives of the characters.
I’ll reveal one more thing aesthetically: Drishyam 3 will stand above the first two parts. The changing times and technological advancements are major reasons for that.
Q. Working with Mohanlal is a dream for any cinema lover. What was your experience like while working with him in films like Pranayam?
- People like us entered this field inspired by legendary actors like Lal sir. The support he gives as a co-worker is beyond words. What makes Mohanlal extraordinary is the perfection with which he performs while also considering the timing requirements of technicians.
I still remember an incident during the shoot of Pranayam.
Since his character suffered from paralysis, Lal sir delivered dialogues very slowly. We were shooting on film cameras at the time. When the recording starts, the sound of the film rolling makes it difficult for someone standing behind the camera to hear distant dialogues.
There was an ICU scene where I had to move the crane and reach a close-up exactly when a particular line of dialogue was delivered. I explained the technical difficulty to him.
Immediately, he suggested a solution: “After I begin the dialogue, I’ll gently rub my nose with my left hand. You move the crane at that moment.”
I moved the camera exactly at that signal. The camera reached his face at the exact second the dialogue ended. At the same moment, tears welled up in his eyes emotionally. That perfect timing completely amazed me.
Q. How did you adapt from film cameras to the digital era?
- As a technician, there’s no point resisting technology. But initially, I was afraid when the digital era arrived. I had spent years working as an assistant and associate before becoming an independent cinematographer. Naturally, hearing that the entire system you followed for years would suddenly change overnight was difficult.
At first, I wasn’t interested in shifting to digital. But eventually I realised there was no point resisting it. Once I understood this was the future of cinema, I embraced the change.
Q. It’s said that Kalimannu convinced you that shifting to digital was unavoidable. What was the technical challenge there?
- Yes, I think Kalimannu made me realise that moving to digital was inevitable. Blessy sir directed that film. Its biggest highlight was filming actress Swetha Menon’s real childbirth live.
Leaving aside the emotional aspect, our first discussion was how to technically capture it. The film was being shot on film stock, but filming a live childbirth created practical difficulties.
A film magazine carries about 4000 feet of film, which allows roughly four minutes of recording. During a real childbirth, you can’t follow normal cinematic shooting standards. No one can predict how long the process will take. If we kept filming continuously, we’d have to change film magazines every four minutes, during which filming would stop. A crucial moment could be missed.
So we decided to shoot the childbirth sequence digitally. We used one of RED’s newly launched camera series at the time.
Beyond being a technician, the human being inside you comes out while filming something like that. That film completely changed my perspective towards women. I directly witnessed the immense pain and emotional struggle mothers, wives, or sisters go through while giving birth.
Q. Do you become emotional while shooting films?
- Definitely, especially during my early years. While shooting Pranayam, there were emotional scenes during which my eyes filled with tears behind the camera. It was only my second film.
For a moment, you forget you’re a technician and become emotional. But as experience grows, you develop the mental ability to handle emotional scenes professionally. Nowadays, even when I deeply connect with a film emotionally, I try to remain in a technician’s mindset.
Q. Cinema is now discussing artificial intelligence widely. As a technician, are you worried about AI entering filmmaking?
- There’s absolutely no need to fear artificial intelligence. AI has already entered filmmaking, especially in VFX-related work. While shooting scenes involving VFX, CG artists are already helping us tremendously with AI tools.
Unlike the fear I had while shifting from film to digital, I don’t fear AI. There’s no point avoiding it. AI is just a tool to make our jobs easier. In the future, AI will bring massive leaps in filmmaking. Even now, changes and advancements are happening every three months. Within two years, AI could reduce a cinematographer’s workload tenfold.
Q. Which film in your career challenged you the most physically and mentally?
- Every film involves hard work and dedication. But some films feel especially challenging in that sense. One such film was Tiyaan.
That film caused immense physical and mental stress during production. Especially while shooting in Varanasi, the sights I witnessed there changed my personal outlook on life. It made me realise how insignificant humans ultimately are despite all the chaos they create.
Tiyaan had numerous locations and a huge number of junior artists. Weather conditions created additional challenges. Often, we had to shoot continuously through the day and night. We completed that massive film in just 90 days. Nowadays, even regular films take more than 100 days.
The saddest thing is when good films with great ideas and immense hard work fail to connect with audiences due to circumstances.
Q. How does a cameraman create a world for a film?
- I’ll explain using Tiyaan. The film’s basic thought revolved around drought, the struggle for water, and a vast, barren world. We selected Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad to create that landscape. Ironically, heavy rains began once shooting started there.
We then had to transform the place into a dry terrain. Even tiny patches of greenery had to be removed. Not even the slightest sign of rain could appear in a frame.
Usually, most screenwriters and directors clearly describe the atmosphere needed in the screenplay. Our responsibility is to help create that world visually. If we have the right idea, and if the art director, costume designer, and other technicians work together, everything becomes possible.
Other technicians share equal responsibility in creating a film’s world. Art directors and costume designers are truly the pillars of cinema. When people praise cinematography, the hard work of art directors and costume designers also deserves equal credit.
Q. Audiences are eager to know more about Drishyam 3. What can you reveal now?
- As far as Drishyam 3 is concerned, anything I say now could affect the audience’s viewing experience. The director has already revealed the basic details about the film. I would simply say come to the theatre without knowing or expecting anything.
