People associated with film-making in Malayalam have been aware of a factor termed ‘colour harmony’ for long. However, viewers of these movies have taken note of this crucial visual element only recently. Now, the Malayalam film audience too is keen to enjoy the colour palettes of the art and costumes of a movie created according to its mood.
Among the notable films where colour harmony was evident in a striking manner was ‘Bro Daddy’ helmed Prithviraj. Even though the film starring Mohanlal and Mammootty was released on the OTT platform, the movie’s scenes stood apart for their imagery, according to viewers. Colour tones in the backgrounds and costumes of the main characters matched well, they felt. For instance, the colour of the water in the swimming pool in the house where Prithviraj and Mohanlal lived blended beautifully with the saree worn by Meena and a chicken dish!
Says Sujith Sudhakaran, costume designer of ‘Bro Daddy’: “Filmmakers these days wish to make each scene visually enjoyable to viewers. For ‘Bro Daddy’, we had prepared a special colour board and the costume of each actor was readied according to this scheme.”
“We chose mainly pastel colours for the movie and highlighted rare shades such as icy blue, baby pink and lavender and new ones like misty grey-coral combinations,” he added.
According to noted cinematographer Jomon T John, Bollywood had adopted such methods long ago. “There, the art director and costume director are initially selected by the producer and director. Subsequently, all four of them hold elaborate discussions on the colour palette. Before the shooting begins, the art director and costumer prepare a 3D presentation for the director which shows the locations, colour of paints, curtains and even the position of bulbs in a room,” he said.
Referring to the recent Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Gehraiyaan,’ John said, “The film has a distinct colour palette that remains with the viewer for long.”
However, noted filmmaker V K Prakash said that colour harmony need not be ensured in each and every scene. Prakash, who has made a mark in the advertising field also, pointed out that various shades of green dominate the scene during the song ‘Naatha nee varum kolocha kelkkuvaan’ in the classic Bharathan movie ‘Chamaram.’ “During those days, it was considered that scenes became striking when contrasting colours were used. But, Bharathan created magic with sister colours,” Prakash explained.
Similarly, Prakash’s movie ‘Trivandrum Lodge’ highlighted the warm colour of tungsten light. “This was because the lodge in the movie was a cramped place with narrow corridors. However, if all the scenes are designed in that colour, viewers will lose interest,” he said.
Recent movies have borrowed heavily from commercials, according director Jis Joy. “Films have pleasant visuals now. To ensure this, producers are even willing to spend more. Take the case of ‘Lucifer’. It was shot using master anamorphic lens, which even though costly, improves the visual details by 35 per cent,” said Joy.
