Husband-wife duo Prem Akkattu-Sraiyanti's magical frames lend storybook vibe to 'Detective Ujjwalan'

Cinematographers Premkrishna Akkattu and Sraiyanti, who made their Mollywood debut with 'Detective Ujjwalan,' recall playing with different colours and palettes to enhance the viewer's experience in the Dhyan Sreenivasan film. According to Prem, soft lenses were used to create a vintage look for the film, which had the feel of an Amar Chitra Katha. "We used warm colors to represent the protagonist Ujjwalan and his friends, while a blue color palette was included for the Boogieman (anti-hero), " he said, referring to the two characters who were central in 'Detective Ujjwalan' directed by Rahul G and Indraneel Gopeekrishnan. 

The husband-wife duo also worked hand in hand with the art director Koyaz M to create a fictional town in Kerala. "The film shoot took place in a village in Palakkad, which is familiar to most movie viewers in Kerala. So our biggest challenge was to ensure the place did not feel or look familiar to them as the film revolved around a fictional town called Plachikaavu. This was our biggest challenge," she said.

Prem and Sraiyanti, who previously worked on the Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Gargi,' expressed that they chose to undertake their latest project because it was unique and allowed them to explore new creative avenues. Prem hails from Palakkad, while Sraiyanti is originally from Chennai. Both cinematographers specialise in documentary filmmaking. They made their entry into Tamil cinema with 'Gargi' after director Gautham Ramachandran discovered one of their documentaries and reached out to them. "Our primary focus has always been on documentary films. We chose 'Gargi' because of its intriguing storyline rooted in reality, which contrasts sharply with 'Detective Ujjwalan,' a highly fictional film set in a fantasy world. We only select films that are interesting, as our main emphasis has been on producing documentaries," said the couple.

Prem and Sraiyanti's documentary 'Tam Bram Cooking' has traveled to various film festivals, receiving positive feedback from both audiences and juries. However, it has yet to be released in India due to the controversial subject it addresses.

Prem and Sraiyanti, who met at an advertising firm in Bengaluru, have been working together ever since. Although the couple has only worked on two films, they feel there is a significant difference between working in documentaries and commercial cinema. "As documentary filmmakers, you can tell stories without intruding on people's privacy. It's also quite meditative, unlike commercial cinema, where more than 100 people collaborate. In documentaries, the scenes are often already available, while in commercial cinema, you need to create scenes from scratch within a limited timeframe," Sraiyanti explained.

Prem also discussed the commercialization of documentaries in the current landscape, particularly with the rise of OTT platforms. "It's true that there is a larger market for documentaries these days thanks to services like Netflix. However, I believe it is unethical to create scripted documentaries, as this undermines the authenticity of what they truly represent," he stated.

Both Prem and Sraiyanti already have plenty of documentaries in their portfolio and are looking forward to collaborating with the director of 'Gargi' for their next feature film.