Rishiraj Sharma, the Director of Photography (DOP) at Shakuntalam Telefilms, is the one who has played with camera and captured the finest shots for us to admire on television. His art of handling the camera makes the script look better than it was on paper. In short, he is one, who through his camera knows how to spread the magic on screen and make it look larger than life. Tell us something about yourself? Born and bought up in Punjab, I pursued my education from the city. Then, after learning the art of photography, I decided to go to Jaipur in order to make it big in life. But, the kind of photography that was practiced there wasn’t very pleasing. So, my friends suggested me to go over to Mumbai. Upon landing here, I realised how “larger than life” in scale people work in this industry. I started my career here by assisting a few DOPs with whom I worked in few Marathi and Gujarati shows. Then, I got a break with Balaji Telefilms for whom I did shows like Kasauti Zindagi Kii and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Later I started working with Shakuntalam Telefilms for whom I did shows like Na Ana Iss Desh Ladoo, Kaali, Banoo Main Teri Dulhann among others. How has your journey been so far? (smiles) It has been very satisfying and I have had an overwhelming experience throughout. How do you decide the kind of photography that needs to be done for different shows? (pauses) Cinematography involves numerous aspects and it requires an equal amount of commitment. Photography purely depends on the scene, the kind of portrayal required on screen etc. Having worked in regional shows as well, the direction of photography in such shows depends on the preferred frame whereas in Hindi television, since the medium is very large, the screening is done to attract maximum number of audience. Cinematography puts in more life to a script or visual. So much is the power of photography that even if the storyline may be excellent, but if the cinematography is not done properly, then the story does not gain that proper justice and it fails to get recognition. How much role does lighting play in cinematography? I consider ‘lighting’ to be the most important aspect of photography. Lighting can make a scene look dull or glamorous, negative or positive or can portray a person to be bad or good. A scene will go along well with proper lighting that will also help the story connect properly with the audience. Through lighting, you can show all moods of life and I believe that it carries all the abstract mediums of a person. As a cinematographer, who is your camera’s delight? It’s Divyanka Tripathi, the lead actress of Banoo Mai Teri Dulhan. I consider her to be very beautiful in front of the camera and even Meghna Malik of Na Aana Is Des Laado. How has the industry evolved in terms of cinematography? As far as cinematography is concerned, in earlier times the shooting pattern was based on a weekly basis. So we had enough time to decide the plot and photography required for it. But of late, most television shows are dailies. In such a scenario, one is not able to explore cinematography properly but carry on in the same basic stereotype system. In terms of technology, the industry has always conquered the best. I believe, with time, exposure towards variation has been deteriorating. What change would you like to bring in television? Well, at present the only change that this industry needs is a change in the time frame in which we work. There has to be a stipulated time allotted to every shoot, so that we have a peaceful life rather the stress we carry in every day shoot. What advice would you like to give to new aspiring cinematographers? I would advice aspirers that they should try and gain good theoretical knowledge from a good institution because on-field you will get practical knowledge. Theoretical knowledge is needed to give one the proper guidelines. Your future plans? Having planned to get into films, I am working towards it.