Cinematography is probably one of the most crucial aspects that has made Tumbbad one of the most acclaimed films of 2018. From the bleak, gloomy atmosphere of the rain-soaked Maharashtrian village to the various ominous ambience of the womb of the earth - every frame brought alive the eerie world of Tumbbad.
Courtesy of the sustained efforts of the camera department, led by cinematographer Pankaj Kumar, the film earned the Best Cinematography award at News18 Reel Movie Awards 2019, while trumping the likes of Kartik Vijay (Manto), Kai Miedendorp (Gali Guleiyan), Avinash Arun (Karwaan) and Rajeev Ravi, Shanker Raman, Jay Patel and Jayesh Nair (Mukkabaaz).
Kumar’s cinematography and the ability to capture images that conveyed the film’s themes of greed and ambition is remarkable, to say the least. Director Rahi Anil Barve had a 600-odd pages of storyboard mapped out for his ambitious, spooky project and his vision was not only captured flawlessly, but amplified through Kumar's lens.
The film uses high contrast images and strong shadows to drive the horror quotient in the script and indeed a dark, graphic film was realised through Kumar's tones and textures. One of the important elements in Tumbbad was the constant rainfall through which the characters traverse exhaustively. It could not have been easy for the cinematographer to get the correct tone each time. But Kumar emerged triumphant in his endeavour in filming large landscape portraits in pouring rain and how.
Tumbbad is a period film, set in the pre-Independence era and a minimal lighting set-up, virtue of lamps and lanterns, was used as sources to convey the gloomy mood and an eerie feeling throughout. All in all, Kumar's cinematography gave the film the visual edge it needed to scare the living daylights out of the viewers.
This is the first nomination and win for Pankaj Kumar at the Reel Movie Awards.
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