Sudeep Chatterjee Explained

Sudeep Chatterjee
Birth Place:Kolkata, India
Children:2 (Ishika Chatterjee & Ishaan Chaterjee)
Nationality:Indian
Alma Mater:Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
Years Active:1995 – present
Known For:Kaalpurush
Chotushkone
Bajirao Mastani
Padmaavat
Chak De India
Gangubai Kathiawadi
Occupation:Cinematographer
Website:https://www.sudeepchatterjee.net

Sudeep Chatterjee (Bengali: সুদীপ চট্টোপাধ্যায়) is an Indian cinematographer, who mainly works in Hindi films and Bengali films. He has collaborated with critically acclaimed directors like Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Vishal Bharadwaj, Srijit Mukherji, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Nagesh Kukunoor. He is mostly known for his work in films like Iqbal (2005), Chak De India (2007), Guzaarish (2010), Dhoom 3 (2013), Chotushkone (2014), Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018), and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). He has received the National Film Award for Best Cinematography, twice, for Chotushkone and Bajirao Mastani.

Early life and education

Chatterjee was born and raised in Kolkata. After he passed class 10 his father gave him a camera, which in time provided him with a career direction. After he finished his schooling he joined an engineering college, but after only eight months he left it to join the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, where he studied cinematography.[1]

Career

After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, he started his career in Kolkata making advertisements and documentaries, eventually after two years, filmmaker Anjan Dutt offered him Bada Din (1997), a Hindi film starring Shabana Azmi. Thereafter he shifted based to Mumbai and started working TV series and commercials for a year before he shot Ram Gopal Verma's Road (2002).

Soon was working in film across genres, action, thriller and drama, and his in Salman Khan starrer, (2005), where he shot the picturesque locales of Russia, followed by Nagesh Kukunoor's successive films Iqbal (2005) and Dor (2006), and Jaan-E-Mann (2005) got him attention,[2] and he got to do Chak De! India (2007) directed by Shimit Amin, where he grained and desaturated the film, and shot almost 80% of the movie with a hand-held camera, eventually winning him accolades and the 2008 Filmfare Award for Best Cinematography, IIFA Award for Best Cinematography and Zee Cine Award for Best Cinematography amongst others.[1] His next important work was in Bengali film, Kaalpurush (2008), directed by acclaimed film director of Bengali cinema, Buddhadev Dasgupta, and starring Mithun Chakraborty and Rahul Bose, the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.

In 2010 came Guzaarish directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali starring Hritik Roshan and Ashwariya Rai, Sudeep had previously apprenticed with Sanjay, also a fellow FTII student, in , where he was the song director.[3] Guzaarish Won IIFA, Screen, and Apsara award for best Cinematography.

He followed it up with the big budget super successful entertainer Dhoom 3 (2013). He then worked in the film Chotushkone (2014) directed by critically acclaimed director Srijit Mukherji for which Chatterjee won the prestigious National Film Award for Best Cinematography.

Chatterjee followed up with his second consecutive National award in 2015 with the highly acclaimed Bajirao Mastani directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

He again collaborated with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the critically and commercially successful period piece Padmavat (2018). He is currently shooting the period drama Gangubai Kathiawadi (2021) directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and much anticipated Brahmāstra (2022) directed by Ayan Mukherjee.

He is presently a member of the Advisory Board of the Kautik International Student Film Festival[4]

Filmography

Films

Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Language Director Notes
1997 Bada Din Hindi
2002 Road Rajat Mukherjee
2004 Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...
2005 Radhika Rao
Vinay Sapru
Iqbal
Eashwar Mime Co.
2006Dor
Jaan-E-Mann
Fight Club – Members Only
2007 Chak De! India
2008Kaalpurush Bengali
Bombay To Bangkok Hindi
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
2009 Dil Bole Hadippa
Kaminey Additional photography
Main Aurr Mrs Khanna
2010 Aashayein
Guzaarish
2011Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
2012Joker
2013Dhoom 3
2014 Chotushkone Bengali
2015 Baby Hindi
Bajirao Mastani
2017Kaabil
2018Padmaavat
Missing Mukul Abhyankar
2019 Thackeray Abhijit Panse
Housefull 4
2022Gangubai Kathiawadi
2023ShehzadaRohit Dhawan
2024Chandu Champion

Web series

Denotes web series that have not yet been released
Year Film CreatorRef.
2024HeeramandiSanjay Leela Bhansali

Documentary

Awards and nominations

YearFilmAwardCategoryResultRef.
2008Chak De! India2008 Zee Cine AwardsZee Cine Award for Best Cinematography[5]
53rd Filmfare AwardsFilmfare Award for Best Cinematography
9th IIFA AwardsIIFA Award for Best Cinematography
Screen AwardsScreen Award for Best Cinematography
2011GuzaarishApsara AwardBest Cinematographer
2014ChotushkoneNational Award[6]
2015Bajirao Mastani
Filmfare Award
Screen Award
IIFA Award
Apsara Award

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Unknown stars: Sudeep Chatterjee, Cinematographer. https://web.archive.org/web/20101114013013/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/unknown-stars-sudeep-chatterjee-cinematographer/134750-8.html. dead. 14 November 2010. 10 November 2010. CNN-IBN.
  2. Web site: Sudeep Chatterjee - a cinematographer with variety. https://web.archive.org/web/20090218035220/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/25184.html. dead. 18 February 2009. 9 September 2006.
  3. News: Guzaarish: Bong creation. https://web.archive.org/web/20120521134955/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101115/jsp/entertainment/story_13177137.jsp. dead. 21 May 2012. 15 November 2010. The Telegraph.
  4. http://kautik18.com/festival-people/
  5. News: Zee Cine Awards 2008 winners announced Movies & Theatre News . 15 May 2022 . Zee News . 23 April 2008 . en.
  6. News: 62nd National Film Awards: List of Winners . 25 March 2015 . NDTV . 2 May 2018 .