V. Ratra

V Ratra was a renowned cinematographer and cousin of veteran Bollywood actor Dev Anand Dev Anand would be nostalgically remembered by fil >> Read More... . He predominantly worked as a cinematographer for the production house Navketan Films. He started his journey in the Bollywood industry as an assistant director for a film called Ek Thi Larki, which was released in 1949. As a cinematographer, he made his debut in a film called Afsar, which was released in 1950, written and directed by Chetan Anand Chetan Anand (from 3 January 1921 to 6 July 1997) >> Read More... . It was also the first film of the Navketan production house.

The second movie under its banner was Baazi or Gamble (1951), which marked the directorial debut of Guru Dutt Born on 9th July 1925, Guru Dutt was an Indian act >> Read More... . V Ratra gave a touch of Hollywood noir in the film with a black and white photography and placed the lights and camera in such a way that they produced an ambiance of intense nightclub scenes with glasses clinking, and cigarette smoke rising in whirls. Ratra’s next venture was the famous Taxi Driver, released in 1954. It was probably the first Bollywood film in which the cameras were set outside, and most of the scenes were shot completely outdoors on the streets of Mumbai.

Ratra tried to provide the audience with an authentic touch of old Bombay by shooting the beautiful sweeping view of Marine Drive, the stone structures of David Sassoon library, stylish Art Deco buildings, Bombay University at Kala Ghoda, the Elphinstone College, the luxurious sea facing bungalows at Worli and other places. Ratra made the city of Bombay an important character in the film and described it in the opening credits. In 1957, Ratra worked in Nau Do Gyarah, which marked the directorial debut of Vijay Anand Vijay Anand also known as ‘Goldie‘ is an Indian fi >> Read More... with Navketan films as an independent director, and he was just twenty-one years old when the film was released.

The character of Madan was played by Dev Anand, and for his drive to Bombay, Ratra decided to bring a truck in Delhi and drove to Bombay with Dev Anand singing the famous song ‘Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke’ at the wheel. The song was shot by placing the camera on the bonnet of the truck with Ratra clinging to it. The director, Vijay Anand, held him by the waist from his behind and whispered instructions in Ratra’s ear, sitting on the top of a moving vehicle.

After this, Ratra worked in various other films, including Kala Paani, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Hum Dono Hum Dono is a Hindi television show in which the s >> Read More... , Kinare Kinare, Mohabbat Zindagi Hai Mohabbat Zindagi Hai is a Pakistani romantic famil >> Read More... , Jewel Thief, Tere Mere Sapne Tere Mere Sapne is a TV series that ran from 2009 >> Read More... , Chuppa Rustom, and Hum Dono Rangeen. As a cinematographer, V. Ratra’s last movie was Rajoo Dada which was released in 1992 and was directed by S. Azad, starring Mithun Chakraborty When we talk about the few legends in the Indian f >> Read More... .