"For Me, My Films Can Either Make Me A Millionaire Or A Homeless Person" - Adarsh Vasudev

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1. Tell us about your background and journey.

Greetings to everyone reading this. I am Adarsh Gandhi, the founder and co-owner of AK 5 Productions. I was born on 9th March 2001 to a good family in Bangalore, Karnataka.


2. How and when did you realize your passion for creating films?

Until age 15 I had no clue about filmmaking or had no interest about making movies, Though I enjoyed watching a lot of films I never really thought about what goes behind the camera until one of my friends bought a camera. It was the time when having a DSLR camera was an achievement of life. 

So he invited us to his home to check out his camera and showed us all the cool things that could be done by using it. It was the first time I was even close to that level of technology, and I completely lost it by looking at its quality and the other things that could be done by a camera. I spent the next 2 years only in learning about the camera and filmmaking without even owning a camera. 

After I understood the basics, I finally went to my dad and got my first ever camera after a lot of begging and requesting. After getting the camera, like any other person who has a camera, my friends and I made a lot of short films and YouTube videos which never really worked out but laid a foundation for our entry in


3. What are the essential skills one should have to be a successful cinematographer?

The most important thing for being an excellent Cinematographer sees Things Differently. Anybody who owns a camera and learns it's basics can shoot movies. But what will really stand out is your ability to see things differently, it's not only about camera and lenses, it's about one's perspective, it's about finding beauty in whatever we see in our daily life. 

Even a bunch of spoons kept in our kitchens can look beautiful if captured from a different perspective. In the technical side, one must study as much as possible about lighting. Cinematography is 80% about good lighting and 20% about good composition, only when you know how to light a scene and frame your subject, your films will look beautiful.


4. Which film(s) do you appreciate the most for their cinematography?

If anyone wants to watch the purest form of Cinematography, any films shot by Mr Roger Deakins is like an educational institution in its own. The simplicity and satisfaction one gets while watching his movies are hard to describe, and one can only know when they watch them. My personal favourites are Kundun, Prisoners, 1917, Blade runner 2049, Sicario, The Shawshank Redemption.


5. What has been the biggest learning from your job?

My biggest learning in this profession is there are no boundaries to what we can create. Even the most insane of ideas possible for a human's brain can be brought to life using the technology available in Cinematography. There's nothing that one can't do.

And one most important part is one must be ready to sacrifice their everything if they want to be a filmmaker since there is no question about being financially stable in this industry. Only if they are prepared to leave behind their desires and just make a movie only out of their passion and love towards it will definitely be successful one day. 

For me, My films can either make me a millionaire or a homeless person. But I'm sure both will be worth it.


6. Which is your favourite book, and why?

I have never read any book in my life except one, The Mahabharata, which is a series of 18 Books. Since I have a huge interest in period films, I have been doing in-depth research on the epics. I'm not sure if this is a book to recommend someone, but for me personally, it has been of great help in both my professional life and personal.


Interview by - Sejal