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Even before its release, Peddi has captured attention through its teaser and singles revealing a distinct, daring visual identity that stands apart in contemporary Indian cinema.
Behind this imagery is R. Rathnavelu ISC, a trendsetting cinematographer known for his innovation and large-scale visual storytelling. With Peddi, he sets out to create something that feels both timeless and refreshingly new.
For Randy, the journey began with the script. Peddi was envisioned with a classic feel reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.
A visual that stays rooted and raw yet breathes with a classical vintage timelessness.
Moving away from today’s overly clean, clinical imagery, he pursued a more organic, filmic aesthetic anchored in his choice of optics.
Gentle fall-off and expressive character
Organic, unpredictable flares without loss of contrast
A subtle vintage tone with faithful colour reproduction
Lighting was carefully designed to work with the lenses allowing flares and textures to become an intentional part of the image.
A key visual focus in Peddi is the sculpting of human presence, especially Ram Charan’s physicality.
For Rathnavelu, skin tone carries emotional weight, and every frame is crafted to enhance that presence with depth, texture, and authenticity.
“When I read script of Peddi,from Director Buchi Babu I felt the need to bring a special look presented in a contemporary way.”
“Today, very clean and clinical images are becoming common. I wanted to move away from that and create something more organic something with emotion.”
“For me, skin tone carries emotional weight. With Ram Charan, I wanted to sculpt his presence in a very natural yet powerful way. We used strong negative fill and carefully positioned outdoor light to achieve that.”
“The Cooke Panchro lenses are a delight. They give beautiful flares unexpected but never distracting. They don’t reduce contrast, which was very important for me.”
“I actually designed my lighting to capture those flares within the frame it becomes part of the storytelling.”
“In sequences like Chikri, I wanted frames to feel almost like film emulsion rich, textured, and alive.”
“I’ve been using Cooke lenses from my earlier films like Jagadam and Robo. With Peddi, I explored further.”
“We tested Panchros, S8/i, and others before the shoot. Finally, I chose Panchros at T2.8 and T2.5 the center sharpness with edge fall-off gave me a beautiful mix of vintage mood and modern clarity.”
“For certain portions, I used S8/i lenses to bring in sharper edges where needed but the soul of the film comes from the Panchros.”
With Peddi, Rathnavelu ISC revisits a timeless cinematic philosophy imperfection as beauty, texture as emotion, and lenses as storytellers.
Through the Cooke Panchro Classics, he crafts a visual experience that feels nostalgic yet immediate bridging eras while redefining contemporary Indian cinematography.
R. Rathnavelu ISC | Director of Photography
Supported By: Taher Cine Tekniq
