Cinematographer par excellence
One of the earliest Hindi films to be recognised for the quality of its special effects was the super duper hit ‘Mr India’ directed by acclaimed international director Shekhar Kapoor. The film was released on 25 May 1987 and had a phenomenal run at the box office. The cinematographer who cranked the camera for the film was Peter Pereira and he was the brain behind the special effects scenes as well.
Peter was the mainstay of several films directed by successful commercial film-maker Manmohan Desai. Peter, whose father had an abiding interest in photography, was born in 1929 and inherited his father’s traits. He evolved on his own with innovations. After completing his education, Peter served as apprentice at the famous Basant Studios in Mumbai (then Bombay) owned by movie mogul Homi Wadia. He had no regular job in the studio but had the room to do other odd jobs including setting up cameras, aiding the production unit etc. It was here that he had the advantage of assisting special effects wizard, Babubhai Mistry, who kindled in him an urge to master the nuances involved in creating special effects.
Pereira whose first effort as a cinematographer was ‘Parasmani’ last worked in the film ‘Bhagmati’ which was released in 2005. He was a favourite of Manmohan Desai, the man with the Midas touch who often used to quip that Amitabh Bachchan, composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Peter Pereira were the kingpins of his films and that without them, he would be lost. Peter excelled behind the camera in Desai’s hit films like ‘Sacha Jhutha’ ‘Roti’ ‘Ajooba’ (where the special effects were extraordinary), ‘Shahenshah’ ‘Mard’ ‘Coolie’ ‘Toofan’ and the highly popular ‘Amar Akbar Antony.’
Manmohan Desai was known to give Peter a free hand and the talented cinematographer lived up to the trust placed in him. J P Dutta’s silver jubilee hit ‘Border’ starring Sunny Deol too was embellished with Pereira’s cinematographic genius. He also worked in films with the new breed of stars like Akshay Kumar and ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi.’ ‘Sheshnaag’ was another film where the lensman exhibited his mastery over his craft. Critics hailed the special effects in the thriller.
Peter Pereira was part of the Hindi film industry for over six decades before he called it quits. He was one of the fourteen cameramen who were featured in a documentary titled ‘Chaayankan’ directed by Hemant Chaturvedi. The latter had a very high regard for Peter and the documentary carried some of Peter’s memorable work.
Peter had few other preoccupations apart from cinematography and remained a bachelor all his life. He, however, had a passion for comedy films and was an unabashed fan of the great Charlie Chaplin. Unfortunately, his vision was totally impaired after he got into his seventies. For the last twenty years of his life, darkness was his only companion. The Hindi film industry known for its lack of empathy for veterans, however popular they might have been in their heyday, never had any concern for Peter who led a reclusive life till his death on 10 January 2023.
Peter Pereira will however be remembered as a cinematographer par excellence and one who utilised the limited technology at his disposal to create riveting frames which were highly appreciated by audiences across the country and abroad as well. At a time when technology was yet to make its presence felt in various disciplines in the film industry, Pereira was one of the early pioneers who carved his own niche and was in high demand.
Film makers were aware of his commitment for cinema and his capacity to excel in his sphere of work. In an obituary reference Shekhar Kapoor mourned his passing and praised Pereiera`s patience, technique and perseverance.
C.V. Aravind is a Bangalore-based freelance journalist.