We were lucky to catch up with Punali Kumanan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Punali, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have known people to either be drawn towards art by birth or develop a taste in it as they evolve. Well, I think mine was a combination of both. I grew up around my mother’s oil paintings and picked up everything crafty during summers with a little knowledge as to where it would lead me to. But eventually after years of maneuvering, I landed here, in filmmaking and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

To go to the roots would answer a lot about how I landed here, I was born into a military family which gave me an exposure that built the foundation to everything I do today. I was never stationed in a single city for more than 2 years and that sort of always made me look at things as a whole. After growing up across the country and at 17 I made a call to do my under graduation in Architecture. Till this day I feel architecture was the right pathway which helped me develop design sensibilities with light, shadows, human and spaces. I took that to start documenting stories around me through photography.

Having worked in various languages and teams on film sets, I gathred how films get made. I was fortunate enough to be guided by the right peers and took the decision to come to LA just get a break from set life and study cinema since I never got to do it and felt like I needed to discover my own footing in this craft.

I bring together a perspective which stems from my experience of reading, meeting and living amongst all kinds of communities around the world. The various facets of my growing up years which include dancing, painting and an interior enthusiast also gets reflected in the work I do. I study colors and light all day every day which I think is the core of me wanting to paint frames for motion picture. It is an ever evolving journey and I think I look forward to every set as my first day of work.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Financial independence has been my biggest struggle.

Having worked at the infamous corporate desk for a while, I can assure that all work is hard work. The crew behind a film literally puts blood, sweat and tears into making a film. The process itself is challenging as we are creating something that is not always by the books but by imagination, so to have struggles with something as basic as renumeration is something I don’t think all non creatives understand very well.

It is another debate as to why we have this struggle in the first place!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The sweet nature of seeing your work come to life in the viewfinder is absolutely the most rewarding aspect of being a cinematographer and when one sees what it does when it goes out in the world is cherry on the top! Nothing like it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: kumarpunal
• Linkedin: Punali Kumanan

Image Credits
Punali Kumanan