The Image Maker
For the hottest cinematographer in mainstream cinema, Santosh Sivan's mind is curiously tangential. A star in his own right, he can attract huge funds. Yet, as a director he continues to make low-budget films. Reason? "I want to sink or swim with my own money." He will also wait for "real rain and real artistes".

Over the past couple of years, Sivan has made a smooth transition from cinematographer to a director of repute. Halo, a children's film and his first directorial venture, won him a National Award in 1996. His second film Terrorist won three awards at the Cairo Film Festival in 1998. Terrorist was also the first Indian entry at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival; he now has a agent in the US who is scouting for scripts. Meanwhile, there is Ashoka, a mega-historical with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. "I'm now in a position to ask any star for dates and get it," says Sivan.