Narcos cinematographer Juan Carlos Gil joins White after director Montoo Bassi reached out to him. The Vikrant Massey–starrer, shot in Colombia, explores Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s role in the country’s peace process
(From left) Vikrant Massey with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Pics/Instagram, X, Youtube
Colombian cinematographer Juan Carlos Gil’s entry into White, the biopic on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, began with a message that arrived two years ago. Director Montoo Bassi had reached out to him after watching several of his projects, most notably the third season of Narcos. “He understood my intentions with documentary-style storytelling,” recalls Gil.
Juan Carlos Gil
The cinematographer formed an immediate emotional connect with White. After all, the thriller — with Vikrant Massey stepping into Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s shoes — focuses on the spiritual leader’s role in resolving Colombia’s 52-year civil war. “It’s a story in my city. The movie starts in Cali. All the situations [depicted] happened for years in my country. For any Colombian, it’s an important story. Initially, I didn’t know anything about the Art of Living, or the relation between Gurudev and the peace process. But when I read a lot, I realised this is a new way for peace processes and non-violence in my country.”
To determine the tone of ‘White’, Gil revisited major political films, including ‘Argentina, 1985’, which was Argentina’s official entry to the 2023 Oscars for Best International Feature Film
White went on floors in Colombia in September. Before that, Gil, who had watched barely “two or three” Hindi films, did a crash course of sorts to understand the visual language of Indian cinema. “Montoo recommended a lot of movies with Vikrant. I saw around six or seven movies, including RRR [2022] and 12th Fail [2023],” he says with a smile.
Pedro Pascal in ‘Narcos 3’
Three weeks of filming in the South American country was followed by another schedule in Bengaluru, India. Gil says the Colombia leg was especially demanding for Massey. “Vikrant is a talented actor, but it was very intense. He spent around five hours every day for make-up and hair. After that, he had to do the scene — that’s another 12 hours! He was generous about the job, and with the crew in Colombia.”
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