Jay Oza opened up about filming Gully Boy’s confrontation sequence between Ranveer Singh and Vijay Raaz where he used an additional bulb as a symbolic representation of strained father-son relationship.

Can cinephiles read too much between the lines, which the makers would have never even intended to? Maybe, as cinematographer Jay Oza reveals how he shot a crucial Gully Boy scene with Ranveer Singh, Amruta Subhash and Vijay Raaz going a little “pseudo” in his approach, which would have impressed film school students but makes him “angry” today.

In an interview with Film Companion, Oza opened up about filming Gully Boy’s confrontation sequence between Ranveer Singh and Vijay Raaz where he used an additional bulb as a symbolic representation of the strained father-son relationship.

In the interview he was joined by Thar cinematographer Shreya Dev Dube, who mentioned the “power” of his lighting in the scene. To which Oza said, “I did this after seeing the performances. It was a tiny set. Generally, the actors would do their rehearsal and then they would get into costumes. I saw Amruta ma’am’s performance in that scene… There are subtle things that actors do in the background, that actually make you cry. She was trying to think whether she should go towards her son’s side or her husband’s. She just stopped in the center.

“I thought now she would be my point to display both the worlds as she is in the center. So behind, I put one tube light and one bulb till those two worlds are not merging. Before this, there was a closure scene of Safeena in normal lights, where they both physically come together. Here, Murad comes close to the father, but the father rejects him.”

Oza said it was in the second take where he added the light bulb–which remains even in the film– and added how when he looks at it today he finds it “artificial”. He said, “And now it annoys me. But this little bulb outside, just that glint behind Murad. But this can be a bit pseudo as well, ‘Bhai kya ghazab idea bana diya‘.

“I now know that a good artiste must realise when to stop. Uss din kuch zyada mood mein aagaya tha, but aaj mujhe itna gussa aa raha hai woh bulb dekh ke, I am like kya kar raha tha bhai! But if I go to a film school and tell them they would be like, ‘Waah (claps) this is cinema!’”

Released in 2019, Gully Boy was headlined by Ranveer Singh, who played a Mumbai street rapper rising to global glory. In the Zoya Akhtar directorial, which was India’s official selection for the Oscars, Ranveer was joined by Alia Bhatt.

Oza is known for films such as Raman Raghav 2.0, Gully Boy, Toofaan, and his work on the Prime Video series Made in Heaven. He is also working on Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan’s debut series Stardom. The show is set in the world of entertainment and backed by Red Chillies Entertainment. They recently wrapped up filming.