No Film Schol: How did you get involved with Pooja, Sir?
Sheldon Chau: My name reached Deepak through two of my previous directors, both of whom recommended me to him as he was prepping in 2021. As soon as initial discussions started, Deepak and I clicked as we had the same drive towards socially-relevant storytelling and a similar taste in films.
One of the more extraordinary challenges we faced just before I left for Nepal in late summer 2022 was when Deepak’s wife and lead actress of the film, Asha Magrati, was diagnosed with three rare types of cancer. The production was delayed to allow her to fight and recover, and we miraculously came together again despite unpredictable schedules a year later to complete the film. I appreciated Deepak’s trust in me because he balanced the new dates around my busy filming schedule and remained committed so we could fully realize our collaboration. The crazy thing is how this all centered around Deepak’s birthday on August 29th: in 2022, Asha was diagnosed on that date; in 2023, that date was the final day of principal photography for an emotional wrap; and in 2024, the film world premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
Somehow, it was meant to be.
NFS: How did you approach the creative process and collaborative dynamic, particularly when working on Pooja, Sir with esteemed director Deepak Rauniyar?
Chau: Deepak is a director who pushes his teammates while inviting collaboration. He challenges and pushes me to be better by asking questions and having me justify my creative choices to convince him of why each approach is the best for the scene. Because of our short prep together in Nepal, our chemistry really benefited from the earlier prep that we did - discussing visual styles, studying films (such as Son of Saul, Cold War, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and L’Argent), going through the script over and over, and meeting at UNC Wilmington where Deepak was teaching to do a test shoot with his students.
My objective was to be Deepak’s ultimate ally. In addition to the natural skills of a cinematographer, I needed to be a primary creative partner for Deepak to tackle such a complex script; it was my sense of duty to come in with a more informed viewpoint of the socio-political context of the film, which led me to read several books on the Madhesi struggle to learn about Nepal’s contemporary history. I felt that there is a responsibility in respecting the culture, and by learning the history and connecting with my crew by making an effort to speak the local language, it makes me a better filmmaker for this project and the world it has introduced me to.
Cinematographer Sheldon Chau on set
NFS: Can you discuss any particularly memorable moments or challenges during the pre and post production processes?
Chau: One of the pivotal moments in the film occurs during a huge uprising in which hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets to protest the newly rewritten constitution that violated the basic rights of the Madhesi people. Likewise, by understanding the social context of this event, this allowed me to approach the cinematography in ways that were more motivated and informed. I think the strength of my working relationship with Deepak showed on set as the crew was able to see how we problem-solved difficult challenges because we both had such a strong foundation and knowledge of the script. Every decision was motivated by our primary characters as they were impacted by these very real and weighty events, especially anchored by the psyche of Pooja.
This movie was challenging because we were filming in such intense humidity and heat, and also dealing with a tricky subject matter about discrimination and social upheaval yet casting real police officers in the film. Deepak and his local crew did a wonderful job getting on good terms with the community, who even helped us out during our big protest scenes by passing out water bottles to the actors and extras who had to wait in unfavorable weather. The location was not easy, but Deepak and I committed to embracing the truth - accurately capturing the environment, adapting to the conditions, and revealing the realism through the human eye. Therefore, I created some rough guidelines for our approach: embrace top light, use fewer lighting units, use practicals, and temper my sodium vapor street light intensity to match the heat between the characters.
In this film, each character is trying to be someone else—Pooja wants to thrive in a man’s world, Mamata is a dark-skinned Madhesi who wants to become a light-skinned person, and the Captain, from an Indigenous ethnic group, is trying to be accepted by the higher caste. It becomes a very exciting challenge for me to douse them in different shades of orange street light, or red neon light, or shadows depending on the mood.
NFS: How has your background and previous work influenced this piece?
Chau: I have worked extensively internationally and that played a huge part in my impact. Coming off of projects in Senegal, India, Mauritania, and China, I understood that in order to maximize my contribution, I needed to be able to adapt to the living conditions of the place, respect the culture and its people by putting in the effort to learn about them, and adjust my working style to fit that of the local crew. I believe this was crucial in why Deepak placed his trust in me, and it helped us build a close bond that resulted in an empathetic and gratifying collaboration that we both cherished very much.
That we have this film to show for it makes it a worthy experience, not just in our film careers but in our personal lives.
Cinematographer Sheldon Chau on set 
