BOMBAY TIMES (August 21, 2015)

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 29, 2015)

Director Kabir Khan and cinematographer Aseem Mishra go back a long way. Kabir was a year senior to Aseem when they were studying at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and later both worked on Saeed Naqvi's TV show, It's A Small World, which took them to different parts of the globe. They have collaborated on four films: New York, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and now Phantom. "We share the same political stance and sensibilities. He's an honest, sincere, hardworking man who understands cinema well, one of the best directors I've worked with. We are in complete sync when it comes to conceiving and executing shots because of our documentary filmmaking background," Aseem smiles.

Their last cinematic outing, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, is breaking box office records even as Phantom is lining up for release on August 28. Aseem insists that the two films are very different. "Bajrangi was simplistic as compared to Phantom which is more stylish and stylised. The camera is aggressive and intrusive this time, bringing intrigue into the frames. Phantom has been shot like a documentary with each location taking on a different feel," he explains. So Vancouver is clean and clinical while Beirut is rough and edgy, the Pakistan created in Punjab is warm while Mumbai with its reference to the 26/11 terror attacks and a glimpse of the Taj Mahal hotel which brought back dark memories, is well, Mumbai.

Ten percent of the film was shot over 21 days in Lebanon. They shot in downtown Beirut, the populous areas of Khandaq al-Ghamiq and the mountainous regions of Kfardebian. The Khandaq al-Ghamiq area is dominated by the local Shia militia. Aseem recalls that one day when they were canning an action sequence there, they heard that a local leader would be addressing the congregation. "After it was over, around 20-30 men came out onto the terrace and started firing AK47s," reminisces Aseem, adding that since they couldn't carry guns from India to Lebanon they had to get them locally. "We were wielding real AK47s too, but without the bullets. This was my second visit to Beirut. I had gone there earlier to shoot a documentary on the Indian peace keeping forces in Lebanon. There was a lot of shelling happening on the Lebanese and Israeli sides."

They had created a border close to the real Lebanese-Syria border and one day they noticed that Israeli surveillance aircraft were circling above them to ensure that there was no illegal occupation of land. One of the most challenging shoots was in Gulmarg in January 2014. It was the peak of winter and they were waist deep in snow. "Lugging equipment around in minus 10 degrees Celsius for nine days was tough, but we carried it off. I love tough locations because of my documentary film background," he exults.

From Kashmir, they moved to Malerkotla in Punjab which was passed off for Pakistan in the film. "It looked a lot like the actual location with its narrow bylanes and different textures. Production designer Rajat Poddar created lots of structures and walls, including a rooftop set. We were in Punjab peacefully for around 10 days and used a lot of the local talent," he points out.

He had worked with Katrina Kaif before in New York and Ek Tha Tiger but this was Aseem's first film with Saif Ali Khan. He discovered the Nawab to be a well-read man with a sharp sense of humour with whom he could have intense conversations on Israel-Lebanon politics. "We even shot in the Oval in London with him, with Saif playing cricket on the real pitch. Both he and Katrina are fantastic in the film," Aseem raves.