For Ranu Ghosh, the entry into the movie world was totally unexpected! With her academic background in Physics, it was rather her distaste for the monotony of a fixed job that compelled her to look for means of independent survival. The practice of still photography was the first solution to that. All through, she has been a believer of being self taught and learning on the job. She openly declares her gratitude for certain people who encouraged, helped and inspired her in her career choices.
One of the most significant moments in her life was the encounter with the legendary Subrata Mitra. She shares in detail the funny experience of her forced entry into his workshop and how the ice was broken after initial hostility. She talks about their friendship and also regrets about her inability to actually learn anything from him. She simply couldn’t manage the time, given her own schedule, to dedicate for such an apprenticeship.
Her other life defining moment came when she was working as a third assistant under Ranjan Palit in Pankaj Butalia’s film Karvaan. In a moment of crisis, she executed a plan for a light scheme that seemed to earn a lot of admiration and respect from the unit, Ranjan Palit in particular. For Ranu, it was the much needed encouragement in her journey of becoming a cinematographer.
