Samskara among my best: Cowen

Nearly 50 years after shooting 'Samskara' and after several hit films, cinematographer Tom Cowen still considers the Kannada movie as one of his best works, though it was his first feature film.

Cowen was a 26-year-old cinematographer with Australian Broadcasting Commission when he accidentally came in touch with a group of enthusiastic people who wanted to make a movie out of U R Ananthamurthy's eponymous novel.

"I had done a documentary in Israel and then 'Samskara' happened. It was my first feature movie as a cinematographer and I got to learn a lot with its diverse set of actors and crew. It is one of the most memorable experiences in my life," he told DH on the sidelines of Bengaluru International Film Festival.

It was also the first Kannada movie to be banned, a move that only made the film more interesting to the masses. Asked for his views on censorship and bans, Cowen said both were part of a system that builds divisions between communities and separates them in order to control them.

"Regardless of the fact that the ban created more interest in 'Samskara', we need to understand that censorship limits man's ability to expand and acquire wider knowledge. Education should make people tolerant and self confident enough to ignore opinions that differ from their own.