Vineet Malhotra

Biography:

Vineet Malhotra is a cinematographer primarily associated with Bollywood movies. He embarked on his journey in the film industry as an assistant cameraman. His initial experience was on the movie “Soldier,” directed by Abbas-Mustan and featuring cinematography by Thomas Xavier. This successful film opened doors for him to collaborate with Abbas-Mustan. His subsequent project was Shah Rukh Khan’s “Baadshah,” which was lensed by Thomas Xavier, although it achieved only moderate success.

Following these experiences, Vineet worked as an assistant cameraman on a total of nine films. Some notable titles among them include “Koi Mil Gaya” (2003), “Deewangee” (2002), “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke” (2001), and “Malamaal Weekly” (2006). Many of these films featured acclaimed actors such as Salman Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukherjee, and Sushmita Sen. During this phase, Vineet had the opportunity to work alongside renowned cinematographers like Pushan Kripalani, Sameer Arya, Thomas A. Xavier, and Ravi K. Chandran.

Subsequently, Vineet transitioned to the role of a gaffer, assisting in lighting the sets for movies like “Phoonk” (2008) and “Return to Rajapur” (2006). Additionally, he served as a chief lighting technician on three films, including the German production “Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan” (2011), distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and featuring actors Tanay Cheeda and Alina Freund. In this capacity, Vineet was responsible for planning and executing the lighting setup for these productions.

As an assistant cameraman, whether first or second, responsibilities included managing camera-related tasks such as loading batteries and changing lenses. With this foundation, individuals often progress to camera operator roles in the media industry.

Vineet continued to ascend in his career, eventually working as a first assistant cameraman on films like “The Legend of Drona” (2008) and “Zokkomon” (2011). For movies such as “Shootout at Wadala” (2013), “Yaariyan” (2014), and “Kick” (2014), he took on the role of a camera operator, solidifying his expertise in operating film or video cameras professionally.

It’s worth noting that in the world of filmmaking, the person responsible for designing and overseeing the lighting is known as the cinematographer or director of photography, often informally referred to as a “cameraman.”