Peter Perera was an Indian cinematographer and special effects producer and supervisor, famous for providing special effects in Bollywood films. In 1987, he became famous for creating special effects to make the character Arun Verma, played by Anil Kapoor, disappear in the popular Bollywood film Mr. India. He breathed his last on 10 January 2023 at his residence in Juhu, Mumbai.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Peter Perera was born in 1929 (age 93 years at death) in Uttan, Thane district, Maharashtra, India. He grew up in his hometown Vasai, Palghar district, Maharashtra.
Family
parents and siblings
Peter’s father was a film distributor who worked with MB Bilimoria, a famous film distribution company during the 1940s. There is not much information available about his mother or siblings.
Wife
There is not much information available about his marital status.
other relatives
Peter had two nephews, Lanhart Pereira and Carlton DeMello.
Religion
Peter Perera followed Christianity.
livelihood
In 1970, in his early 40s, Peter relocated to Juhu to pursue more professional opportunities in cinematography. Early in his career, he worked as an apprentice at Basant Studios in Chembur, owned by Indian film director and producer Homi Wadia, and there he did routine work such as setting up the camera and some other general tasks. Being inclined towards photography, Peter enlisted the help of special effects expert Babubhai Mistry, who worked as a trick photographer at Basant Studios, to understand the techniques of cinematography. While assisting Babubhai Mistry, Peter was given a salary of Rs 50 per month.
film
as a cinematographer
In 1963, Peter made his debut as a cinematographer with the Bollywood film Parasmani.
As a cinematographer, he worked with Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan in some of his Bollywood films such as Yaarana (1981), Coolie (1983), Mard (1985), Shahenshah (1988), Toofan (1989), and Laal Badshah (1999). Work done. , Furthermore, some of her notable Bollywood films include Basera (1981), Dil Aashna Hai (1992), Khiladi Ka Khiladi (1996), and Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai (2002). Peter’s last film as a cinematographer was Bhagmati (2005).
As a special effects producer
In 1970, Peter made his debut as a special effects producer with the Bollywood film Sachcha Jhootha.
Additionally, Peter worked as a special effects coordinator for some Bollywood films such as Roti (1974), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Prem Rog (1982), Sheshnag (1990), and Ajooba (1991).
Death
Peter Perera breathed his last on 10 January 2023 at his Juhu residence and was buried on the same day at Our Lady of Grace Cathedral Papdi in Vasai, Maharashtra.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Peter had said in an interview that he liked comedy films and was greatly influenced by Charlie Chaplin and his films.
- In an interview, Peter talked about his inspiration behind entering the film industry and revealed that after watching the film The Corsican Brothers (1941) in which Douglas Alton Fairbanks Jr. played the dual role of Mario and Lucien Franchi, he Finally decided to make a film. Movies in Bollywood.
- Peter was inclined towards photography at an early age because his father was very attracted to it. In an interview, Peter talked about how his interest in cinematography developed while working as an intern at Basant Studios and said,
My father was fond of photography. I shared his hobby and enjoyed photography from the beginning during my youth. I had a little brownie camera and I took a lot of pictures. It was during my time as an intern at Basant Studios, where that whole environment where films were being made, that I also became attracted to motion pictures.
- Peter worked in the camera and electrical departments for some Bollywood films like New Delhi (1956), The Train (1970), Bharam Veer (1977), and Border (1997).
- In an interview, when asked about his experience creating special effects in the Bollywood film Mr. India, Peter replied,
What a beautiful film. Shekhar Kapur will tell me what he wants and I will do it. It was easy and straightforward – I worked on a daily basis, otherwise I would have had to be there all the time. The cameraman of the film will not be me, but Baba Azmi. On the set, I didn’t work closely with the cinematography department unless I wanted some changes. There was a scene in which I took a shot, Baba Azmi came and started asking if I was sure about the lighting. I asked him to bring me an egg and I would burn it 25 different ways.
- While creating special effects for the Bollywood film Mr. India (1987), Peter used classic masking techniques to capture the character’s appearance and disappearance and stop-motion technology to capture the character’s footprints.
- Peter made a guest appearance in the Bollywood film ‘Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)’ starring Vinod Khanna. Amitabh Bachchan, and Rishi Kapoor.
- Peter lost his eyesight in the early 2000s due to glaucoma, a progressive eye disease that damages the optic nerve, eventually leading to vision loss and even blindness.
- In 2022, Peter appeared in the documentary film Shayandan, directed by Hemant Chaturvedi, which highlights the contributions of 14 cinematographers to the Hindi film industry between the 1950s and 2000s.
- During his last days, Peter was cared for by a nurse in his apartment in Juhu, arranged by his nephew living in the United States.
- Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan shared the news of Peter’s death on Twitter and remembered him, writing,
Our industry lost a legend today. #PeterPerera He was a pioneer in cinematography in our films. one of the largest! I remember him from the sets of my father’s films, which I used to visit in my childhood. Kind, loving, dignified and talented. Rest in peace sir.
– Abhishek 10 January 2023
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn