Attar Singh Saini

Born on June 8, 1966, Attar Singh Saini is a cinematographer in the Hindi Film Industry for the last twenty-one years. Though settled in Mumbai, he is a native of Gohana, a place situated in the Sonipat district of Haryana. Before entering the field of cinematography, Attar Singh Saini was a student of Punjab University, Chandigarh.

In 1984, he joined the University and PCM was his stream of study. After four years, in 1988, Saini graduated with a degree in PCM. Soon after his graduation from Punjab University, in 1988 itself, Saini enrolled himself in the Film and Television Institute of India, in Pune, known as one of the best and premier film schools in Asia. By 1992, he was qualified with a post-graduation degree in cinema with specialization in cinematography. After his graduation from the film institute, he commenced off his career in the year of 1994 as an assistant cameraman in a Bollywood romantic comedy movie directed by Kundan Shah Kundan Shah is an Indian director and scriptwriter >> Read More... , Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. On 28 June 1997, he got married, and his wife’s name is Geethanjali. They have two daughters named Amritya Saini and Prathama Saini. It was only after his marriage that he became established as a cinematographer in the Hindi film industry. His feature film career as a cinematographer began with 7-1/2 Phere in 2005. Since then, he has shot around twelve other films including Khiladi 786, Hate Story, and Buddha in a Traffic Jam. The Hindi movie Chocolate, released in 2005, was a critically acclaimed one for Saini’s cinematographic excellence. Critics reviewed it as a fantastically served movie, and he was also applauded for his magical frame that could absorb the crisp “winter” look of London. Saini’s visual brilliance is in keeping everything simple. His lighting and camera work are often kept simple to bring out the natural essence of the scene.

Over the years, he has shot approximately fifty advertisements for some of the biggest brands like Hyundai, Brittania, Vicks Vapo Rizer, Reliance, ICICI, Godrej, Surf Exel, etc. Apart from these films and advertisements, he has shot around seven hundred episodes of different TV serials for various channels like Star Plus, Zee TV, DD Metro, Sony Entertainment, MTV India. For Kashmeer, a series aired on Star Plus, he has received the Indian Television Academy Awards in the category of Best Videography in 2003. He was also a part of the jury member for the same awards in 2004 and 2009.

Saini also enjoys occupying himself in the world of documentaries and docu- featurettes. His works include Golden City, a documentary on old monuments of Goa, Profile of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, and Tribal Welfare for Madhya Pradesh. Saini is an active member of Western India Cinematographer Association, and he is also a core team member of Cinematographer’s Combine.