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What keeps Resul away from Mollywood?
In spite of being from Kerala, sound engineer Resul Pookutty has worked on just one Malayalam film; reasons out why he prefers it that way
Sanjith Sidhardhan
Oscar-winning Malayali sound engineer Resul Pookutty, who has worked in several national and international films, surprisingly has only one Mollywood film, Pazhassiraja, to his credit. However, that has not stopped him from following the industry closely. The innumerable concerns he has about the state of affairs here is proof of that.
Resul's greatest worry, he says, is the lack of time allotted for postproduction that "takes the zing out of a film technician's job."
He explains, "Here, they set the release dates even before the film's shoot has begun. This is the biggest downfall of the Malayalam film industry." He also points out that there is a dearth of proper training among Mollywood's technicians. "Mollywood is probably the only industry in India where you don't need any qualification to be part of filmmaking. As a result, it churns out trash, almost 95 per cent. It is only occasionally that we see some spark of brilliance in Malayalam films," he says.
Resul also has a problem with the state of cinema halls in Kerala. "The jarring sound, from the system at the cinema halls, is sure to damage eardrums. I cry every time I hear my work being played here. Not even 30 per cent of the effort that has gone into the work is reflected."
While Resul did return to Mollywood recently, it was not as a sound engineer. This time around, he was seen onscreen, as himself, in Father's Day.
We hear he took up the role as a favour for his friend, the film's debutant lead actor Shehin. "It's a small role, which I did because of a personal commitment. It's my way of helping people who I believe can make a difference," he says, adding, "I am open to working in Mollywood, but I am extremely tied up at the moment with several international projects. It's not like I want to only be part of 100-crore films, but yes, I do have a price. Cinema is a market and I do demand a price for my value-added services."
sanjith.sidhardhan@timesgroup.com
QUALITY MATTERS: Resul Pookutty
