For them, content matters as much as their conviction

Leading sound designer Udhaykumar, who has worked on successful projects like Naan Mahaan Alla, De Monte Colony and Asuran among other joins the chat. The troika talks to us on their job of delivering a film’s version that gratifies the audience with available technology. Harish, a filmmaker himself, says, “It is a huge task as the onus is on us to deliver a good product irrespective of the content the film has. The film’s worth can be Rs 100 or 200 crore, but at the end of the day, it is packed in a hard disk that is worth Rs 12,000. We have to do it with great passion and conviction.” Sameer seconds Harish and talks about how sound has evolved in cinema all these years. “Sound provides 50 per cent of the cinematic experience to the audience. A few years ago, we had 5.1 and 7.1 surround system. Then came Dolby Atmos, seven years ago and has become a household name. Our technology uses sound as an object and can be moved sideways or overhead matching the sensibilities of the scene. Dolby Atmos has over 600-plus screens, the overall landscape comprises of 3000 digital screens in India."

Udhaykumar instantly nods his head and tells how he plays with sound in films he has worked on.

“To keep the audience engrossed, we move sound according to the scene. When an actor is on the left side of the camera, we move the sound to the left speakers so that the scene becomes more natural. We discuss with the directors on how a scene can be elevated and there are a few directors like Vetri Maaran, who visualises things even as they write. In Asuran, the opening scene has Dhanush and Ken walking inside a forest. I suggested to him that we could keep the opening credits here so that the runtime gets crispier. He says that he wants the audience to immerse themselves into the story, which itself is like a journey into the forest.”

Harish smiles at us and says, “I have seen Udhay standing up from his seat and working on the sound design as the story gets intense. There are a few films,which I can’t disclose, he almost dozes off.”