Youngsters completely changed the paradigm of filmmaking: Resul Pookutty

CHENNAI: Oscar award-winning sound mixer Resul Pookutty, has worked in more than 100 films across languages including Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won the Oscar, Ghajini, Enthiran, Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, Pushpa and Radhe Shyam.

He recently made his directorial debut with Malayalam film, Otta, which is based on author S Hariharan’s book, Runaway Children. Sharing the experience, he said, “If you want people to create something new along with you, you have to be an inspiring character. And for me, in the 80 days that I shot, I was learning every day from everyone, despite the fact of working in more than 100 movies.”

Becoming a director does not mean that Pookutty will stop working as a sound mixer, he said. “There are editors and cinematographers that become directors, they have not left their core job. I will not leave my sound. We are filmmakers first and then practitioners of a particular craft. Unless, there’s a good filmmaker inside you, you’re not a good sound man, editor or a cameraman,” he added.

Pookutty is currently attending the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where he was part of a panel discussion, Road to Oscars. He believes that compared to all other works of art, filmmaking and films are very refreshing and life changing.

“Every film is a huge journey of someone’s life. You see human relationships, places, people, culture and language. Every film is walking through a lifetime. So, if you watch 50 films, it’s like 50 lifetimes that you’ve gone through. It will change you as a human being,” said the Oscar award-winning sound mixer.

Pookutty said a platform like IFFI enables storytellers to understand how their contemporaries across the globe are doing and what they’re doing. “You understand cinema as a language and as a celluloid art, that’s what IFFI has given us,” he said.

The Indian film industry has grown a lot since Pookutty won the Oscar back in 2009 and credit goes to newer voices, the artiste said. “When we won the Oscars, somebody asked me and AR Rahman ‘So what is the big deal? You guys won the Oscar.’ Rahman said the next 10 years is going to be Indian cinema’s golden period. When we look back now, the youngsters came and completely changed the paradigm of filmmaking,” Resul said.