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Sound of ‘Pazhassi Raja’

Photo: K.K. Najeeb

Sound decisions: A still from the magnum opus “Pazhassi Raja’; and, below, sound editor Resul Pookutty.

Thalakkal Chandu, Pazhassi Raja’s lieutenant, is held captive and tortured. Betrayed and helpless, the tribals for whom he fought, watch the British hanging him. The ferocious rain of Wayanad is the backdrop of the scene, as if nature too is we eping in protest. At the precise moment the noose tightens around his neck, a thunderstorm hits the land.

This is perhaps the most brilliant and talked about sequence in the film ‘Pazhassi Raja.’ The scene had a variety of components that added value – it was well shot, it has an exemplary performance by Manoj K. Jayan and it marks a turning point in the narrative of the film.

But the most significant value addition to the scene came from its sonic elements. Designed by Oscar-winning sound editor Resul Pookutty, ‘Pazhassi Raja”s soundscape is its USP all through the film, making it a unique aural experience and a first of its kind in regional cinema.

Resul relives the experience of making the magnum opus. Excerpts…

Recreating the aural experience

I was drawn into ‘Pazhassi Raja’ the minute I saw its rushes. I was surprised at the way the film was conceptualised. Contrary to my area of specialisation (sync sound), Pazhassi worked in post-sound. There was virtually no live track. Each and every sound had to be recreated. It was a Herculean task but I decided to take it up as a challenge. So we started recording each one of the sounds from its original sources. I went to locations like Wayanad to collect bows, arrows and weapons the tribals used. I also referred extensively in the National Gun Library. The war sequences were actually played out again to record the sounds. We took all the two hundred people again to the location with their costumes, we had horses and other war paraphernalia arranged, and then we played out the sequence as it is in the film and recorded the sounds with multiple microphones. We did this as we wanted to retain every finer detail.

‘Pazhassi Raja’s sound design

‘Pazhassi Raja,’ for me, is not just a war film. It is a war of great warriors, it is about human struggle. So the sound had to echo the drama behind the scenes. At the same time, one had to do careful detailing of the period. I have tried to strike a delicate balance between technical detailing and cinematic expression. For instance, in the first war sequence, the audio elements work intensively till the moment Padmapriya’s character gets hurt. Once that happens and Manoj rushes through, the war sounds are muted as the focus there was on their intimacy. Similarly, Mammooty’s and Sharath Kumar’s characters were etched with the help of sound. These are two men who do some unbelievable tasks – they fly in the air, single-handedly fight a whole army and so on. To make this believable, one had to play with the audience’s psyche right from the very beginning of the film, which is done through sound. Technically, the film has extreme use of surround format and every frame has multiple, finer layers of sound attached to it.

I am overwhelmed by the feedback I get. People call me and tell me about how they could hear even minor details such as a scuffle, a chair being moved or a man spitting into a ‘Kolambi’ (a traditional spittoon). For me, these reactions are as precious as the Oscar moment. A whole generation has awakened to the idea and purpose of film sound. This is what I wanted, this is what I strived for.

International and Indian cinema sensibilities

One cannot discount the fact that it is my work in India that gained me international recognition. For that reason and more, I would like to continue working here. International exposure does widen your horizons. It enhances your vision and understanding of the medium. My duty is to try and implement here what I gather and learn from outside India. But one has to keep in mind the democratic nature of cinema. It is the director’s vision that I try and enhance with my art. I try and tell them what I have studied, what I have thought of. I never impose my ideas. But almost all the filmmakers I have worked with have a reasonable understanding of the medium. I tell them the possibilities and they are mostly open to it, especially the older generation. They are always happy to learn. The younger lot come with definite ideas and I feel that they lack the open-mindedness of their seniors. But we debate, discuss and arrive on a consensus.

Sound and Malayalam cinema

It is the attitude to filmmaking that has to change first. Once that is done, everything else will fall in place. Malayalam has a glorious history of effective use of sound and music in cinema. I am no policy maker and hence cannot give any one-point solutions. Give me a film and I will portray my expressions about sound in that.

Once Resul mops up his pre-Oscar film commitments, he will return to Malayalam cinema in 2010.

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