‘I love to tell stories’
Humbling Experience
He is the proud possessor of the most envied statuette in the world. A little over a feet, the statuette, however, has humbled Resul Pookutty.
Ten months after he won the Oscar for the best sound technician, Pookutty chokes everytime he speaks of the warmth he received after winning the award. “Son, you have made us proud,” was what moved him the most. “I am still confused about where I stand. I wonder if I really deserved it, nevertheless it’s a great honour. Life has become only more challenging and meaningful,” he told Metrolife recalling the glorious moment.
That the Oscar was what he deserved now stands vindicated in Pazhassiraja, the Malayalam blockbuster where sound turns a device transporting audience back into history. “The biggest challenge was to create live sound and I have never worked on creating this before. I had to do justice to it. It was a one-man struggle and I had to make it justifiable and dramatic when it came to the story. I had to compliment that struggle and respect that lone king’s dedication,” says Resul.
Recalling one of the toughest moments in his career, Resul says, “In Gandhi, My Father I had to project the truthfulness of the great man and had to be careful about manipulating sound.”
In Black, Amitabh's extreme character and Michelle’s silence had to be balanced. “I was deeply immersed in the film," he says. He is now working with Tamil director Shankar in Endhiram where Rajnikant will be seen like never before,” he says.
Sound, all types of it, excites Resul. “I love to tell stories and the best way of doing that is through sound. Feelings, emotion, analysis and experience can be transferred to the listener through sound," he says.
Resul draws a lot of strength from his childhood and confesses that his biggest influence has been his mother. “I still remember that I was the pampered one at home and my older brother would be so jealous of me that they would take me deep into a jungle closer home and scare the daylight out of me," he recollects.
He says he cherishes vivid memories of his school days. “I never used to go to school to study. School meant play, stealing sugar and mirchi from home to enjoy a mid-day meal with my friends and sometimes straying away to watch a movie.”
With Oscar in kitty, is Hollywood beckoning Resul? "Yes, there have been a couple of offers but I would rather be one Resul Pookutty here than one in ten Resuls in Hollywood,” he reasons.
