Creating a sound revolution in cinema

Gifted sound designer Kunal Rajan talks to Shilpi Madan on his ground-breaking works in 'Vishwaroopam' and 'Mercury'

There is something extremely relaxing about the sound of gentle rain. I feel director Mani Ratnam uses rain so well in his movies. I find the sound of chewing very annoying. Not just in movies though,” he says, with a smile.

Kunal Rajan is no stranger to sound. One of India’s most sought-after sound designers, he has made a mark in the industry by shaping rave-worthy acoustics for many high-profile Tamil films, including ‘Vishwaroopam’, ‘Mercury’, ‘Ghajini’, ‘Thoongavanam’, and ‘Uttama Villain’. His latest work came in the Karthik Subbaraj-directorial action thriller ‘Mahaan’, starring Vikram and his son Dhruv Vikram.

He is currently based in Los Angeles, working on international productions in Hollywood. Kunal equates sound designing with storytelling. “It’s important that I make sure sound is in tandem with the characters,” he says.

When did the love affair with atmospherics start? “Growing up in Pondicherry, I used to watch movies in the theatre with my school friends. We used to discuss how the sound effects in the theatre move around the auditorium. The mid 90s is when 5.1 Surround Sound was introduced to the audiences. Only one theatre then had 5.1 DTS and my friends would go there to enjoy Surround Sound. These are my earliest memories of being interested in sound effects,” he shares.

He has worked with leading directors — Jon M Chu (‘Crazy Rich Asians’, ‘Now you See Me 2’), F Gary Gray (‘The Italian Job’, ‘Law Abiding Citizen’), Kamal Haasan (‘Vishwaroopam’), and Oscar winners A R Rahman and Resul Pookutty.

“Kamal Haasan is like a university. It was a dream to work with a legend whose movies I have grown up watching. As a director, he knows what he wants from you but also gives you the freedom to try new things. He has taught me a lot about the history of sound in Indian cinema and how people used to handle complex sequences back in the day before the advent of technology,” says Kunal.

His 150th film — Karthik’s ‘Mercury’ — was a silent movie. The eerie climax of this thriller rendered goosebumps through the sound effects Kunal essayed.

“Sound design was a central character in the story. The only form of communication between the protagonists and the antagonist was through sound. I had to make sure the story was conveyed through sound. I also had to make the sounds scarier since it’s a horror film. Of all the projects I have done with director Karthik, we spent the most time on ‘Mercury’,” he recalls.

Kunal considers ‘Vishwaroopam’ and ‘Mercury’ as milestone films of his career. “Vishwaroopam was my first collaboration with the amazing Kamal Haasan. It was the first Asian movie to be mixed in 11.1 Auro 3D Sound Format. We got over 15 theatres in Tamil Nadu to install 11.1 Auro 3D — an unforgettable experience! ‘Mercury’ is a film with no dialogues. It had only sound effects and music, a rare phenomenon in cinema. This is a dream project for every sound designer,” he says.

Working with AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty (for ‘Endhiran’, ‘Ghajini’, ‘RA One’) too has been fun. AR taught me that you are working to make a director’s vision come to life. It is not about what you like, but about what the director wants from you.”

He moved in 2006 to LA to study Sound Design at a Post Production School. Kunal makes an observation of sounds in western and Indian cinema.

“Sound in Western cinema is generally subtle. In Indian cinema, it is a little over the top. All movies record live sync sound in the West compared to predominantly dubbing for Indian films. There is something special and natural about live sync sound which can’t be recreated in dubbing,” explains Kunal.

Apart from his international projects, he is upbeat about his Bollywood debut, a Shah Rukh Khan-starrer directed by Tamil blockbuster filmmaker Atlee.

(The author is a Mumbai-based journalist and editor).