Rajini is like Jack Nicholson

Original Transcript from Times of India – 24/06/2010

It might be a barren stretch of land at a Chennai-based leading studio, but that’s more than enough for sound engineer Resul Pookutty.
The wizard of sound gets together his team, and ensures that the screams of the 25 people rushing in from inside a building is captured accurately.
He hears it one time and, dissatisfied with the result, explains to the artistes why their screams need to be more coordinated and sound more scared.
This time, they get it right and Resul is a satisfied man. “This is for a vital scene in Endhiran,” starts off Resul, who was in the city recently, “We shot a crucial fire sequence yesterday. These are all crucial elements in the movie.”
The Rajinikanth-starrer is a project that has caught the imagination of the Oscar winner ever since he came on board. “Though it’s a futuristic concept, it’s also real and believable,” he elaborates, “Endhiran starts in rustic Chennai and travels to a larger-than-life place. There’s no lack of logic in the film and in terms of sound, there’s a lot to explore.”
Elaborating, he says, “I’m eager to see how Rahman transforms all this material with his music.” So, has there been any change in the rapport with the Mozart of Madras after the success of Slumdog Millionaire? “We’re revamping his studio just a bit so that it can accommodate the needs of Endhiran,” he says, “And, I’m collaborating a lot with Rahman on non-music related issues as well.”
On Endhiran, which he describes as “one of India’s biggest movies”, he states, “Though the concept is different, the film is at heart a pure, clean Tamil entertainer. Rajini has done a fantastic job in the film; he’s like Jack Nicholson playing the joker in Batman.”Post the phenomenal fame that he got with the Oscar win, Resul, it seems, is not one to be resting on past laurels and is looking forward to more work in Indian cinema. “I always believe that my work is in India,” he states matter-of-factly, “I don’t want to be one among hundreds in Hollywood. I might as well stay and work in India, where there are so many exciting and big projects to look forward to.” But, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t open to foreign offers. “In fact, I’ll be doing an Indo-American film in Mexico later this year. And then, there’s one more Hollywood project.”
Does he witness a sea change in the number of youngsters venturing into sound post the Oscar win? “Oh yes,” he replies, “There’s a huge change and a lot of youngsters are entering the industry and innovating. It’s interesting because now the traditional filmmakers too are forced to think differently.”