KOCHI: In 2009, after Pazhassi Raja had a good run at the box office, Resul Pookutty received a couple of phone calls. They were from visually-challenged people, who told him that this was the first time they were able to ‘see’ a movie.
This appreciation became a turning-point in Resul’s life. Thereafter, the Oscar-award winner ensured that the sounds he caught in the movies would always be for the ears of the visually challenged.
It was this train of thought that took the sound specialist on a journey from Mumbai to Thrissur and its famous Pooram, the culminating ground of myriad cultures and sounds, last week.
“The Pooram is home to some of the loudest noises in the world. Attached to it is a very rich legacy and I wanted to preserve it for future generations. One cannot be sure whether the fireworks display or the caparisoned elephants will continue to be a part of the Thrissur Pooram over the years.”
The festival itself could lose its sheen. “The main task is to prepare a sound archive which will be an opportunity for the visually challenged to enjoy and feel Thrissur Pooram as it is,” he says.
Prasad Prabhakar, the director and writer of the audio-visual docu-fiction, ‘Thrissur Pooram: Travelogue with Oscar winner Resul Pookutty’, was the one who pushed his long-time friend to convert his dream into a work of such magnitude. It is being produced by Rajive Pankal of PalmStone MultiMedia.
For the project, Resul was accompanied by a 12-member crew. They were assigned to ten corners of the Vadakkunathan Maithan so that the crew could capture each and every sound associated with the Pooram.
“Prior to the start of the Pooram, I went and explored various places in and around the maidan to find out the best place where the acoustics would be perfect. Finally, we zeroed in on the Peruvanam idavazhi,” Resul shares.
The latest technology microphones were positioned everywhere for the project. Also, each member had two walkie-talkies with them so that the coordination with Resul worked easier.
The hassles
The biggest fear that the team had was whether the climate would play spoilsport. “During the time of the Kudamattom (when the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi temple groups exchanged colourful umbrellas), there were fears that it would rain. “The climate can influence sound.
If there were rains, we would have lost all the minute sounds to the noise of water and wind, which would have affected the shooting,” says Prasad.
Also, capturing the sound of the Ilanjithara Melam, led by Peruvanam Kuttan Marar, was a tough task, but it was one of the most rapturous moments of the Pooram.
“We had to pick up each and every sound of the instruments amidst the sound of the Pooram. But that was the beauty of the whole project. We had to take two different shots: one with the artists performing during the Pooram and the other when we asked them to play for us alone,” says Prasad.
Resul said that the support of the Police department, the Devaswom Board and the public made a big difference to the success of the project.
Recording elephants
As part of the travelogue, Resul and his team filmed each and every movement of the elephants who took part at the Thrissur Pooram. “This was the biggest challenge of the entire travelogue. We sound recorded the activities of an elephant for 24 hours. We also recorded minute sounds of how they eat, communicate to even how they pass urine,” Resul said.