Ask sound designer Arun Rama Varma which is the hardest sound to replicate, and he would nonchalantly reply ‘silence’. “Because there is no such thing as absolute silence, not even in outer space,” he remarks. It is this deep understanding of sound that has made the Tripunithura native, who recently worked on 2 Countries and Monsoon Mangoes, one of the most sought-after sound designers in tinsel town.
Sound has always fascinated Arun from his early days. “At first it was music,” he recalls, adding that he chose to learn the flute, and went on to win prizes at University. It was after his graduation in electronics at IHRD Kottayam, while he was working at Brhaddhwani, a recording studio in Chennai, that he came to know of a course in audiography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.
Enrolling at FTII proved to be revelatory, since it opened Arun to the multitude of possibilities sound offered in films. He especially feasted on screenings of classic films from India and around the world that were held every day. Films that made a particular impression on him were Kieslowski’s Camera Buff and Iranian films by directors like Makhmalbaf and Kiarostami.
“Here in India, we want to drench every moment in a film with music, either through the use of songs or with background music. But many of the films I saw at the institute explored the possibilities of sound, and their use of music was minimal, only when absolutely essential.” Coming from a die-hard music fan, Arun’s take on music is undoubtedly noteworthy. It was during his stint at FTII that he began to assist Satheesh P M, Gissey Michael and Sanjay Kurian, besides Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty, with whom he would later on work in several films like ‘Pazhassi Raja’, ‘Enthiran’, and so on. Their most recent collaboration was Gour Hari Dastaan’, released in 2015. In between, he pursued a PG degree in sound design from London, where he got the opportunity to work on the sound several short film productions.
Arun however, rues the fact that the general audience generally considers a sound designer to be someone who creates those on-your-face sounds one hears in action sequences. “The fact that composing a soundtrack involves a lot of meticulous work is yet to gain any currency among the film-going public.” He narrates the example of how for Jeetu Joseph’s Drishyam, he actually worked on location for the scene where the grave was being dug, to get the right sound.
From here the conversation moves to location sound, which is yet to gain currency in South Indian films. “It was easier in the black-and-white era, when films were made in studios that were soundproof. Moving out of the studios made the recording of live sound tough, since it is impossible to control sound on location. But with improving technology, more films are being shot with sync sound. Almost 70% of Hi, I’m Tony was shot with sync sound,” he recalls.
Arun also laments the fact that most theatres pay very little attention to acoustics, which often spoils the painstaking work that goes into the making of a soundtrack. Arun presently has his hands full with projects - Valliyum Tetti Pulliyum Thetti slated for a Vishu release, and an American documentary.