‘I’m not sure if the word lag is correctly used today’
Chaman Chakko is only in his fifth year as an independent editor, but what defines him best is not his experience but his expertise in crafting some of the most-discussed films in recent times. It includes his debut film Kala, the blockbuster multi-starrers 2018 and RDX, last year’s hit thriller Sookshmadarshini and the most recent Identity. Chaman’s growth within a short span has been exponential, placing him among the top league technicians in town. The youngster, though, is self-effacing and feels there is still much work left to do. “I’m just starting to get work frequently,” he laughs.
Chaman’s love affair with editing started during his graduation days when he couldn’t find an editor for his short film. Learning the basics of the craft through online tutorials helped him edit short films and wedding videos. The doors to cinema eventually opened by joining Shameer Muhammed and assisting him in films like 9, Ibilis, Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel, Forensic, etc. Chaman got his first break while working as the spot editor in Forensic. “It just fell in place. Forensic’s cinematographer Akhil George asked me if I could do the spot (editing) for Kala, in which he was also a co-producer. I eventually edited the entire film after Livingston Mathew, who was originally signed, got busy with Minnal Murali.”
Spot editing, a common sight in film sets these days, is a good experience to have, feels Chaman. Even after debuting as an independent editor, he continued to be on sets and help filmmakers with instant edits. “We do basic edits, which helps makers double-check if they have missed out anything or to shoot from some other angle. It also ensures continuity in performances, costumes, props, etc,” says Chaman, quickly adding about the flip side as well. “I was the spot editor throughout the shoot of 2018, but since I was too involved in it, I lost my sense of judgement. We knew the interval block lacked a punch, but I just couldn’t find a way out. It was only a few days before release that I used some intercuts to make the sequence more tight and gripping.”
Regarding his working process, Chaman says he prefers to be associated with a film right from the beginning as it improves communication. “Initially, my inhibitions restricted me to sharing honest opinions only among my friends’ circle. But I’ve now gradually started to express myself more freely, thanks to all the filmmakers who have been welcoming of my ideas.”
Sookshmadarshini, he says, was one such film where he could openly share his suggestions. Recalling one of his major inputs, he says, “There’s an important scene where Nazriya’s character first smells Basil and family’s foul play. It was originally conceived as two separate scenes, but I used an intercut there as I felt it would make a great interval point. I think it worked well.”
Sookshmadarshini was lauded for its thrilling narrative, especially the unpredictable twist at the end. But while the revelation is self-explanatory, the makers still chose to spoon-feed it to the audience.
When quizzed, Chaman feels it was important as the ultimate aim is to ensure the film reaches everyone. “Yes, today’s audiences are much more evolved and familiar with international content, but they are only a section in the big cities. My friend’s family from rural Alappuzha couldn’t understand Sookshmadarshini’s climax, despite the so-called spoon-feeding. So it all depends on who you are catering to.”
Chaman has a similar take on ‘lag’, a mandatory word in instant social media reviews these days. “I’m not sure that word is always correctly used,” laughs Chaman. “Each film has a certain pacing and this ‘lag’ feeling might differ from one person to another. I’ve mostly done fast-paced films so far, but I still believe people’s patience levels have reduced. Everything in today’s world moves fast and they want the same with films also.
The scrolling culture is also having an impact on the attention span.” He adds that filmmakers are becoming increasingly cautious of the ‘lag’ issue and try to negate it from the scripting stages itself. “I’ve seen filmmakers who were once adamant on a fixed pacing style starting to rethink to suit today’s sensibilities. Earlier they used to be firm on not removing certain shots fearing it would disrupt the flow, but I don’t think we have that liberty now. While narrating the script, they now ask me if there’s lag or something that needs to be removed. Kooduthal valipikkanda, they insist.”
A highlight of Chaman’s brief career is his work on action films like Kala, RDX, and Mura. Pointing out their difference in treatments, he adds, “RDX is quite cinematic, while Mura and Kala are more gritty. For a film like RDX, we’ll have to be conscious of the mass moments and how to elevate them.
Since it’s also a multi-starrer, we had to ensure all three actors get equal prominence. If Shane (Nigam) lands two punches, Antony (Varghese) and Neeraj (Madhav) should also get that space. We were mindful of it, even before the shoot. It was similar in Kala as well, as both characters were equally important. The key to editing action scenes is to keep it as tight as possible, without ever boring the audience.”
Chaman is currently garnering praise for his work in the action scenes in Identity, a “special film”, which reunites him with the core team from Forensic. “Ever since Forensic, we all have been good friends, including directors Akhil (Paul), Anas (Khan), Tovi, DOP Akhil (George)... Identity is a film born out of this friendship. I was there with this bunch throughout the journey.
Akhil and Anas had initially done a previs of the fight scene, for which I had shared my suggestions. Yannick Ben choreographed it so brilliantly that we locked a near-perfect final version on the sets itself. There was hardly anything lost.”
Chaman, though, admits that Identity wasn’t an easy film to pull off, with several characters, plot points, and a non-linear narrative structure. “The final runtime was much longer than the 2.38 hour-long version that you are seeing now.” Among the films he has done so far, he recalls Arun D Jose’s Journey of Love 18+ as the one film with its final runtime closest to the first cut.
But at the same time, he also remembers editing out some 45 minutes from the same director’s previous film, Jo and Jo. “People assume comedy films are easy to edit, but it’s a misconception. Imagine chopping off 45 minutes from the original cut and still conveying everything as intended without losing its soul. It’s a challenge to make these tough calls.” Chaman also remembers how he made some last-minute corrections in Mura. “It was just days before the film’s release when director Musthafa and team had visited to check the final duration. When I told them about removing two scenes, they were stuck for a while. But I somehow convinced them on why those scenes won’t make any difference,” chuckles Chaman.
After kickstarting 2025 with Identity, Chaman now has his hands full with multiple projects lined up. Arun D Jose’s Bromance and the Kunchacko Boban-starrer Officer on Duty are up for release in February, followed by Basil Joseph’s Marana Mass. Tharangam-fame Arun Dominic’s fantasy film starring Naslen and Kalyani Priyadarshan, RDX-fame Nahas’ film with Dulquer Salmaan, and Rajesh Madhavan’s directorial debut Pennum Porattum are some of his other upcoming films. Besides that, Chaman also reveals being in talks for a couple of projects from other languages.
Despite his busy schedule, Chaman says he tries to follow trends and new experiments to stay ahead of the curve. “When I was working as an assistant five years back, it was hard explaining what editing is. But that’s not the case today. Everyone is editing reels or at least knows the basics of it. Like any other field, editing also needs constant research and updating. I was recently mind-blown by this series called Arcane. It left me wondering about the endless possibilities of editing. I also loved the work in Kill.”
Chaman’s filmography so far has been a mix of genres, from action to survival drama to horror comedy to thrillers. Even while stating that he doesn’t have any particular favourite genre, Chaman says, “I love films told in first-person perspective like Fight Club and some of Gautham Menon’s works. In Malayalam, I think it was done effectively in Angamaly Diaries and Mukundan Unni Associates. I’m looking forward to something like that.”