My award belongs to Vetri sir

You have won National Award for Editing. How does it feel? It is an unexpected one and very definitely belongs to Vetri sir and Dhanush sir. Aadukalam is the result of hard work of many people. I am very happy about my award and doubly happy for the entire crew too.

What is Vetri Maaran’s contribution to editing in Aadukalam?

It is not only me but any other editor in my place also would have got an award because of Vetri sir. He edits the film in the scripting stage itself. Hence that leaves only a minor job at the editing table. Vetri gives me the mood of the scene and my task is only to sustain and enhance it further. And he also gives me the freedom. One can learn a lot from Vetri sir. I learnt the proper mode of editing from Lenin and V T Vijayan sir. From Vetri sir, I learnt how to skip the obvious things and edit.

Challenges faced while editing Aadukalam

To a certain extent, it was the rooster fight but I would not call it challenging but it was interesting. Although the entire film will move on in an interesting fashion, the tournament footage was the highlight and was the most important thing for the story. It was shot for more than hour and we needed to edit it. To enjoy this sequence, it is imperative that you know the rules of the game. Hence we decided to touch upon this segment and also the important features. When we saw the edited version, we were all very happy.

Working in Eeram and director Arivazhagan

Eeram was a debut project for four of us – me, director Arivazhagan, cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa and music director Thaman. Director Shankar who produced Eeram felt that the budget can be bigger and Arivazhagan can hire experienced hands as the technical factors in the film are on the high. But Arivazhagan felt happy to have young newcomers and we were on board. If you had noticed, at least one of the four would have featured in that year’s award or nomination list. Arivazhagan worked hard for the film. I got many offers while I was working in Eeram but as Arivazhagan wanted Eeram to be my debut project, he asked me to forego them. I also had lots of freedom and I was given the script. The corrections were carried out only in the last stage.

Jayendra and 180

180 is another Eeram for me. Cinematographer Balasubramaniem introduced me to Jayendra sir. I would like to recall an interesting incident as regards Jayendra sir. I had learnt from Vijayan and Lenin sir to edit the filmed footage shots in a proper and sequential manner.

When Jayendra sir asked me to edit the completed portions, I did the job taking in all the ranges and showed the end result to him. I waited for his feedback, expecting an appreciation from him. Hardly one scene would have passed by and he stopped it and said it was like seeing the rush. I was totally shocked. Jayendra said that he did not want all the shots that he had filmed and instead only the relevant ones which are important for the story. He did not mind even if some of his shots have not been used at all. He also said that he expected a lot from me and said that my assistants are enough to do the job which I had shown him. I was stunned as no one else had talked to me in such an honest and open manner. I liked it a lot.

Jayendra wanted the first footage as final

Jayendra wanted my unique style and stamp to narrate his story in an interesting manner. I wanted time and Jayendra did not mind as he wanted his project to come out best. He wanted the first footage itself as final. I was very happy and withdrew from other projects giving some excuse as I took it as a challenge to satisfy Jayendra sir.

What is the contribution of a cinematographer to editing?

Some of them give suggestions with regard to a song sequence or an action shot which can be incorporated. Otherwise there is not much from their side.

Who is your role model in editing?

There is no particular person as such. If I like some aspect in a person, I take them as my role model. When I am hard pressed for time, I give some of my assignments to my assistants. They would have done it in the wrong way but still there would be some learning from it. The mood of the scene should be conveyed properly. People who do such work are my role models.

Challenging project till date

Eeram, Payanam and Aadukalam. Each one of them was challenging in its own way.

Projects- ongoing and future

Raghava Lawrence’s Kanchana, A R Murugadoss’s production venture, Nanda sir’s film for the film festival focusing on Eelam and Sasi sir’s assistant’s film. There are three more projects in the pipeline but they are yet to be finalized

Your mentors My mentors are V T Vijayan sir and Lenin sir. They have taught me that character is as important as work. They have also taught me that editing is not cutting beginning and ending. The intelligence to understand the script is very vital. If a correction is sought for, it should be done by taking the script in a holistic manner. They have also told me to look at the film from an audience view point and also to have a sharp memory. They always say that when you work properly, work will come in your pursuit.

Character is as important as work

If you work properly, work will come in your pursuit

In Polladhavan I worked as an associate and had done quite a few jobs. That’s when Vijayan sir asked Vetri sir to put my name as editor in the title. He also recommended me to Vetri sir for his next film. Promoting assistants and thinking about their future is such a virtuous feature that you will see in my mentors. After I completed Aadukalam when I met him, he blessed me saying that I would get national award and good recognition for my work. His blessings have come true today. It is important that everyone gets the right kind of boss. If I am at this point in my career today, only 5% is my part and the rest is due to Lenin sir and V T Vijayan sir.