UlagaNayagan KAMALHAASAN in ||"UthamaVillan"|| Directed by Ramesh Aravind

[Chikatiloan]

"its the old thing when studio/re-recording technology is not in place..oru pakkam latest technology pathi pesuraar but why he is going back to 50's for live recording.." USV..in the same logic he shouldnt have done pesumpadam too..right?

all hollywood movies adopts the same old tech of live recording..whats ur say about that? as i said before, if supported by sophisticated equipments, doing that is not a old thing.

There is diff..Pushpak is feel good film with simple story line very easy to understand but heyram is very complex..
puriyira maadhri eduthurukalaamnu thaan solran..I will stop this boss..

[Nasc]

Hassarukku nigaraana talent - enna poruthha varaikkum - Kate Winslet - rendu perum oru amsamaana scriptla nadichaa superaa irukkum.

perumoochu vidufying

ha ha..labor day or holiday...movie pathingala enna recenta but i agree to your thought

[kumarsr]

Talk about Live Sound....

'Kamal Haasan has left me baffled many times'
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/...s/20150305.htm

Kunal Rajan is the most sought-after sound designer in Tamil cinema.

Born and raised in Pondicherry, Kunal graduated in sound design from Singapore, then moved to Los Angeles for a career in Hollywood.

Kunal has collaborated with A R Rahman and Resul Pookutty in Shankar’s Endhiren, Murugadoss’s Hindi remake of Ghajini and Akshay Kumar’s Blue.

He collaborated with Kamal Haasan for Vishwaroopam and most recently, for Haasan’s forthcoming film, Uttama Villain, directed by Ramesh Arvind.

He spoke to Rediff.com contributor Praveen Sundaram from Los Angeles via Skype about his career in Hollywood, Uttama Villain and collaborating with Craig Mann, who recently won an Oscar for Whiplash.

How did you start your career in Hollywood?

After I moved to the United States, I started doing on-location sound. After a year of that, I realised that my passion lies in post-production, in sound design and mixing.

I did a course in the US specialising in post-production sound and slowly I started my career as a sound designer.

Was it difficult to find work in the US?

It is very scary to think about it now.

Before I came here, I thought there were Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Sony and so many companies and I would go to the US and send them my resume with my Bachelor’s degree in sound from Singapore.

I thought it would all be very easy.

Not even one company got back to me.

So, I started with students who were doing their thesis films. Slowly I got into very low budget, independent films. Slowly I began getting good work.

How did you get into mainstream Hollywood?

I worked on short films and small budget films. One person would recommend me to another and my network grew.

I began working on independent films. Some of them were recognised at film festivals and one went to Sundance.

My resume started getting better, with better films and better filmmakers. People started approaching me.

Now I find myself working in films like Jem and The Holograms, which should be out in October this year, directed by Jon M Chu. It’s his next film after GI Joe. It is a very big movie for me. I am very excited.

What about your work with Tamil filmmakers?

Arun Vaidyanathan’s Achchamundu Achchamundu was my first Tamil film. Sometime in 2007-2008, I read an article online that a Tamil filmmaker was making a Tamil film to be shot entirely in the US.

At the time, I was getting better work and had a good team. I contacted Arun through his website and expressed my interest in working with him. That’s how Achchamundu Achchamundu happened.

Technically, I have done only four Tamil films: Achchamundu Achchamundu, Vishwaroopam, R S Prasanna’s Kalyana Samayal Saadham and Saivam. Uttama Villain will be my fifth release.

You were also a part of Ghajini and Endhiran…

I’ve known Resul Pookutty for a while now, even before he won the Oscar. He was doing the foley work (foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality) for Murugadoss’s Hindi remake of Ghajini.

He wanted to do some part of the work in the US. I helped him with that and also collaborated with him for Endhiren and Blue as a sound editor. I also did a little work in Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra One.

What was it like working with Kamal Haasan?

I was initially concerned about working with such a senior artist and technician. He comes with a lot of experience and has terrific knowledge on every aspect of filmmaking.

I was aware that it was a big budget film and he has high expectations from people he works with.

He made me feel very comfortable and was open to ideas. If you know your job, Kamal will trust you and leave it to you. He collaborated very well, not just with me but my entire crew; they all enjoyed working with him.

Some of them have worked in very big budget Hollywood films like Inception. But they felt that working with Kamal was a different experience because of his knowledge and the experience he brings to the table.

In a particular situation if you don’t know how to go ahead, he would be there. In his mind he knows the solution, but he will let you play around and come up with different possible solutions. Finally, he will tell us to try a particular way, just for the sake of trying and check if that works.

He has left me baffled many times.

Everybody says he is an encyclopedia and he is one, indeed.

Tell us more about your experience of working in Uttama Villain.

Kamal Haasan had narrated Uttama Villain to me while we were working on Vishwaroopam.

I thought it would be a cakewalk. It was only when I watched the first rough cut that I realised what I was getting into. He has done a fantastic job.

One of the biggest challenges was working in two different time zones in two different counties -- India and Los Angeles. Coordinating, getting all the sound files back and forth was very tough. The movie has contemporary portions and also period portions.

All the period portions were challenging because it was not something I had done before.

I had to work carefully without using any modern sounds. We wanted to keep it subtle and enhance the story and keep it as realistic as possible.

Did you visit the shooting spot?

No, but Kamal Haasan used to update me almost every two or three days over the phone. He would tell me about the scenes that he had shot.

I was aware of what was happening and I was always curious to see the final output.

I always watch the first cut like an audience and only from the second viewing I make my notes as a sound engineer.

Was the film shot in live-sound?

No, some of the actors don’t speak the language and most scenes were shot in challenging locations.

The thing with live-sound is when you work partly live and partly dub, it affects the quality of the film.

Kamal Haasan thanked you for putting him in touch with Craig Mann, the sound mixer who worked in Uttama Villain and won an Oscar for Whiplash. How did you guys collaborate? What did Craig Mann think of working in a Tamil film and Kamal Haasan?

I told Craig I was working in an Indian film and looking for a sound mixer to collaborate with.

He replied that he had just finished a small budget musical called Whiplash and if I was inviting him to collaborate for a Bollywood musical, he would love to do it.

I had to tell him that Indian films are not Bollywood films alone; there are multiple regional industries making fantastic films. He was fascinated by how many film industries we have in India.

I then told him about Kamal Haasan. They collaborated really well.

Will you be working in more Indian films?
I am open to working in any language as long as I find the work challenging and the team is good, and it is for people who understand the importance of sound, directors who understand what sound can do to their film.

I have worked in French, Italian and Ethiopian films too.

[irir123]

ha ha..labor day or holiday...movie pathingala enna recenta but i agree to your thought

Nasc - in spite of having had actors of the calibre of Smitha Patil, Shabana Azmi, or Nandita Das, Saritha (brilliant find) etc, in recent times, actresses are NOT respected for their talent, or their range - very rarely do we get to see a film carried by the female lead or equally shared by the actress in mainstream Indian cinema.

Its different elsewhere - be it Kate Winslet, or, Cate Blanchett, or, Jessica Chastain - everyone gets a fair share of scripts and screen space - one of the VERY BEST performances I have seen is of Charlize Theron in Monster ( ) - I cant think of any male actor's performance matching such intensity in a long time!

of course we are talking about acting as a skill / talent / art - off late, in TFI most ppl just dont act or are trained to do so

[venkkiram]

பேசும்போது எப்போதும் கரகரவென துருபிடித்த இரும்பு போல காணப்படும் கமலின் குரல் எப்படி பட வசனங்களில், பாடல்களில் மட்டும் பிசிறில்லாமல் ஒலிக்கிறது? பிரமிப்பாக இருக்கும் பல நேரங்களில்.

[kumarsr]

Also his voice sounds different at different times. I think the stronger voice that he employs at times (which is very different and distinct) is for macho effect and not his real voice or close to it. In very early movies like Arangetram, it would seem like a large nasal effect, as if he is speaking through his nose.

[Chikatiloan]

பேசும்போது எப்போதும் கரகரவென துருபிடித்த இரும்பு போல காணப்படும் கமலின் குரல் எப்படி பட வசனங்களில், பாடல்களில் மட்டும் பிசிறில்லாமல் ஒலிக்கிறது? பிரமிப்பாக இருக்கும் பல நேரங்களில்.

Same doubt..It seems when he is talking casually his voice has some nasal effect..if he puts some effort for emotional scenes or singing its very clear & bold..vera level..

[mappi]

Sagavaram

Listened to it yesterday evening during a peaceful moment. It was beautiful. Associating with 'Unnai Ninachi' from Abborva Sakotharargal or 'Anu Vidhaiththa Boomiyile' from Vishwaroopam, only the mood nothing else, think this song will see the Kamal I love to see - the character looks who he is but that is not who he is actually - that search in the can that holds the character, the close-ups, face muscles trembling, that face itself, the smile and wet eyes - a devine joy to experience it on the screen in a dark room, the Master's Moves.

On the face look, the song just sings about a man who is not wanted neither in the heaven nor in the hell. He is hanging loose tagged as an immortal and he is becoming a never ending Saga. Its not being alive is pain, its undergoing the pain each time you win over the death. Here is Uthaman who is tired now, Saavu Vendi Sethu Kondu Irrukiran - Dying to Die.

Now from Kamal POV, again he fasinates me :

Kaniyar Kaniththa Kanakku Padi Naam
Kanum Ulagu idhu Vatta Pandhaam !?!
Vatta Pandhai Vattamadikkum mattra pandhum !

A 3 line take on astrology (Kanitha) & astrologers (Kaniyar) where a man's life (Naam) is hung between the circling planets (Vatta Pandhu).

The 'Seed' part is excellent too. All this experienced by a single man, how much time you have lived to see all this ? Uthaman has lived that long seeing everything being outside the circle, outside the cycle itself, and thats the Sorrow of Uthaman.

[Chikatiloan]

Sagavaram

Listened to it yesterday evening during a peaceful moment. It was beautiful. Associating with 'Unnai Ninachi' from Abborva Sakotharargal or 'Anu Vidhaiththa Boomiyile' from Vishwaroopam, only the mood nothing else, think this song will see the Kamal I love to see - the character looks who he is but that is not who he is actually - that search in the can that holds the character, the close-ups, face muscles trembling, that face itself, the smile and wet eyes - a devine joy to experience it on the screen in a dark room, the Master's Moves.

On the face look, the song just sings about a man who is not wanted neither in the heaven nor in the hell. He is hanging loose tagged as an immortal and he is becoming a never ending Saga. Its not being alive is pain, its undergoing the pain each time you win over the death. Here is Uthaman who is tired now, Saavu Vendi Sethu Kondu Irrukiran - Dying to Die.

Now from Kamal POV, again he fasinates me :

Kaniyar Kaniththa Kanakku Padi Naam
Kanum Ulagu idhu Vatta Pandhaam !?!
Vatta Pandhai Vattamadikkum mattra pandhum !

A 3 line take on astrology (Kanitha) & astrologers (Kaniyar) where a man's life (Naam) is hung between the circling planets (Vatta Pandhu).

The 'Seed' part is excellent too. All this experienced by a single man, how much time you have lived to see all this ? Uthaman has lived that long seeing everything being outside the circle, outside the cycle itself, and thats the Sorrow of Uthaman.

Gr8 maapi.."saagavaram" is my favorite song followed by "iranya naadagam"...

below to mutharasan who is willing for immortal..
"Vendiyathellam Vaaitha oruvan saavai vendi setha kadhaigal
aayiram undu kelaai manna kelaai manna"

KH as writer shines at many places..UV is his best work in terms of lyrics..
Since Jodhaa Akbar by ARR this is the best historical musical album(ignoring lovea song) I have heard.. I expected a lot from "Kaaviya thalaivan" album but disappointed.
Being a gr8 ARR fan eager to know how other ARR fans rates this album as we are used to songs that slowly grows on..

[Nasc]

Gr8 maapi.."saagavaram" is my favorite song followed by "iranya naadagam"...

below to mutharasan who is willing for immortal..
"Vendiyathellam Vaaitha oruvan saavai vendi setha kadhaigal
aayiram undu kelaai manna kelaai manna"

KH as writer shines at many places..UV is his best work in terms of lyrics..
Since Jodhaa Akbar by ARR this is the best historical musical album(ignoring lovea song) I have heard.. I expected a lot from "Kaaviya thalaivan" album but disappointed.
Being a gr8 ARR fan eager to know how other ARR fans rates this album as we are used to songs that slowly grows on..

Mappi truely appreciate your appreciation for the album..this infact seems to be one of the best written albums in recent times. ..

but i guess - in saagavaram - the kaniyar kanitha - refers to astronomers/mathematicians rather than astrologer, and the point there is not about the planets controlling the life here but about how the planets themselves will die as well..he also follows it with how the seemingly never ending light giver the sun too will die in another yuga.the song is sung to mutharasan on how everything living or non living will die and that from the ashes of what dies will come life again and that with the life that we have our role is to just finish the duty a love for it.

simply amazing ..gives goosebumps