Renganaath Ravee’s resounding success in cinema

‘Sound is the vocabulary of nature’, goes a post on Renganaath Ravee’s Facebook page. He has been communicating in this vocabulary with immense success for over a decade now. The two Kerala state awards for the best sound designer are proof of his expertise.

He was away in Bangkok, on the sets of an Arabic movie, 11 Days, when the award was announced for his work in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ee. Ma. Yau. “It is the ninth language I am working in,” says Renganaath. It has indeed been an incredible journey for the man who aspired to become a musician. When that didn’t materialise, he chose to specialise in sound and moved to Mumbai. It turned out to be a sound decision. The metro was his turf for 10 years and ever since he returned home to Kerala in 2017, he has been busy with projects in Malayalam. While his new release Swanthanthryam Ardharathriyil is in theatres, coming up next are Mohanlal, Theevandi, Udalazham, Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri, Bhayanakam and Aabhasam.

Renganaath Ravee   | Photo Credit: Tharun Bhaskaran

Ea. Ma. Yau, which is awaiting a wide release, he says, is close to his heart. The story, set in Chellanam in Kochi, revolves around a death and the events that follow. “I have worked in over 90 films by now and this is among my favourite five movies. It had a realistic approach. Also, since I grew up in a coastal area, I was familiar with the geography,” says the man from Njarakkal, Kochi. “Moreover, it is written by one of my favourite authors in Malayalam literature, P.F. Mathews,” he adds.

Experimenting with sound

Ea. Ma. Yau has no background music and so every mood is conveyed through sound. “I have done the same in many short films and Gautham Menon’s Nadunisi Naaygal. In Ea. Ma. Yau, death is the central theme and I recorded music played by bands during funerals for the sound design. The sea was always there in the backdrop and so wind and rain were the main elements. Dubbing was done with extra care and those who couldn’t get the dialect right were made to re-dub. The only one who had it easy was Pauly Valsan, who also won the state film award, because she speaks that dialect,” he explains.

The 36-year-old is delighted that Lijo has won the award for the best director. “I have worked in all his films. His approach to films and filmmaking is different. His graph has gone up with each film and Ea. Ma. Yau is right on top. The entire script was ready by the time the shoot started and he had a session with all actors and technicians. He has a clear idea about the use of sound and music in his movies. While most directors make the movie as per the script, Lijo incorporates sound and music when he plans each scene,” he avers. Renganaath highlights the work of his mixing engineer, Kannan Ganpat.

Looking at the larger picture, Renganaath opines that theatres now offer a better viewing experience for the audience. “Many theatres have undergone renovation and have a better sound system in place. These days, quite a few filmmakers pay attention to sound design. Audiences are also well-informed about the component. Regular maintenance of the sound system in cinemas holds the key,” he says.

Attention to detail

Yet, we have to go a long way when compared to Hollywood. “There is no need to do what they do, instead we can pay heed to certain other aspects. While Hollywood filmmakers take several months to work on the sound design, that is the last priority in most of our films. Here, we announce the release date before the shoot starts and then it is a race against time to complete it by the deadline. There were occasions when sound designing was finished on the eve of the film’s release! But time equals money and so ultimately it all comes down to budget constraints,” he says.

He points out that sound design and background score should complement each other. “In our movies, background score is more like a song and so when you make something so loud, it clashes with the sound design. Our films are dialogue oriented and when the dialogues come into the picture, the final output is alarmingly loud,” he says.

Looking ahead, he says that he wants to experiment with the craft. “I am doing sound design for a play for the first time. It is directed by Santosh Keezhattoor. A project should excite me and I should feel comfortable with the people I am working with. I am driven by passion for my work and look out for surprises!” he signs off.

Fact file

* Although he cleared the test to learn sound at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, three times, Renganaath couldn’t join the course. He learnt basics of sound engineering from K.T. Francis and joined K.J. Yesudas’ Tharangini studio as sound recordist in Thiruvananthapuram before he moved to Mumbai.

* He started his career as a sound editor with films such as The Great Indian Butterfly and Frozen (Hindi-Ladakhi). He debuted as a sound designer in Lijo’s Nayakan.

* In addition to Malayalam, he has worked in Arabic, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Ladakhi and Nepali.

* Some of his notable works as sound editor/sound designer are Bhootnath, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Neethane En Ponvasantham, Nadunisi Naaygal, Amen, David, Shutter, Dhoom 3, Bang Bang, Wazir, Angamaly Diaries and Veeram.

* He won the Kerala State Film Award for Ennu Ninte Moideen

* The poetry installation, he conceptualised with a group of friends in 2015, entered the Limca Book of Records.