We made sure not to exaggerate or over-dramatise anything in the edit of Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum: Sreekar Prasad

For acclaimed editor Sreekar Prasad, winning a National Award has almost become a habit. He has collected his ninth award with his work on Vasanth Sai's Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum. Talking about what the award means, he says, "It always feels good to be appreciated for your work. That's what we technicians are always looking for. My last National Award was a few years back, and these things come to you suddenly.But it gives you a high because you are recognised by a group of people who are selected to and want to promote good cinema, and it's the ultimate film award in our country, one that's given by the government. It also adds a sense of responsibility. I do work on all kinds of films, but ultimately, I want to be part of good cinema. Cinema is not only a commercial medium; it is an artistic medium. When you watch films from different countries, you learn about those people, their lives and their state of mind. Cinema, in that sense, transcends boundaries. So, when a film like this film — which was made as a very pure art — is recognised, it gives me immense joy."
He states that both Vasanth and he approached the film with the intention of making good cinema. "The unusual thing about this film is that it is not one story, but an anthology of three stories. So, I'm very happy that the jury could consider such a film for an editing award. While this film has three separate stories, they are all bound by a single theme — how there has been no change in the state of women over decades. We knew it had limitations in terms of commercial exploitation and we were happy when it resonated with all kinds of people. The film was shot as realistic as possible and in the edit, too, we made sure not to exaggerate or over-dramatise anything. We chose to let the events happen like in real life. We wanted the film to be compared with this kind of cinema being made at the world level. We did not want to make it a boring, slow film, or as an artificially dramatic film, which would have killed the spirit of the story. We did not use any artificial elements like background music and wanted the editing to give a real sense of a life happening at that point on screen," he explains the process behind editing the film.
He feels that when such an attempt is appreciated, it gives hope that one can still make these sorts of films. "Because, of late, there is a mad rush about numbers that a film does, and people's outlook at cinema as an artistic form of expression is getting killed because of it. This is why the National Awards and the NFDC matter because they offer people the avenue to express what they want in the best cinematic way possible," signs off the editor, who is currently working on Mani Ratnam's magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan.