They may not be the poster boys of the Indian film industry but are critical for a film's success.
Subash Sahoo always wanted to be an actor. He wanted the name and fame. This, despite a father who discouraged the watching of films because he felt they were ‘sinful’. Growing up in a village 100km from Bhubaneswar, Sahoo would sneak away to watch films screened in his village. He also joined a theatre group to learn how to act.
Today, Sahoo, 48, works in the film industry. He is not a hotshot actor. Sahoo is an award-winning sound director who has worked on films like Omkara, Kaminey and Once upon a time in Mumbaai. Also, he’s just not any sound director, he’s an expert in sync sound.
A film that is shot in sync sound captures all the dialogues and ambient sound on location, eliminating the need for dubbing later. It was a trend that was used in early cinema but lost out to post-filming dubbing in studios. Aamir Khan’s Lagaan helped bring sync sound back into favour. Today, most movies are shot in sync sound. “The problem with dubbing is that when an actor is put in a studio and told to repeat his dialogues...it’s not the same as saying them on location, when he is in character. The actor loses perspective,” says Sahoo.
Sahoo’s work begins from the pre-production stage, when he listens in on actors reading out scripts and decides how best to use their voices. On the sets, he is in charge of playing with sound — designing it according to the place, characters and so on. “Sound is the only medium that gives you a 3D view of a film... the entire story,” he says.
After shooting is complete, he works on arranging the sound together, spending 2-3
months in post production. His work in Kaminey won him a National Award for best sync sound. It was his second National Award — the first was for Omkara, the film that made him popular.
Starting out in 1994, after graduating from FTII, Sahoo arrived in Mumbai with Rs185 in his pocket. His first role was in the Marathi film Doghi, a 45-day job that earned him Rs2,800.
He struggled for the next 10 years, then Omkara (2006) happened and there was no looking back.
Today, he has worked on about 60 films, Hindi, Marathi and Oriya, with 40 directors. His dream of being an actor has long since perished. “Mera acting ka bhoot utar gaya hai,” he says. “I enjoy what I am doing now.”
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