Crackers and tears at Resul Pookutty’s village

The applause in Los Angeles’s Kodak Theatre echoed in distant Vilakkupara, where Oscar-winning sound mixer Resul Pookutty dreamt of movies before he left for the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

The physics graduate, who has made waves in the Indian film industry and history in Hollywood, turned the spotlight on his native village, 55km off Kollam, in Kerala.

As Pookutty dedicated his Oscar to the “land of Om”, relatives, neighbours, and friends gathered before a TV set outside his ancestral house were ecstatic. Crackers were fired as people exchanged sweets and wept openly. Pookutty’s sisters, sisters-in-law, and their children broke down when the suspense ended.

“We all came together to celebrate the moment,” said PT Baiju, Resul’s elder brother. “We were glued to the TV from the start of the awards ceremony. We knew he would make it one day.”
Resul is the youngest of eight children.