Resul Pookutty protests against Oscars over live telecast cuts: The move goes against the Academy’s tenets

Oscar-winning sound designer and editor Resul Pookutty is standing up against the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ decision to cut out the sound Oscar from its live telecast. Pookutty, along with several other sound designers, engineers and mixers, has signed a petition protesting the move, and plants to protest silently at the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday.

“The filmmaking community is an egalitarian society. We have no differences, nobody is more than equal, or less. Certain faces are driving the business but other than that everybody is creating something which stands the test of time. Everyone is important from a spot boy to a star,” he says.

Pookutty continues, “There are 26 awards, where we recognise everything. How can they crop some categories? It goes against the very basic principle behind the setting of the Academy. My protest is against the principle. There could be compulsions, or financial reasons behind the decision. But it is against the principle on which the academy stands for. We need to put it straight into the records.We have never ever discriminated. And Oscars are the epitome of recognition, the highest achievement in moviemaking business. If such a body takes up a decision, without it being ratified by the Board of Governors, it is a decision that goes against the whole tenets of the academy itself.”

Here, Pookutty, who won an Oscar for his work on Slumdog Millionaire (2008), mentions that the decision of handing out awards for eight categories such as —

Documentary Short, Sound, Film Editing, Make-up and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short, Live Action Short — before the live telecast is driven by the pressure by the ABC, the official broadcasters of the ceremony.

“They have made the Academy take the drastic step to finish the show within a stipulated time. They should be considering restructuring the show rather than deleting things,” he adds.

The 50-year-old claims that it is “the single handed decision of the CEO and the president of the Academy”.

“I urge people to boycott ABC and watch Oscars elsewhere. A TV channel cannot dictate what the film community should do and shouldn’t do,” he expresses.

He feels it is high time the film industry stood united to send a message to the broadcasting corporation.

“For you, it is a television show. But for us, it is our life because we put our body and soul in front of the camera and lights for the benefit of the people, and for cinema,” he wraps up, hoping his silent protest makes a loud noise.