Interview with Editor Praveen KL: “Kabali showcases the lives of Tamilians in Malaysia”
You can actually feel the Kabali mania all around as the audio launch of the film is just 5 days away, on Sunday the 12th of June. Santhosh Narayanan’s score for the teaser has kicked up a lot of fire among fans and nothing short of the best is expected from the 5 songs in the film. Meanwhile, the teaser continues to generate 1000s of hits every hour and the views count stands at a staggering 21 million plus. Praveen KL is the man who delivered this spellbinding cut and he recently expressed his amazement at the teaser’s electric response. Ahead of the release of the film, Praveen opens up in this email interview to Kaushik LM for Only Kollywood.
Firstly, your reactions to the tremendous response to the Kabali teaser ? What can we expect from the trailer next ? Under pressure to match the teaser’s impact ?
We are all pretty happy with the response the teaser has garnered among the audience. We didn’t expect 20m+ views. It shows how much of a following Rajini sir has across the world. We are yet to decide on the trailer. There will be pressure for sure to surpass the teaser’s achievement, and we shall try and do our best. 
Ranjith’s treatment of Kabali ? How is his work compared to Madras?
Ranjith is a fantastic director who has a strong grip on the scripts that he conceives. His scripts are very live and reflect the reality among us. He has tremendous respect among his peers and for all the right reasons. He has handled Kabali with ease and has managed to get the best of every actor and technician in this film. He has done extensive research on gangster-ism in Malaysia and has smartly incorporated minute details into the script. This detailing will make the film look very authentic.
What is the film about ? How have you approached the film as an editor ?
Kabali is the story of a 55 year old don. It showcases the lives of Tamilians in Malaysia. The script is straightforward and the edit reflects the same. No gimmicky stuff, just plain old cuts. There is a huge responsibility to showcase Thalaivar with all his charisma on screen, and we have tried our best to elevate that.
While getting to edit the Superstar’s footage, were you able to control the fan boy within and implement cuts wherever required ? How is his energy in the film ?
Initially it was tough, and it took me a week or so to get out of it. Thalaivar’s presence on screen is always mesmerizing. I don’t think I’m even eligible to comment on Thalaivar’s acting, but I can assure you that he has performed fantastically. The way he has enacted the role gives all of us goosebumps and I’m sure the film will satisfy everyone.
How is Chennai 28’s 2nd innings shaping up ? Is Venkat Prabhu under pressure to deliver a Hit ? Is that showing in his work or is he his usual self? 
I just saw the rushes and the rough cut. I can confidently say that Venkat Prabhu is back with his witty one liners. Everyone is having a great time in the process of making the film. VP is not under pressure as a director but as a producer he is. Since it is his first home production, everyone associated with him wants him to strike it big and he is very confident about it.
Coming to the prestigious ‘Vijay 60’, what’s in store ? Is ‘ATM’ Bharathan in tune with the current trends? Vijay’s make-over and hairstyle are under discussion already …
Bharathan sir has come out with an amazing script tailormade for Vijay sir. It will be a racy commercial entertainer. Proper care has been taken to showcase everyone in the film in line with the current trend. It is too early to reveal more about the film right now.
Are you content with your work in 2015 ? You had a fair share of big films like Komban, Masss and Pasanga 2. The most fulfilling film last year ?
God has been kind and I have been receiving good scripts to work on. Every film that I edit is close to my heart. But I would say Pasanga 2 was satisfying as it dealt with an issue that was much needed for parents these days. Komban was a totally new team for me but I thank the director Muthaiah sir for trusting me to go ahead and edit the film as per my instincts. He was supportive and I guess our relationship will continue for a long time to come.
What’s the current industry consensus on a film’s run time ? We are seeing a marked shift towards shorter films around 2 hrs to 2 hrs 15 mins..
The shorter the better is the new mantra that everyone is looking at. But sometimes content/script should dictate the overall length of the film, is what I would say. Thozha had a run time of 2.32 as we felt the emotional aspect of the film will hold the audience. Most new directors are also keen to make shorter films as they have moved away from the traditional routine of 5-6 songs and 4 fights in a film. They have realized that there are no specific set of rules to make a good film and so the trend has been evolving. I’m happy that it is heading that way.
Post-release edits still seem to happen, like for example ’24’. Will the industry ever wake up to the benefits of focus group screenings and pre-release tightening ?
Personally I’m not a big fan of trimming post release as it would be very choppy. I guess that will be there as long as the fear of focus groups spreading word about the film after the screening is there. Ideally focus group screenings will be good, but most fear that the talk about the film might directly impact the openings of the film. If we do have a proper system of focus groups signing a NDA, probably this could move forward.
2016 has given you hits like Thozha, Marudhu and Idhu Namma Aalu already, with Kabali and ‘Vijay 60’ coming soon. Where do you see your career going next? Now that you have a big, varied list of successful films as an editor.
It has been a fabulous year so far and I’m hoping it will be this way for the rest of my life 🙂 I thank god and my family for being supportive as always. I have been trying to encourage new and upcoming directors to find the right people to take their scripts forward. I have also been talking to few people from Telugu this year, hopefully I will get to edit more Telugu films as well.
Best wishes Praveen !!!
Interviewed by Kaushik LM
