The editor’s cut
A LEADING EDITOR IN KOLLYWOOD WHO FINDS HIS ROOTS NEAR VIJAYWADA, TALKS ABOUT HOW HE DIDN’T WANT TO GET INTO FILMS, AND HIS PROJECTS IN TOLLYWOOD
Film editor K.L. Praveen is much sought-after in Tamil cinema, with over 70 films to his credit. A National Award winner for Aaranyakandam, Praveen was born in Chennai and has his roots in Peddamaddali, a village near Vijayawada. Despite coming from a family of filmmakers, he never wanted to tread the same path. “Watching my family struggle for money while I was growing up had a strong impact on me. I never wanted to come into films,” he shares.
While Praveen was waiting for a placement in college, his father insisted that he learn a skill, and so, he joined a TV channel in Hyderabad, where the brief internship became his career. A stint under the legendary cinematographer and director Balu Mahendra, a well-paying job in Singapore and a chance to edit a film, came to him in quick succession. Soon, Praveen was neck deep in work. “I thought that my first film would just be a one time thing, but my second film Saroja got me a State Award and after my National Award, I gave up my resident status in Singapore to get into films,” he recalls.
When asked why he hasn’t taken up many Telugu films, he replies, “I have no idea! I have many friends from Tollywood and we’ve discussed working together, but it never materialised. Tamil cinema keeps me busy but I look forward to working in Tollywood. In fact, Nani had offered me Gentleman, but I was busy with Kabali and couldn’t take it up,” he says, adding, “Vishnu is a childhood friend and got me on board for his next untitled bilingual film. Hopefully, I will be doing a lot more Telugu films this year.”
Would he adopt a different approach for Telugu films? “Of course. For instance, for Oopiri,a bilingual, we had two different cuts and both were treated as separate films. People love their heroes a lot in Telugu, whereas in Tamil, content and presentation is very important. We can have a five minute introduction fight for the hero in Telugu, which might be deemed lengthy in Tamil. Even performance wise, Tamil is a little subtle compared to Telugu. But a lot of crossover is happening and it is a blessing in disguise for technicians like me,” he says.
Nani had offered me Gentleman, but I was busy with Kabali and couldn’t take it up —K.L. PRAVEEN FILM EDITOR