Many people's fascination for films primarily stems from the wish to either act or direct. Not everyone dreams of becoming an editor. One of the busiest editors in Tamil cinema, Vijay Velukutty, precisely for this reason, begins with advice for film aspirants not to treat the edit table as a door to other glitzy film gigs. "I tell this to both film aspirants and whoever comes to work with me. No half-heartedness, and no treating editing as a launchpad for other film-related passions. Editing requires unwavering dedication."
Having worked on marquee projects like Thunivu, Mark Antony, and Good Bad Ugly, Vijay now gears up for the release of Sardar 2, which hits the screens today. He says that he was bitten by the edit bug during his Viscom film project days. "I used to be a part of almost all the filmmaking projects in the final year. It was with Rajinikanth-Mahendran's Johnny I began recognising how different departments function to make a film," he says, adding that he discovered editing was a powerful storytelling tool in college. "The edit table felt magical after being given shoestring budgets for college film projects. With not enough money to spend on the story or characters, we even built stories from the shots we had while editing. That's how my love for this job began."
His description of his collaboration with PS Mithran is particularly interesting, as Vijay distinguishes Sardar 2 from Sardar as an information-meets-personal-story kind of film. "If you look at the first film, it is heavy on information and that at times even overtook the interpersonal drama. As an editor and audience member, I like character-driven stories more, and Sardar 2 offered me such an opportunity," he remarks, and adds that he has followed an editing pattern that is in sync with this style of storytelling. "The distinct feature in Sardar 2 is that where you think there will be a cut in an action thriller, it will be extended by two to three seconds for you to travel with the characters and their emotional journeys."
Vijay opens up candidly that working on films with longer and shorter footage carries different challenges as an editor. "Mostly, expert filmmakers shoot according to only what they have written. That is just one per cent. As far as the longer footage is concerned, the director and I discuss the nature of the story and sometimes find out the crux of the story together," he shares. On the cuts forced after release, he reveals that such edits are often suggested before release itself. "The 15-minute time reduction after release is something that we discuss if there is a private screening. Suggestions are given mostly before the release, but on a particular day, they may not be heeded. So these things do not surprise me as I am prepared."
Speaking about his ongoing association with H Vinoth and Adhik Ravichandran, Vijay says he learned how different filmmakers treat stars with different perspectives. "With Vinoth sir, what I would point out is that sometimes the information overlaps with the storytelling, and with Adhik it's a totally different ball game. He plays to the gallery. Here my job is to see to it that Ajith sir's fans are entertained every five minutes and also not allow the story to meander," he says.
Vijay is also working on other biggies like Ajith Kumar-Adhik's Daredevil and SJ Suryah's Killer. "My association with Ajith sir has made me who I am, be it financially or professionally. Getting to work with him again, teaming up with Adhik, is an absolute pleasure," he says, as he goes on to add that Daredevil feels like a 'family business'. "Since the film also has Ajith sir producing, it feels like being a part of a family business. I am yet to listen to the final version, but I can promise that, as Adhik said, unlike Good Bad Ugly, which was made purely for fans, Daredevil will cater to everyone."
Hailing SJ Suryah as a 'cinematic rhythm personified,' Vijay says he feels honoured to work with a master technician. "Even his hands and legs will act. He is a cinematic rhythm personified. And as a technician, he is a master of almost all crafts and technologies. Killer is going to be a fun-filled entertainer, " says Vijay, who signs off by sharing a wish that he hopes gets fulfilled soon. "Yeah, I have worked mostly in action thrillers, but I don't want to be boxed in that genre. I like slow films with a lot of character-driven interpersonal drama like 96, and I wish I could work on such a film soon."