Resul Pookutty wanted to win a Physics Nobel prize

PANAJI - Academy award winner Resul Pookutty wanted to win a Nobel for India in physics, but ended up winning the coveted Oscar instead.

Pookutty, who won the Oscar award for best sound designing for Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”, was speaking to the audience during a ‘Masterclass’ conducted on the sidelines of the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Saturday.

“To be honest I wanted to be a physicist and win a Nobel for India, but I won an Oscar instead. I’m just as happy,” Pookutty said.

“I’ve always loved science and wanted to pursue my studies in physics. Eventually I took up a course in sound engineering. That’s when I realised that this is so much more than engineering, and that this is what I love doing and this is what I want to do,” he said.

He said festivals like IFFI encouraged a filmmaker to further hone his skills. “Such film festivals have encouraged me and helped bring me up to where I am today. I’m thankful and happy to be in Goa at IFFI again,” the master sound designer said.

Pookutty, along with Bollywood actor Boman Irani and filmmaker Govind Nihalani, is conducting Masterclasses at the IFFI campus, where they candidly interact with filmmakers and film buffs, while discussing nuances of cinema-making.