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Subtitlist rekhs appeals to the South/Tamil Film Industry after Kabali, Mersal & Paapanasam gain worldwide recognition

PUBLISHED DATE : 04/Apr/2018

Subtitlist rekhs appeals to the South/Tamil Film Industry after Kabali, Mersal & Paapanasam gain worldwide recognition

The recent laurel for Vijay's Mersal at the UK National Awards and Christopher Nolan's mention of having watched Kamal Haasan's Paapanaasam during his visit to India has resulted in a thought-provoking out-pour from a popular subtitlist of South Indian Films, rekhs. In a lengthy FB message, rekhs speaks about the lack of recognition a subtitlist is endured to despite the subtitles being the main bridging element of language-gaps, why subtitles should be given importance to in films of the South (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam & Kannada) and where the Tamil film industry is going wrong when it comes to this 'art form'.

 

Excerpts from here message can be found below:

 

Lack of Recognition

 

3 events occurred that filled my heart with gladness despite the needles in my heart that amma is not here to watch even 1 film subtitled by me:

 

  • My work (along with my team) for Kabali was appreciated OUT OF THE BLUE by Phuong Le for the different adjectives we used for Superstar’s laughter! Thank U Phuong Le..This is high praise indeed coming after 20 months of its release. India Today analysed the laughter, took the trouble of finding out the tweeter and didn’t even mention my name! But that’s okay, my faithful followers known and unknown in Twitter RTed WITH my name and it spread like wild fire online
  • Then the next day I got to know Mersal won the best foreign film award in UK International film festival..Well, I told myself, whether it is an acclaimed festival or not, the jury members did not know Tamil and my subs contributed in a tiny squirrel way to bridge the gap, I was floating on cloud #9. Of course I am not as famous as ARR the legend or our budding poet, the talented Thamizhan, Vivek the lyricist to get tagged, but my online friends thought I deserved at least a tiny ray of the limelight!
  • Today I read that THE Christopher Nolan watched Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hassan’s ‘Papanasam’. I am sure Mr Nolan wouldn’t have watched a dubbed version nor is it likely he knows Tamil!

 

So my mother’s words came flashing into my head ‘Genuine talent and skill can never be bottled or canned, the fizz has to flow out, rekhs’..Needless to add it hasn’t been a cake walk...And the fact subtitling wasn’t even considered an art and a ‘must’ in post production...I have come a long way..

 

Ways to ensure Quality Subtitles
Here’s my thoughts in a nutshell about subs in South India, a random note I made. Subtitles is here to stay when"

  • Subtitlist not expected to do a last min dash & hash up 
  • Humanly possible time given with FINAL output! 
  • Get paid! Most do, say 70%, there are a few who genuinely have a financial crisis in hand (I fully u/s and empathize) but still some of them get entangled in bigger issues or turn a deaf ear! We should streamline this aspect, considering it's a few 1000s and an itsy bitsy % of project cost even in small budget films and with the growing online awareness can easily reap rich dividends with quality subs. 
  • Subtitlists take the effort of rhyming songs, it IS time consuming and you have to rack your brains but the western audience laud the rhymes, it differentiates dialogs from songs and is such an ethnic feature of Indian cinema. It adds to the soul of the film. Adds several pats to the lyricists' backs, well deserved too 
  • (s)he owns his/her work 
  • tagged in media for awards 
  • Overseas distributors, theater owners, exhibitors, online partners stress on quality subs, they benefit the maximum!
  • Audience / producers discern good from bad!

 

Missionpossible If the Tamil / regional audience discern quality from mediocrity w/o bias /prejudice we will move in leaps and bounds in improving this art which is at its toddler stage. We have come a long way but we have miles to go before my dream turns into reality.

 
Request to the South Indian Film Industry
  • Most often the manager decides the subtitlist for the film. He does not know English. Nothing wrong in not knowing an alien language at all! But how can he make the right choice?I urge all actors, producers, directors, overseas distributors, theater owners to evince more interest. Arulnithi, Suriya, Vijay, Vishal and Vishnu Vishal as far as I know have been taking an active role in this department. 
  • At one time my focus was only to ensure all Tamil films were subtitled, then it spread to Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. Now the need of the hour is discerning quality from mediocrity. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, don’t get me wrong. All I am saying is, subs are here to stay and it is not an also-ran forte. It is important, integral, remunerative and reiterates our content & talent worldwide.

 

rekhs also thanks all the industry people she has worked with at the end of her note and interestingly, QUBE, the Digital Service Provider which has been in the news for its tiff with the TFPC also finds a mention of thanks from her.

 

"I am indebted to all the directors, editors, producers, distributors who opt for my subs, QUBE, (I've bugged Qube often enuf and they have always risen to the occasion diligently) and Scrabble. You have this immense faith in my subtitles which overwhelms me. To all those online known and unknown faces who walk my dream with me, I am at a loss for words! All I can say now is 'Let’s do the best we can to be the best'"

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