“Buthiyulla manitharellam vetri kanbathillai… Vetri petra manitherallam buthisaaliyillai…” (All those who are intelligent are not successful, All those who succeed need not be intelligent) B. Lenin, renowned film editor and director, sings a popular old Tamil number. “I like music. I stayed away from school because I hated mathematics. I went for music classes only to realise that even music has mathematical notations. It was an eye opener for me,” he laughs.
Born to legendary filmmaker A. Bhimsingh, Lenin has always been drawn to music and movies. Growing up in Purasawalkam, where people from all religions lived, Lenin heard the music of Beethoven and Mozart from the Anglo-Indians living nearby. “Actor Chandrababu was an inspiration. He was working in my dad’s films then and took a special interest in me – he used to take me to his house and persuaded me to watch English films. Though I was hesitant initially, as I didn’t know the language well, later the habit of watching movies stayed with me. Even today I love watching English movies. Recently, I saw Baby Driver ,” he says.
Lenin joined his father as an assistant director and gained experience as an editor, his work experience as an assistant sound engineer to Mumbai-based Mangesh Desai, made him understand the significance of sounds that create the mood and set the tone for any film. He has been the brain behind the success of many films. “I am more of a creator than editor and it makes my job easy also. A movie is created on writers’ and evolves on editors’ table,” he says.
He made his debut as editor in Mahendran’s critically acclaimed Uthiripookkal . Lenin’s editing became the talking point. Though many felt the movie was slow paced, the content demanded such treatment. “For our audience, who have seen fast cuts and tuned for fast climax scenes, the film looked different. In technical terms we call it ‘sustain’, but people term it as ‘lag’. Thankfully, audience liked it and it was a big hit,” he says.
The first movie he directed, Nathiyai Thedi Vantha Kadal , did not do well in the box office. Later, he won national award for best director for his non-feature film Knock out . The short film, which runs for 15 minutes, is based on the story of a boxer. It shows a ‘vettiyan’ (undertaker of a burial ground) burying an abandoned corpse after removing all the valuables from the body. A gold medal is found on the dead man's sacred thread. The man is actually a winner of gold medal in boxing in the 1952 Olympics. Years later, a guide takes tourists to a memorial, built by the Government for the champion, crossing over the boxer's grave, without the knowledge of the location of body. The film caught the eyes of critics.
Working in tandem with his long time assistant V.T. Vijayan, Lenin ruled the roost during the 80s. “I have done a lot of experiments with editing and if you ask me whether I have introduced any new technique, the answer is no. I have just brought to fore some of the techniques our seniors have successfully employed,” he says.
From Mahendran to Mani Ratnam, Shankar to S.J. Surya, Lenin has worked with all the directors and is also much sought after for his modest approach. “Technologies and narrative techniques may change but content is the key. Too much dependence on technology also does not aide the cause. Technological advancement is definitely a big boost. It has made the job easy as the work, which would have taken days to finish earlier, is done in matter of hours. But, some film makers don’t understand this. They shoot at will and try to make amends on the editing table, which only reflects lack of creativity. After the job is over, a better portion of the film would be found in the dustbin,” he says.
Lenin praises Malayalam director Padmarajan’s movies. “I have worked with him in more than 20 movies. He is very meticulous in his work. His films require less editing work as he sticks to the screenplay,” he says.
“An editor’s job is not to merely cut and paste. A film editor is also a performer and requires some basic knowledge about sound and music. He should be a keen observer. He need not be a voracious reader but should have some idea about literature and poetry only then he will get creative ideas. Exposure to sound, rhythm and dance will help him employ effective techniques like rhythmic cuts,” he says.
At 69, Lenin is busy editing and directing movies and his last work as editor is Ishti , a Sanskrit movie. He also keeps himself busy working on several documentaries and imparts his knowledge to students of several film institutes including Pune Film Institute, BOFTA, Chennai and Madurai Media and Film Studies Academy, Madurai.
Tidbits
Lenin’s brother, B. Kannan, is a popular cinematographer and has done movies with filmmaker Bharathiraja.
Some of the movies he has worked as editor:
Uthiri Pookal (1979)
Pagal Nilavu (1985)
Thendrale Ennai Thodu (1985)
Idhaya Koil (1985)
Mouna Ragam (1986)
Nayagan (1987)
Moonam Pakkam (Malayalam 1988)
Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989)
Anjali (1990)
Gentleman (1993)
As Director:
Nathiyai Thedi Vantha Kadal (1980)
Pannaipurathu Pandavargal (1982)
Solla Thudikkuthu Manasu (1988)
Knock-out (1992)
Oorukku Nooruper (2001)
