Centre’s decision to remove two categories in sound segment at national film awards invites criticism

The Western India Motion Picture and Television Sound Engineers Association (WIMPTSEA), an association for sound engineers, in a letter to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for information and broadcasting, called for reinstating all three awards.

“The national award for sound categories was earlier considered in three categories: production sound recording (sync. sound), sound designer and re-recording (final mixing, professional sound work in all three categories is so vital but it’s not recognised both financially as well as due importance in the industry. So having an individual award will give dignity and fair recognition,” stated the letter.

All three categories of sound engineering – production sound recording, sound design, and re-recording were included in the national award in 2010 after Resul received the Oscar. However, it was dropped from 2024.

“The recent change in 2024 for national award categories was such a shock that two of the awards were dropped and only one award was retained,” said Pookutty.

He added that in Kerala, the state awards are given in three different categories: sync sound, sound mixing, and sound design, recognising the heads of all three categories.