I first spoke to Midhun Murali in 2012, when he brought a group of short films from college with his friend Nevin Fradian. Both of them had completed their engineering and were nurturing the dreams of the film, focusing on Editing. Now, after more than a decade, the Midhun is based in the glory of the National Film Awards (2023) for the best editing for the film, PokalamDirected by Ganesh Raj. This was a double joy for the crew of the film as Vijayarghvan won the national honor for the best supporting actor.
The 36 -year -old Midhun says, “I was surprised when I heard my name. We were expecting an award for Kuttan (Vijayaraghavan). My award came out of blue.” Pokalam Only his second film as an editor is, the first is Kalamandalam Hadali Was released in 2020.
The film tells the story of heating the hearts of a 100 -year -old Itotop (Vijayaraghavan) and his elder extended family. During a function, ittoop stumbles on a letter, which sits his relationship with his 80 -year -old wife Kochuthesia (KPAC Leela).
Midhun says that Vijayaraghavan’s performance performed Pokalam Very special for him. The actor was 72 years old when he played 100 -year ITTOOP. “He gave a lot to the role, it was through his body language, makeup, dialogues, gestures or methods. My job was cut for me because he was extraordinary in all scenes. I wanted to keep it all, but it’s not how it works. I could choose the best. I could work in a film.”
Film editor Midhun Murali who won the National Film Award for editing for the film Pokalam
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Midhun mentions that after the first cut, the film’s duration was three hours and 15 minutes. “We reduced it to an hour, for which we had to let many scenes go into which he was fantastic. When Kuttaton saw the entire film, he was a bit disappointed that many scenes were not there.” Midhun is in a hurry to add that an experienced theater actor KPAC Leela also did full justice to his role.
The film is divided into chapters in which the story is optional between different time periods. He says, “A lot of scenes are jumping on it. I had to make the story uninterrupted. Antand (cinematographer Ennd C Chandran) played an important role in executing it,” he says. Music by Sachin Warrier also complemented the process, he said.
Midhun says that he edited light-hearted scenes with Basil Joseph and Vinith Srinivasan. Says Midhun, “Comedy is over-the-top in some examples, but it was rebuilt by two actors,” Ganesh and Basil Vinith have been assistants and so there was a happy vibe on the set. ,
Midhun recalls that chasing his plus two, he wanted to become a filmmaker. “But, in college, I got a chance to edit dance programs and plays. I realized the ability of crafts and soon started enjoying the process. I think an editor is like a second director. So, perhaps, perhaps, once I gather experience, I can direct a film. We have many editors.”
Talking about his tenure with short films, Midhun remembers ShayyaOne of those films that became popular. “When social media was creating a grip. The film was widely appreciated. Since I was sure of making films, I did not even try to get a job, which did not go down well with my family. However, my sister has been very helpful. I have been extremely helpful. Six months of editing course in Mumbai and an editor in Cheyai for some time. I replaced an editor.”
Ganesh has been familiar with him since 2011. “We collaborated on some projects. Unfortunately I could not work in his first film (Anandam),
Although they were about to start shooting Pokalam In 2021, the epidemic harassed his plans. The film took two more years to reach theaters.
Vijayaraghavan and KPAC Leela in Pokalam
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Midhun says that some recognition is coming to editors these days. “People are discussing editors and their style. The landscape is such that there are hundreds of editors that put reels on social media. Since they know the basics of editing they can judge our work and understand the effort that goes into it.”
In short, the job of an editor becomes challenging, he explains. “Material and emotion have to be kept correctly,” they say. In this context, those rates Ponman As one of the best-edited Malayalam films of recent days. “It is optimized by a book. The speed with which the story is heard for the screen is fantastic.”
Meanwhile, he is waiting for some new projects to start rolling.
Published – August 06, 2025 11:06 AM IST
