Why Indian movies sound too loud or too low in theatres

When Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) introduced individuals again into cinema theatres post-pandemic, the exhibitors complained of low sound. Sound designer Anand Krishnamoorthi, who bagged a National Award for the movie, says, “When we despatched the combo [at 5.8 instead of the normal 7, done closer to Hollywood’s subtler style, by Los Angeles-based sound recording mixer Craig Mann of Whiplash fame], they stated it seemed like a Hollywood movie, not a Tamil one. They claimed it wasn’t loud sufficient — ‘with no harsh sounding dialogue [which is more of a cultural expectation mismatch].’ When we requested them to play it on the ranges they’d a Hollywood movie, they had been reluctant. [Because] in an area movie, they anticipate sharper dialogue to compensate for poor centre tweeters, which in itself is brought on by a mix of harsher mixes from the previous, and poor upkeep.”

When they requested the theatres to play PS: I on the ranges of a Hollywood movie, as meant by the sound mixers, they refused as a result of “it’s a Tamil movie with Tamil actors”. “When theatres get an area movie, they should hear distortion [the physical alteration of a sound wave, something that many South India films do]. It’s a cultural block,” he provides. When Krishnamoorthi went to observe PS:I at Chennai’s Devi theatre, he was fairly proud of it, however says, general “PS: I suffered as a result of its sound combine [at 5.8] wasn’t harsh and loud. With PS: II [2023, mixed at 5.5], we hit the candy spot — we didn’t compromise on the dynamics, however general combined a contact louder. And we didn’t face a lot complaints from the exhibitors.”

In normal, Indian movie mixes are usually a lot louder than Western movies, shares L.A.-based Kunal Rajan, the sound designer of Atlee’s debut Hindi movie Jawan (2023), starring Shah Rukh Khan. “The first cause is cultural. We, Indians, typically are a loud individuals and sometimes extra animated in comparison with Europe or the U.S.,” he says. “This power naturally displays in our storytelling and, in flip, our sound design. The second cause is technical. Over the previous couple of many years, there was an ongoing ‘loudness struggle’ between creators and exhibitors. Theatres flip down the degrees to guard their audio system; sound designers in flip elevate the degrees on the combo to compensate. Over time, this cycle has made Indian movie mixes louder, harsher and fewer dynamic.”

Massy actioners accountable?

We have come a great distance from the early encompass sound days of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993). Krishnamoorthi, who started his movie profession as a baby actor in Mani Ratnam’s Anjali (1990), recollects being “blown away” by the sound of Jurassic Park on the outdated Sathyam cinema in Chennai (which is now PVR Sathyam). “It was one thing new; greater than the visuals of the movie, its dinosaurs had an influence on the audiences due to its sound design. It was actually scary on the time, as a result of we had been evolving from a mono stereo (single supply speaker) to five.1 encompass sound audio system, and now, with Dolby Atmos (a three-dimensional mannequin/expertise), sound is extra exact. Now you’ve over-head audio system, so that you’ll have the ability to hear the dinosaurs’ foot-thumping sounds coming over you,” says sound designer Tapas Nayak (Super Deluxe, Kumbalangi Nights).

Dolby Atmos, which is an trade commonplace now, is supplied in additional than 1,000 theatres throughout India. Atmos units the playback stage restrict at 7, which, “sadly, is slowly coming down [in theatre projection] as a result of the content material going from the studios is changing into louder”, Nayak says. Today, extra massy actioners are being made within the nation, equivalent to a Jaat (audiences complained about its loud, grating, distracting background rating) or Animal in Bollywood, alongside the southern movies — typically thought of among the many louder mixes in Indian cinema. In latest occasions, KGF:2 (Kannada) and Kanguva (Tamil) had been each criticised for being “too loud”. Even the Hindi dubs for these movies are usually loud. Not solely in India, Krishnamoorthi says, exhibitors within the US, too, play Tamil/Telugu movies at a decrease stage. Having stated that, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2024) is loud, too, however these sections are spaced out to offer the audiences’ ears a reprieve. “Nolan truly pushes the soundtrack somewhat as much as get the viewers engaged in all his movies. But the loud content material [in Hollywood films] will likely be punctuated with passages of silences or dialogues; sadly, our soundtracks are constantly loud with none silence, and that turns into an issue”, says Nayak.  

Krishnamoorthi provides, “Film mixes have been standardised, but when a theatre isn’t calibrated, the numbers don’t imply a lot. Playing at stage 6, as an example, would sound completely different in several rooms/halls.” While Dolby Atmos is a expertise improve, it “doesn’t assure calibration and upkeep or playback ranges as a result of that’s nonetheless within the palms of the person theatres”.

But theatres don’t have an incentive to do this if the mixes are inconsistent and progressively louder. “A correctly calibrated set of audio system will blow if the combo is simply too scorching. So, often for the primary present, the projectionists play it secure and low, and take it up after they be taught the combo is secure to play louder. But most movies don’t final as lengthy in theatres.”

Compensating for the yelling

Unlike Hollywood movies, that are often performed on the proper sound ranges as a result of theatre house owners know their audio system received’t be broken, when exhibitors obtain a Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil movie combine, they dial down the sound. “Most of our films now are massy hero movies. The audiences scream each time the hero enters, they cheer at his punch traces. [The studios] compensate for the yelling by cranking up the amount,” notes Krishnamoorthi.

Rajan recollects receiving different complaints on Day 1 of Jawan’s launch from two completely different Mumbai theatres, albeit not outfitted with Dolby Atmos. “One stated the dialogue was too low, whereas the music and results had been wonderful. Another claimed that they might solely hear the dialogue however the music and results sounded low. Both experiences had been utterly reverse and, as a sound designer, I didn’t know react,” he states.

While “many multiplexes aren’t correctly acoustically calibrated, the expertise is best in suburban single-screen theatres, which tries to remain trustworthy to the combo,” says Nayak. For occasion, sound designer Nithin Lukose (Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Thithi, and the forthcoming Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Jugnuma – The Fable) recollects being delay at a Mumbai Cinépolis theatre, which had lowered the sound of Tumbbad (2018) and he needed to request them to lift it; “as a theatre chain in India, Cinépolis are the weakest by way of sound. They play at a really low stage as worldwide commonplace. And sound leaks of their theatres,” he says. On the opposite hand, he has had a very good expertise watching movies at a Dolby Atmos-equipped single display in his hometown Wayanad. Ironically, since his movie Jugnuma has partnered with Cinépolis, Lukose has requested the movie’s distributor together with its director Raam Reddy to ask theatre technicians for a sound verify on its launch day on Friday (September 12).

According to a Global Point of Interest (POI) knowledge, there are round 1,941 movie theatres in Tamil Nadu as of August 2025. Film editor A Sreekar Prasad (Ponniyin Selvan, The Goat Life, Devara) says, it’s simply inconceivable to conduct sound checks in any respect the theatres. “We would in all probability go and verify it at a multiplex, like a PVR,” he says. Krishnamoorthi says, among the many single screens which have put within the effort to calibrate is Krishnaveni in Chennai’s T Nagar.

So, whereas, as a fast repair, filmmakers ought to go verify sound at a theatre pre-release, in the long run, there must be higher collaboration between filmmakers and exhibitors. As theatre chains develop, the theatre workers/technicians must be educated within the expertise and vocabulary, there must be periodic calibration checks, and “movies must be sensibly combined. It’s doable to combine big-ticket and action-heavy movies with out making it sound harsh and loud. Eventually, it’s about particular person talent and style,” says Krishnamoorthi as Rajan provides, “It needs to be a shared duty. I’m not blaming theatres alone, I’m additionally blaming sound designers, which incorporates me.”