Producer K E Gnanavel Raja has reportedly taken swift action to address the criticism surrounding the excessive sound levels in his new Tamil film Kanguva, starring Suriya and directed by Siva. In response to widespread complaints on social media, distributors have allegedly been instructed to reduce the volume by two notches in theaters. Efforts are underway to fully resolve the issue by the evening of November 15 or 16.

“We spoke to all the exhibitors & requested them to reduce 2 points of ‘volume’ to nullify the negative feedback related to ‘Loudness’ in the film’s sound mixing!," industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai shared the producer's statement on X.

The sound quality of the movie sparked a heated debate online, with some viewers voicing concerns about the overwhelming noise. Oscar-winning sound designer and renowned sound engineer, Resul Pookutty, also weighed in on the matter. Pookkutty shared a screenshot of national media coverage critiquing the film's sound.

Resul Pookutty's response

In his Instagram post, Pookutty expressed disappointment over the situation, highlighting the negative impact of the so-called “loudness war” in contemporary film sound design. He noted, “A friend of mine, a re-recording mixer, sent me this clip… It is disheartening to see a review about sound in our popular films like this. Our craft and artistry caught up in the loudness war… who is to blame?! The sound guy?! Or the innumerable fixes that come at the last moment to satiate all insecurities."

Pookutty stressed the need for the sound fraternity to take a stand and warned, “No film will have a repeat value if the audience walks out with a headache!”