Surya’s highly awaited movie, Kanguva, finally hit the theaters on 14 November, 2024. But there came mixed opinions with the boom of excitement, especially pertaining to the sound design of the movie. The film had an enormous opening and its earnings stood at ₹24 crores domestically and ₹11.5 crore internationally.
This brings us to the interesting point: that which always comes ahead as an issue for an increasingly larger audience is disturbing this very experience, which is the ‘loud and jarring sound’. This led to a wave of protests not only from theatre owners but also from critics and movie-goers, who have long been complaining that the sound design is so overdone that it hurts-the ears, as it were-and serves to detract from the emotional impact of a film.
Why Sound Design Matters in Movie Experiences
Sound is a critical element of any film. Whether for dramatic effect or for creating tension, or to enhance emotional involvement, it’s part of how the moviegoer responds to a film-the sound. Kanguva sound effects have been notoriously loud, their audience forced into irritation rather than into the world of its cinematic ideas. It should complement the images and storytelling, but in Kanguva, people are saying that it exaggerates to the extent of overtaking the emotions in this film.
In an ideal setting, volume and sharpness of the sound should balance the movie so that viewers fully enjoy whatever it offers without feelings of discomfort. For Kanguva, the desired change was not achieved; the volume and sharpness of the sound leaves viewers dazed, piercing, and even painful for some physically, ruining the viewing experience of many who end up frustrated instead of entertained.
The Complaints Pour In: Audience and Theater Owners Speak Out
For instance, the volume during major scenes was high. There were more reviews from the movie goers through the social media and online forums that the volume during major scenes was so low that they had to cover their ears to avoid soreness of them. This was most particularly felt in the action-packed scenes and musical numbers, which the sound design should be maximized but was instead too ear-shattering for the audience.
Some theater owners in India have also complained that the quality of sound design is not up to the mark. An interview with a multiplex owner by Bollywood Hungama finds out that most of the time the audience remains silent during intervals, as maybe it gets disturbed by heavy sounds. It’s an industry-wide concern because the more theater owners are having to deal with customers’ complaints about sound levels than never before.
An Industry-Wide Concern: From Kanguva to KGF 2
The trouble of the sound being too loud is not unique to Kanguva. Another blockbuster, KGF 2 also did the same when it was released in theatres. Many viewers complained that they were made uncomfortable by the loud music and sound effects. With mass outcry, the makers of KGF 2 made some quick adjustments. They reduced the volumes and published a fresh version of the movie with less disturbing sound.
Time will now tell if the producers of Kanguva would repeat the same thing or the fault would lie in its sound design. In a case where the sentiment and the growing dissent would affect the box office, this time it wouldn’t be an open and shut case for the producers. Note that sound design mistakes adversely affected a movie’s success once it alienated the audience.
Impact of Poor Sound Design on the Viewer
The impact of sound design in a movie is not to be underestimated. Atmosphere, emotion, and immersion are made through it. When sound is not done right, that could kill the emotional arc of a film completely and disengage it from the viewer.
In the case of Kanguva, many viewers have expressed that they were unable to enjoy the film fully because of the intense volume. Therefore, some feel alienated from the story. They are not able to feel sympathy for the characters or get attracted to the storyline but have been made to look at the discomfort brought by the high noise instead. This has affected the general viewing experience where it is alleged that the movie would have been really interesting if the sound had balanced well.
Audience Reactions: Pain and Frustration
In fact, some viewer viewers claim that they felt an awkward feeling of discomfort while watching the film Kanguva. Most viewers claim that it is as if “someone has pierced through their ears,” which evokes frustration and physical irritation. High sensitivity to the film makes concentration on it difficult for the viewer, thereby making the experience dreadful.
Complaints have spread, and viewers are warning others of what to expect before rushing to the cinema. Some even went as far as to recommend taking earplugs to help gag out the deafening sound impact of the film’s sonic onslaught. Really, such criticism messes things up so much for a film in general reception and extended stay in theaters.
Sound Design Experts Weigh In on Kanguva‘s Sound Issues
In fact, criticism about Kanguva’s sound design is not only limited to critics but has also reached to the ears of the sound design professionals. Notably an Oscar-winning sound designer recently went to the extent of criticizing the loudness of this film and said, “Even if action and drama are needed for cinematic engagement, sound should never overpower the emotional content of a scene”.
Filmmakers would then be able to spend more into sound design at this day and age of very sensitive ears to details of quality sound. This then is the need for proper sound design that includes careful mixing and balancing in order not to let sounds overrule the narrative. A goodly composed sound experience makes a movie, taking the audience in its world but misused leaves it leaving the viewer with a disappointing and painful experience.
Box Office Performance and the Sound Dilemma
Kanguva does reasonably well at the box office despite a whole lot of criticism towards its sound design, garnering ₹40 crores on the first day of its opening, including a rake-in both domestically and internationally. But the complaints about noise will probably threaten future profits because folks will start to discuss the agony caused by audio in this movie. The more theatre owners and viewers complain, the more the directors will have to take it up with a changed approach to audio mixing to maintain the reputation of this movie.
What Would The Creators Do?
With the explosive growth of social media and online movie forums, there have been so many mouths blowing this issue up. If the makers want to keep their audience and keep up with the box office performance of the film, they will probably have to find a way to quickly mend these sound issues the film is having. Similar to how KGF 2 makers came out with the sound mix version of the film in the case, maybe the Kanguva team will come out with the sound mix version of the film so that no viewers feel any discomfort while watching it.
Conclusion: A Lesson in Sound Design for Future Films
The controversy over the sound design of Kanguva indeed teaches filmmakers an important lesson: that sound quality can be similar to that of special effects and storytelling. For once the volumes are too high, that immersive experience created by films is all gone in a jiffy. Thus, filmmakers should be close enough to work with those sound designers and audio engineers where the sound enhances the story rather than taking away from it.
As long as Kanguva continues to attract audiences to its theaters, the sound design will not stop people from talking about it. It will be on the future filmmakers to learn from complaints and ensure that the sound utilized gets viewers interested in watching without discomfort.
