As a teenager studying engineering at PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, Cottalango Leon never imagined in his wildest dreams that one day he’d be holding an Oscar in his hands — but that’s exactly what has happened.
The soft-spoken wiz from Sony Pictures Imageworks has bagged the Oscar Technical Award this year at Beverly Hills for his role in creating the revolutionary “itview” product — that is used as a collaboration tool between artists as a communication platform, during the movie making process. It’s taken the better part of two decades, says Cottalango to DC, in an exclusive interview from Los Angeles.“Not many people know that the Academy gives out these technical awards in a separate ceremony, it’s a long process that involves submitting our projects for thorough demonstration and investigation. It’s a far cry from the glamour and glitz of the ceremony for the actors; we technicians don’t do it for the awards, but for the pure joy of advancing in our field!” smiles Cottalango, adding that the attention he’s been receiving, has confused him!
He recounts the award ceremony itself that happened a few weeks back with a smile, “I had a great time! My wife, Roopa and I got to dress up, and walk the red carpet. I met a lot of fellow technicians whose work I admire, and the hosts kept the entire show lively. It was a proud moment to collect the Oscar with Robert Ray and Sam Richards on stage.”
“I’m very reserved in person; so afterwards, when my social media accounts were flooded with messages from all over the world, I didn’t know how to react.” he muses.Cottalango, who started off programming video games initially in his career, switched to movies after realising he enjoyed the visual element to the art of making the audience feel fascinated — “I still remember watching Jurassic Park and being absolutely fascinated with it! I wanted to be part of such an industry. Over the years, I’ve been involved in many movies such as the Spiderman and Men in Black series, The Smurfs, Hotel Transylvania, and my personal favourite — Stuart Little! That was a groundbreaking attempt for us.” Now that he’s gained global recognition — is there any pressure on him to keep pushing the barrier? “Well, even otherwise I would have! Our work and research is constantly evolving. Looking at India, I remember the time when I left to do my Masters — and how much has changed since then. I am very hopeful that we will start to see more and more homegrown accomplishments within India very soon,” he quips.
