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.
Give Leo and The Revenant a break already; we have our very own red carpet hero to serenade!
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. However, such an honour hasn’t come easy — 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 — in fact, 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 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. However, most of them have been very encouraging — from students, entrepreneurs and youngsters seeking advice… so I’ve come to feel happy about this,” he muses.
Cottalango, who started off programming video games initially in his career, says he switched to movies after realising he enjoyed the visual element to the art more and wanted to share it with audiences — “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, and there are several exciting projects in store. Looking at India, I remember the time when I left to do my Masters — and how much has changed since then.
The infrastructure and opportunities for young people in the technical field are limitless! I am very hopeful that we will start to see more and more homegrown accomplishments within India very soon,” he quips and adds — “I visit Coimbatore atleast once every couple of years. My mother and brother still live there. Looking forward to the next visit home!”
