A lot goes behind the limelight. And apart from the ones who actually hog the limelight, there are many, behind the glare, who deserve appreciation. FTII pass-out Resul Pookutty's Oscar nominations for the film- Slumdog Millionaire have made not only the institute but all the technicians in the film industry- proud, showing them a ray of hope, that till date was limited only to film stars, actors, musicians and directors.

GraFTII, the alumnus association of FTII, had organised a send-off party on February 4 at The Club, Andheri (West) Mumbai. Dharam Gulathi, treasurer, GraFTII, said, "Times have changed and now films are no more only about actors and directors. People have realised that technicians play an important role in the process of making a film. We celebrate his nomination as the success of technicians in general." Commenting on whether this will improve the status of the film industry technicians, Gulathi added, "Certainly. There were times when technicians were treated as secondary staff. They were not paid well despite the fact that all the other budgets related to the films were going high. We are hopeful that the scene will now change."

Kedarnath Awati, dean, music faculty and Pookutty's teacher said, "Resul was always an out-of-the-box student. He always took the path less trodden. I am proud to say, that he has recorded 10,000 sounds of India, which is an achievement in itself. His achievement is a great motivator for the sound department professionals."

Having presented a memento to Pookutty, the members of GraFTII also plan to conduct seminars and workshops for budding technicians. "We, the alumni are also planning to introduce our award- the Award for excellence in Cinema. This would also mark the 50th anniversary of FTII," added Gulathi.