More than 60 per cent movies produced worldwide use special effects. As VFX Red Chillies readies itself with Krrish 3, touted to be a Bollywood special effects wonder, Deebashree Mohanty speaks with the men behind the stunning show to tell you more
We can make him fly on rooftops, jump from a 80-storey building, walk on water and run through hot molten metal. We can make Hrithik Roshan blaze through towns like flash and yet not sweat! This is what next generation CGI (computer generate imaging) can do. This is what Krrish can do,” Keiten Yadav, Chief Operating Officer of VFX Red Chilles, says about his latest graphic splash. His earlier movie Chennai Express was wrapped up in five months, whereas one scene in Krrish 3 took over four months to be perfected! “Such was the dedication to detail. We wanted the film to look massive yet believable. Seamless CGI was our main focus and we’ve come very close to it,” the VFX producer of the film tells you.
Ask him whether the film is anywhere close to international standards and Yadav tells you that it is slicker! “We’ve matched every step of international special effects when we did RaOne in 2011. With Krrish 3, we’ve only taken it a notch higher. Our aim wasn’t to compete with anyone but we wanted to better ourselves, vis-a-vis visual effects. You will see the difference,” he asserts.
While there were 37 visual effects sequences in RaOne (3,500 plus shots for each sequence), there are over 50 such sequences in Krrish 3 making it one of the biggest visual effects films produced in India ever. But is the janata really equipped to appreciate such top of the line effects and do they make a huge difference to Box Office collectionsIJ “A film has to be a complete package to break even at the BO. VFX plays a big role. Nowadays there is a special effects element in 60 per cent of movies produced both in and outside Bollywood. That goes to show how the world is reacting to special effects. Even a simple romcom like Chennai Express had more than 11 visual effects sequences! When the talk is about superhero films, most producers rely on special effects for a bulk of the film. In Krrish3, for instance, more than 80 per cent is CGI and VFX. The paanwala at the nukkad may not understand what Superman is trying to convey but he can watch his antics and be awed by them. When he sees Krrish taking a skywalk or doing cubic transformations, he would want them to be as stunning as Superman. That was the challenge in front of us,” Harry Hingorani, VFX supervisor of Krrish3 and creative director of VFX Red Chillies, tells you.
His all-time favourite film is the Star Trek series which, according to him, had unparalleled CGI. In Krrish 3, Hingorani spent a lot of time getting the software and other technicalities in place. “We’ve used many more techniques and new software for Krrish3 like the special skyjump imaging. Most of the film has been shot on croma or green screens. It was a difficult project and we’re happy that we wrapped it up well in time,” Hingorani says. He says that the onus lies on the team to make sure that the audience doesn’t spot the special effects. Otherwise, it is a big flop. “We would like the audience to believe that it is Hrithik Roshan who jumps from a bridge, lands on water unscathed and dives into thin air. He flies 5 inches over a water body to reach his destination. If we manage to make the audience believe even 15 per cent of all this, then VFX-wise the film is a success. We have won a mini battle. The rest depends on the story,” Yadav adds.
Hingorani says special effects should merge into the script viability. “Won’t it look funny if you are going to visit your mother in hospital and you go there flying in an air machineIJ,” he asks.
Superhero and animation films use the most visual effects, followed by action movies. Nowadays, add to this a Rohit Shetty kinda film. “Yes, his films have an interesting twist which demands a special effect. And Shetty is a big spender. There were action sequences in Chennai Express where we used massive CGI. Thankfully, the audience didn’t notice,” Yadav says. He stresses that being an SRK company doesn’t mean VFX does only his films. “We provide effects and promotions for anyone who can afford us,” he says. As for the budget required to make a VFX supported film, all Yadav is willing to say is: “It’s enormous. For Krrish 3, the producers spent handsomely,” he reveals.
There are various algorithms and dynamics that come to play during the making of any superhero film using out-of-the box VFX. Krrish 3 was no different. “We had 250 people working on placing and calculating algorithms for every scene. They haven’t gone home in a year,” Hingorani says. He tells you that Krrish 3 is way ahead than its earlier versions. “We haven’t worked for the previous two films but they were not fully VFX supported. Yes, there was a lot of CGI but with Krrish 3, we have gone all out with technology and softwares that make even a flying man look natural! Hrithik Roshan will be seen doing stunts which have never appeared in any format before. They are larger than life yet they don’t look misplaced,” Hingorani says, not willing to give further details.
Does that mean that the actors’ role has been sidelinedIJ “Kudos to them to make it all look as if it were really happening. Kangna Ranuat has done a marvelous job and so has Vivek Oberoi. They have ably supported us in this endeavour. The use of VFX doesn’t sideline manmade stunts at all. Hrithik has done some mind blowing stunts himself without the use of any technology. Those were mostly on-the-ground stuff. But let’s face it, you would like to see a superhero fly in the sky, wouldn’t youIJ,” Hingorani asks.
A word about the promo trailer which has already registered 70 million views on YouTube and is continuing to enthrall the audience. “The trailer was our first introduction to the film so we wanted to get that out perfect. We worked on it for six months. The graphics used in the promo are entirely CGI,” Yadav says.
Most difficult scene in krrish 3
The most difficult shot was that of Hrithik Roshan jumping from a bridge which was 2000 meters above sea level. That one sequence required around 3,000 different shots which were then put under various algorithms to see what would look most natural. A team of 35 people were concentrating on this one scene alone for four months. The challenge was to make him leap in the air for 45 seconds and then land him in an upright position. How would a body landIJ Where would his feet touch the groundIJ In what speedIJ And what should be a super hero posture after he takes that leapIJ All queries were answered.