Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona, which is all set to be released in multiple languages on July 28, will also be released in 3D. It was Anup Bhandari’s vision of having the film in 3D that also excited Sudeep and producer Manjunath Gowda. The 3D work was taken care of by Mumbai-based Raj S and Anubha Sinha, (Rays3d) who have worked in over 48 films and mostly Hollywood projects.
According to Raj, Vikrant Rona was a different experience because the 3D work was mostly done during the pandemic. “While a normal film would take us 3 to 4 months, Vikrant Rona consumed over 13 months of our time. The film has over 1000 VFX shots, which made it all the more interesting. We had a 500-member team from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, and Patna work on the 3D for Vikrant Rona.
The time when we picked up this project was critical because there were so many restrictions due to Covid. This work was not something we could work on from home, and everything had to be done in the studio. In the process, Vikrant Rona became dear to us. The audience is sure to have an immersive experience” says Raj, who added that converting songs to 3D consumed more time.
“While 3D has become a norm in Hollywood films, it isn’t that prevalent in our Indian films due to the lack of awareness,” says Raj. Out of 30-odd Indian films in 3D, we have approximately 13 films being converted. “Filmmakers and audiences wrongly believe that only big-budget films can be made in 3D. It is never like that. Everything we see in our naked eyes is in 3D."
A 3D film should be made with two cameras. If the makers have shot the film in one camera, we can then create the second eye. However, there is also a misconception that 3D will deviate from the storyline. For decades audiences are used to watching films in 2D. It becomes difficult to make a transition to 3D. Over some time, Hollywood has accepted, and 99 per cent of films are in 3D.
"The new generation of audiences in India is adapting to this new technology, which can give them a more immersive experience. Theatres in India especially the single screens are running films in 2D format, and it is time they understand the revenue that a 3D film can generate. We are slowly picking up, and we have films like Brahmastra, Adipurush, and Shaktimaan among others to give us the 3D experience,” he says.