We mostly associate visual effects with big bomb blasts, plane crashes & superhero films. Taking a step ahead, we often believe that only Hollywood uses visual effects, with Bollywood rarely following the trend with movies like Ra. One. But what we don’t know is that most Bollywood films today use special effects to achieve believable scenes & thrills. On an average, a big budget Bollywood film uses anywhere between 500 to 1500 VFX shots. In this post we will go behind the scenes of a few popular movies that have used VFX extensively.
Dhoom 3
A bigger surprise than Aamir Khan’s double-role in this Yash Raj thriller was the fact that almost all the action scenes were shot with extensive help from the visual effects department. From Aamir running down the bank wall to Abhishek Bachchan twirling an auto rickshaw in mid-air, VFX was employed to shoot all the thrilling scenes. Extensive use of motion control made it possible for the audience to believe that they were watching two Aamir Khan’s on screen instead of one. The producers roped in the well-known Tata Elxsi’s Visual Computing Labs to do the visual effects work.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFiSRYhu924[/youtube]
Source: YRF
Chennai Express
Psst! Here’s a secret about Chennai Express…the train never left the studio.
Chennai Express was shot indoors in a virtual environment. All the outdoor shots were created through VFX technology. Be it Shahrukh jumping out of a moving train, or standing with a burning shop behind him, all scenes were created with the help of the visual effects team.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEngWtcqM58[/youtube]
Source: animation boss
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Based on the life of the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, this movie owes a lot to its special effects artists. A team of over fifty artists delivered over 150 shots of VFX covering the Commonwealth Games and the events held in Tokyo & Rome. The team created CGI of crowds in the stadium and Milkha Singh receiving the award in black and white. Again, Tata Elxsi’s Visual Computing Labs were behind the scenes in this project.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRV4zC9NQSE[/youtube]
Source: VCL Tata Elxsi
Om Shanti Om
Deepika Padukone’s debut took the nation by storm. It was not just her charming screen presence but the hit song where she romances stars of the yesteryears such as Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna & Sunil Dutt. The VFX team of Red Chillies Entertainment brought Farah Khan’s vision to the silver screen. But that was not the end of it. A large part of scenes that involved recreating the 1970s was done with the help of visual effects.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov9yYHN3Vpw[/youtube]
Source: redchilliesvfx
Wanted
Riding high on Salman’s popularity was the film Wanted. But even with such a big name, Wanted was made possible only with the help of a hardworking visual effects team. The extensive VFX shots were done by Prime Focus.
Here’s another little secret…Salman’s six-pack abs were not the result of a gym routine, but of artful VFX technology.
Which other Bollywood movies have used stunning visual effects in them? Let us know your favourites in the comments below.
