Independence Day 2023: Deconstructing the dominance of desi VFX in Hollywood movies

When we think of big-budget, VFX-heavy Hollywood films, we almost never think of their cutting-edge, jaw-dropping visuals being curated in a studio somewhere in Mumbai’s Malad or Hyderbad’s Banjara Hills. And yet, it is a well-known fact that several fantasy, sci-fi and superhero blockbusters owe a lot to Indian VFX artistes. 

As we spotlight desi VFX this Independence Day, here’s a look at some of the biggest movies that proved just how essential Indian VFX is to the entertainment industry on a global scale. Read on:

CGI tigers burning bright

Animals and creatures have notoriously been hard to create. However, the award-winning 2013 film Life of Pi did not have that problem. The Ang Lee film, based on Yann Martel’s classic novel, took audiences on a breathtaking journey of survival and self-discovery as the titular Pi (played by Suraj Sharma) was cast away in the ocean after a tragic shipwreck. The film brought the text to life in a remarkable visual masterpiece. Indian VFX company Rhythm & Hues, now Reliance MediaWorks, created the realistic Bengal tiger, Richard Parker. The studio also worked on the awe-inspiring reflective ocean shot and the mesmerising bioluminescent scenes.

Another film that had realistic animals created by Indian VFX Studios is Jon Favreau’s 2016 live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book. This one is a particularly tricky film to make since it has an all-animal cast save for Neel Sethi, the young actor who played Mowgli. The film’s vibrant jungles and realistic animals were crafted by Technicolor’s Moving Picture Company (MPC). It’s quite the feat to pull off.

Truly Marvel-ous!

It is a shame that Indian names don’t get instantly associated with superhero movies because of the sheer number of artists employed to complete these movies under tight deadlines. Who can forget the global movie event that was Avengers: Endgame? The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity saga got a satisfying conclusion and it demanded a truckload of groundbreaking VFX work. Luckily for Marvel, Indian VFX studios like Digital Domain India and Framestore were up for the challenge. They reportedly contributed to the film’s unforgettable battle scenes and time-travel sequences. It was a scene straight out of the comic books, one that fans had been manifesting for a very long time. 

The VFX work for Chris Hemsworth’s Thor: The Dark World was done by Prana Studios in Mumbai. The film had multiple sequences set between Earth and Thor’s home planet, Asgard. It truly takes a village to pull that off. In this case, a village full of Indian professionals working at the highest efficiency levels.

Space craft

VFX companies have long supported the visions of not just obscure films but Oscar-winning filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan. The visual effects in the sci-fi epic Interstellar were handled by India-listed company Double Negative (DNEG), one of the most acclaimed VFX houses in the world. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Visual Effects. Interstellar has some of the most impressive visuals that combine art and science for the perfect movie experience. The film features scenes set in space, and Nolan goes big with his vision. The visual effects of the film were carried out within a year by a workforce of 300 people. Imagine that.  

Another example is Alfonso Cuarón’s mind-bending 2013 space thriller Gravity. The film is a defining moment in cinema, and Indian VFX studio Prime Focus played a pivotal role in creating the awe-inspiring visuals of Earth seen from space, the lifelike space station and the intense zero-gravity sequences. 

Quizzing aloud

By now, it’s pretty common to hear that Indian studios were involved in everything from James Cameron’s historic film Avatar to the highly addictive fantasy series Game of Thrones. Khaleesi’s Dragons? Indian VFX. So why are Indian movies still suffering from the bad CGI curse? From the outlandish crocodile in Mohenjo Daro to the weird CG horses in Tanhaji and the strange derivative creatures in Adipurush, we’ve seen some shoddy VFX work. These have sparked a backlash from fans, discouraging production houses even further. There are multiple reasons for this. With studios bagging projects in the West, Indian movies haven’t been getting their due attention. Bollywood movies tend to allot lower budgets for visual effects. This leaves artistes to seek work overseas, which they get very easily due to the high volume of demand. At the same time, the list of movies that employ VFX is very small. Between Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish and Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One and India’s inventive attempts at superhero franchises and films like Dhoom 3, there are very few examples to cite.

Rays of hope

Things are changing with films like Brahmastra. The ambitious Ayan Mukerji project, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, reportedly had more VFX shots than most Marvel films. Then, we had the history-making RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli. The Ram Charan and Jr. NTR-starrer was full of VFX shots, and they were all done to perfection. The ace director had also delivered Baahubali a few years ago, another triumph in visuals. These films are often cited as some of the best in terms of visual splendour. Meanwhile, Nag Ashwin’s upcoming sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD, starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and others, is poised to display fresh marvels of the Indian VFX scene. The promotional material of the film is good enough to draw comparisons with Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune films. As technology continues to evolve, the magic of Indian VFX will undoubtedly enhance the cinematic experience, setting the stage for even more breathtaking spectacles to grace the silver screen in the future. 

SEE ALSO: Made In India: Hollywood films shot in the land of diversity