Charting a decade-long journey, Assemblage Entertainment has achieved impressive milestones, solidifying its position as a powerhouse in the animation industry. Expanding its horizons, the studio ventured into the VFX space with its CGI sequence on Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, the directorial debut of actor R Madhavan. This foray into visual effects marked a significant achievement for the studio, showcasing its versatility and skill in handling diverse aspects of visual storytelling.
Assemblage added another feather to its hat as one of the major VFX partners delivering prominent sequences in the recently released historical drama Chhaava. As the visually stunning film continues its roaring journey at the box office, the studio has firmly established itself as a key player in the world of visual effects, further solidifying its reputation in the Indian entertainment industry.
Chhaava (meaning a lion’s cub in Marathi) is centred on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Bhosale, the brave Maratha king and the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with the central character played by actor Vicky Kaushal. Directed by Laxman Utekar and produced by Dinesh Vijan, the cast comprises Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, Divya Dutta, Vineet Kumar Singh, Diana Penty and Santosh Juvekar.
In an indepth interview with Animation Xpress, Assemblage Entertainment CEO Arjun Madhavan shared his experience of working on Chhaava, their upcoming Netflix project Wolf King and about gaining a strong hold in the visual effects industry.
Here is a an excerpt from the in-depth conversation with the dynamic leader:
Can you share your experience collaborating with Maddock Films on Chhaava?
It is truly a special moment for us at Assemblage. When we signed the film Chhaava, Assemblage’s first major VFX film, we knew it was going to be a rollercoaster ride, but we also knew we had the right intention and team to pull it off. Seeing it resonate with the audience at this scale is a proud moment. Honestly, this milestone is not about numbers. It is about the passion, hard work, and collective effort that went into building each frame.
The film and its success is purely a testament to the incredible vision by its creators at Maddock Films. To bring such a brilliant story to life and share a piece of history with the world, it takes grit, conviction and quality filmmaking, and that is what the team at Maddock, Dinesh Vijan, Pooja Vijan, and director Laxman Utekar delivered. Their belief in telling powerful, meaningful stories is what makes this film so special. And we are grateful to them for their faith and trust in us.
The sequence involving the lion is one of the most talked about scenes in the film. Can you share its making-of?
That sequence was a beast, literally and figuratively! Bringing a digital lion to life with such hyperrealism and intensity took months of work and an unwavering vision from the film’s director Utekar. We started with extensive research on the Asiatic lion, studying its anatomy, physical attributes, movements, and behaviour to ensure absolute authenticity. We iterated this till it met the director’s vision.
Our asset-building process was rigorous, from sculpting the model to perfecting the fur simulation, ensuring every strand moved naturally. The planning began with the action previs, which guided our approach to the shoot. We carefully mapped out the sequence, with a previsualisation to guide us, and incorporated a dummy lion stuff toy on set to help frame the interactions, eye lines and evoke the actor’s emotions. We had our international crew on set too and had the guidance of our VFX supervisors Simon Frame and Gary Brown to oversee this from our side. Our global teams poured countless hours into research, refining the physics and making sure the sequence was not just visually stunning but emotionally powerful.
What innovative technologies were used for this project?
Beyond creature work, our approach to CG environments, simulations, and battle sequences involved photogrammetry for sets, characters, and props. We also used Epic’s real-time engine Unreal to execute some of the heavy environment FX to bring the high scalability, fidelity and feasibility to the production. Be it the roaring lion sequence to the vast, immersive establishing shots of the main forts, every frame was designed to enhance the storytelling. The grandeur of the era and the forts back in time was developed keeping the historical accuracy in mind and skillfully recreated blending live action and digital enhancements.
We knew with Chhaava we had to push boundaries and that meant leveraging cutting-edge technology. Our international teams used Houdini extensively for muscle simulation and asset development, allowing us to create dynamic, natural movements that responded to the lion’s weight and momentum. Our dedicated teams worked tirelessly to refine muscle deformation, skin sliding, and hair simulation, ensuring a lifelike performance.
This project marks Assemblage’s first major VFX film. What does this milestone mean for you?
Chhaava holds a unique place in our larger journey because it represents our major visual effects project. It wasn’t just about breaking into VFX, it was about proving to ourselves what we were capable of and bringing world-class quality to Indian screens. Our early endeavour in the CGI/VFX sequence in R. Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect that won the National Award for Best Film and earned recognition from prime minister Narendra Modi, was a kick starter.
Chhaava proved as an opportunity to showcase our true capabilities in this new segment. Everyone from artists, technicians to production folks came together as one unit, and that collective energy is what makes our work so special. The response has been overwhelming for all of us.
Your studio has worked on the upcoming CG animated series Wolf King. Can you share a bit about it?
Releasing on 20 March on Netflix, Wolf King is an epic fantasy adventure series based on the Wereworld novels by Curtis Jobling. The story revolves around a young commoner who comes of age and learns that he’s the last of a long line of werewolves!
It’s an exciting project with a rich, immersive world. The show features a high-quality, gritty realistic animation style, designed to bring its vibrant fantasy world to life. Animated on twos, it captures a distinct visual and performance style, where the characters have a sharp, edgy aesthetic, reinforcing the series’ bold visual identity.
The trailer dropped last week, and the response has been fantastic. It’s always rewarding to see a project we have poured our efforts into being so well received. It was an honour to work alongside Jellyfish Pictures to realise the creator’s vision under the able leadership of director Tom Brass. Working alongside the talented teams at Netflix, Lime Pictures and Brain Audio has been an amazing experience.
Can you share more about your upcoming slate of projects?
We have three animated feature films slated for a global theatrical release in 2025. One is Sneaks, an animated adventure comedy film written and directed by Rob Edwards and co-directed by Chris Jenkins. It features Anthony Mackie, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Lawrence, Mustard. The film is slated for a wide release in April 2025.
The second is Stitch Head, a beautiful, animated family comedy film based on the book of the same name by Guy Bass and directed by British filmmaker Steve Hudson, expected to find a release for late 2025. We also had the incredible opportunity to work on another animated feature with a world-renowned animation house on their hugely popular franchise, expected for a 2025 theatrical release too and we can’t wait to tell you more about this.
What have been some of the key drivers behind your continued growth?
The people. The foundation of Assemblage has always been its people, those who come together like pieces of a puzzle, seamlessly collaborating to create something bigger than themselves. We would like to believe that we have built a pedigree of quality, a culture where everyone feels like they’re part of something bigger, a solid team, a collective, a “Kumbh”, an assemblage!
No doubt, this comes with relentless, persistent hard work, unwavering drive and constant hustle. There is no other way, I think. We have of course faced challenges, hurdles and very hard times, like everyone does, but we’ve never let it stop us or hold us back. If there’s one thing Chhaava has reinforced, it is that honest intention, hard work and persistence always delivers.
Amidst massive lay-offs and shutdowns in the AVGC industry, what do you think about the global scenario? How can a studio survive in the current economic environment?
It is an unbelievably difficult time for everyone in our industry. The VFX and animation industry, not just in India, but globally is facing a massive reset. The headwinds have affected everyone and are driven by multiple factors, including the revival from a post-pandemic era, the overhang from the writer’s strikes, evolving consumer and audience consumption preferences/patterns, the role of emerging technology in production and distribution, and the economics of the business. These have undoubtedly disrupted the ecosystem creating challenges across the board. However, our industry is known to handle every storm with resilience and grace, and this is no different. This too shall pass. I remain optimistic as the fundamentals of the business remain strong, content will continue to find its demand, it’s about recalibrating.
Every adversity has an opportunity. Every player in the industry is thinking about adaptability and sustainability. The key for everyone is to stay flexible, prioritise innovation, and most importantly support the people who contribute in making this industry what it is.
What is the way forward?
As Vicky famously says, “Hum shor nahin, seedha shikaar kartein hai! (We don’t make noise, we directly hunt)”.
