Viacom18 did a big announcement today at PVR Icon Mumbai which was thronged by mediapersons for the 3D trailer launch of much awaited film Padmavati. Viacom18 COO Ajit Andhare, PrimeFocus Global CEO Namit Malhotra and actress Deepika Padukone were present at the event.
Viacom COO Ajit Andhare said, “This film is going to be taken all over the world by Paramount Classics. The 100-year old studio is going to distribute this film all over the world, whether its Europe, China, US and beyond. The Hollywood studio have been very impressed with the work and are very keen on it.”
He praised the Sanjay Leela Bhansali epic film based on queen Padmavati saying, “It’s the romance of the big screen, the dark room, the dream world that opens up in front of you and when it’s opened with master-craftsman Sanjay Leela Bhansali, it becomes a spectacle when it meets technology; a spectacle worth looking and waiting for.”
The movie has been converted into 3D as Sanjay Leela Bhansali is someone who thinks as well as visualises a story in three dimensions. There was a superb whistleblowing screening of the 3D trailer of the film at PVR Icon Mumbai with shouts of “once more” which was accepted by the organisers with enthusiasm. It was followed by announcements and interaction with media.
Prime Focus has done the post production work for the film and it was also a proud moment for them. Founder, executive chairman and global CEO of Prime Focus Namit Malhotra said to Animation Xpress at the event, “This was one of our biggest passion projects. We have previously worked on big projects like Avatar, Gravity but working with our own film-maker like Bhansali has been a reason of great excitement and enthusiasm for the whole company.”
He added, “In terms of creative standards that Bhansali sets, it is as good if not better than anything else. There’s no question about.”
The 3D was done across its international as well as domestic offices. Its teams in Canada and in India worked together for creating the majestic and awestrucking Padmavati. Currently Prime Focus have got a lot of Hollywood projects such as Justice League coming up and so is Jumanji.
On being asked about Bhansali’s reaction after seeing the work done by his team he said, “He absolutely loved it. He himself was very keen to do something new and this film was the perfect opportunity. I haven’t seen him happier in all these years of working together.”
Viacom18 COO Ajit Andhare explained the reason behind going for a 3D conversion to Animation Xpress. He said, “Look at Sanjay’s shots, look at the layers of the set. If you have produced such an epic film it lends itself very well as you get many layers to play with. Then, 3D becomes very meaningful. And that is just one aspect as the geometry, the detailing, the colour and the various tones of it. Sanjay is an artist who loves to play with textures and the also given the way the character are dressed, why wouldn’t it be made into 3D?”
Converting the film to 3D costs more than the cost of the production, but Viacom hopes to recover more than it has invested. It is indeed a financial risk but the bigger question is if one can creatively improve the product then it makes a bigger impact.
Viacom head Andhare remains hopeful about the project, “I’m very enthused, very optimistic. It’s an ambitious film and increasingly I’ve felt more confident, more positive, also given the kind of response we’ve got.”
Creativity makes technology and it is very important to use technology. Prime Focus has done the DI and NY VFXWAALA has worked on with the VFX. All of this has collectively helped in making an impact. We are waiting for the big impact on the silver screen as well!
