Ayan Mukerji and Namit Malhotra on tech, VFX's role in Brahmastra

Ahead of 'Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva', OTT release Storyboard18’s Shibani Gharat caught up with Ayan Mukerji and Namit Malhotra of Prime Focus and DNEG on the vision for the film, and how tech and VFX played the role of breathing life into this vision, way forward for using VFX in Indian cinema and much more. Mukerji also gave a sneak peek into what's in store for part two.

There were 2400 VFX shots in Avengers: End Game, and there were 4500 VFX shots in Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva. Mukerji states that 30 percent of their overall budget was invested in VFX. One of the pieces of advice he got from Malhotra was to not stress on VFX but focus on the development and the emotional aspect of the story. He states, “From where I was standing, I was intimidated by the visual effects. In Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, in a way, the songs were the pillar of the film. From my perspective, while there was a story, I knew that the visual effects sequences were the pillars of this film.”

Speaking on how they made the budget play out on Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva, Mukerji states that they were trying to buy a quality in a film beyond what had happened in a Hindi film before. “That bridge was built very interestingly with Namit. Since it is his company, we found very interesting models to make it happen for Brahmastra.”

Watch the full interview here.