“Mujhe Sab Chahiye” (I want all! ). Sporting stylised animation that is very VFX driven, the 1 minute 39 seconds teaser of Contiloe Pictures‘ 3D feature film Mahayoddha Rama is a real tease. Effectively establishing the villain‘s position of strength (Ravan, voiced by Gulshan Grover), the teaser makes you wait and want to see Rama‘s character intro, but poignantly, it leaves you there.
Also impressive are the nuances in the performance of the characters, which gives a sense of refined storytelling where the completely CG characters and universe blend into the narrative and are there to serve the story.
Poduced and presented by Contiloe Pictures’ Abhimanyu Singh, directed by Raizada Rohit Jaising Vaid, the CG production for the Mahayoddha Rama (3D, 108 Minutes) is being done by one of India‘s leading studios, ‘Pixion‘ which is also the associate producer of the film. It stars Kunal Kapoor, Sameera Reddy, Jimmy Shergill and Gulshan Grover. Other credits include Music by Aadesh Shrivastava, Lyrics by Jaaved Akhtar, Screenwriter Ashok Banker, Pixion CEO Naresh Malik, CG Head Ajay Pratap Singh, Compositing Head Molly Khanna, CG Supervisor Rajarajan.
When do we get to see a glimpse of Rama? we ask. “The teaser has worked, we wanted people to get curious,” replies Rohit Vaid with a satisfied smile, “I firmly believe that the greater the villain, the greater the hero. If Ravan is so strong, so powerful, so tough and so shrewd then how much stronger and greater is Rama going to be? What we have released is a teaser, the trailer will be with Rama for sure, a very dynamic, very heroic shot which will be very very slick.”
He further informs that at the moment the teaser is out in PVR and with the release of the Abbas Mastaan directed RACE, the teaser will be playing out in various other Multiplex chains across India including Adlabs, Inox, Fun, Fame and UFO.
How does it feel to see all come alive on the big screen? “I‘ve been living and breathing MYR for nearly 10 months now, and directing every character, every nuance, I‘ve been constantly watching things on all kinds of screens that fit into boxes, but its something else to see it on the Big Screen with proper 5.1 Digital dolby surround sound. And if the kind of queasiness that I felt before the teaser came out is something to go by, I guess I will have lost a lot of weight and be on a drip when the film premiere day approaches,” shares Rohit.
“The first time I saw the teaser, I was looking out for flaws looking out whether the colors and lighting was right, whether the sound was proper and then the realisation dawned that you want to enjoy the teaser and take it in, but by then its over and the second time you watch it is when it sinks in.”
With more than 100 animated feature films announced in India and more than 50 already in various stages of creation, there are more trailer releases and lots of excitement in store as India‘s animation feature film makers and studios start staging their creations on the silver screen!
“Oh yes,” shares Rohit, “these are exciting times and coming originally from the live action space, I think if one has directed an animation feature, one has done it all. Right from making your characters, designing their look, making the worlds, lighting, virtual camera, sets, to acting out your characters. And seriously the heroes are the 2D and the 3D folks. Their talent is insurmountable. What energy, patience and a determination to make the details really stick. Hammering out day after day, painstakingly. Hats off to them. They really make this film happen, truly take the vision and help it become reality and some times, actually transcend the vision.”
Pixion CEO Naresh Malik shared, “We had been observing a lot of action in the animation space and were gearing up for the challenge. An opportunity like Mahayoddha Rama would come by, is what no one can prepare themselves enough for!!! PIXION had an existing relation with Contiloe and I have known Rohit for many years, therefore I am not surprised by the output.
Mahayoddha Rama is an effort that challenges us on a daily basis, Ajay, as the CG Head on this project and his team have managed the pressure extremely well. If the reaction to the teaser is anything to go by, then our job has just become tougher. We are committed to do justice to the expectations of the viewer and Contiloe. PIXION team will raise the bar with this film and is very pleased to be Associate Producer with Contiloe on Mahayoddha Rama.”
The teaser is also up on youtube.com and within 72 hours of being uploaded has clocked 1,632 views. (Though one cannot compare the actual theatrical experience with this.)
Rohit Vaid‘s passion and madness is contagious, the director is obsessed with his film. Couple of hours into an MYR conversation with him (Watch out for an exclusive interview with the MYR team next week) and anticipations from the film multiply. One expects a great movie experience and equally outstanding quality of animation with this film. And we are confident that team MYR will deliver!