The use of VFX shots and digital mastering has become a regular feature in Hindi cinema in today’s day and age. Taking its association with Dharma Productions further, Reliance MediaWorks (RMW) – the media and techno-creative solutions provider and a part of the Reliance Group – worked closely on 2 States, the highly anticipated Indian romantic comedy film directed by Abhishek Varman.
RMW CEO Venkatesh Roddam said in a statement: “It is always a pleasure to work with Dharma Productions. The team has worked dedicatedly to achieve the envisioned outcome. We are sure our work would be appreciated by viewers across the country.”
The feature film produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Karan Johar, stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in lead roles and is an adaptation of renowned writer Chetan Bhagat’s book of the same name. A film that depicts the diversity in the cultural fabric of India, 2 States is set in several parts of the country including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The VFX used has played an important role in easing the logistics and depicting different cities while still being shot in the comforts of a studio.
Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta said in a statement: “The team at Reliance MediaWorks has always delivered high quality work at prompt timelines, helping us successfully complete the film and provide a visual delight to the audience.”
RMW has been offering end-to-end visual postproduction services for films including VFX, DI and digital mastering, and 2 States is the latest marquee film that it has worked on. With 250 odd VFX shots, largely for chroma compositing and set extensions, the project entailed around 30-35 minutes of VFX work for the film.
‘2 States’ director Abhishek Varman added: “2 States is a very special film for me and in order to deliver my best I wanted to partner with the best creative partners. I’m very happy working along with the team at Reliance MediaWorks on this film.”
To create the visual allure of different cities while maintaining the overall look of the film, the RMW team worked closely with cinematographer Binod Pradhan to tactfully bring together the vibrancy of Punjabi and Delhi, the serenity of Chennai and the cultural vivacity of Ahmedabad.
“2 States is a movie rich in culture, colours and energy. To get a consistent look while maintaining the authenticity of each Indian province was the key focus. Reliance MediaWorks was an important partner in accomplishing this task,” said Binod Pradhan in the statement.
On the association, RMW senior colorist Ken Metzker expounded: “Working with an industry stalwart such as Binod Pradhan is always a great experience in itself. 2 Stateshad the perfect balance of vibrancy and subtlety in its look, which allowed us to make the characters tell their story while looking good and not having the images overtake the storytelling. I am looking forward to newcomer director Abhishek Varman’s next film.”
Blending the VFX shots with the film seamlessly was an important task. 2 States is a romantic comedy and most of the VFX work involved was on account of logistical convenience for the shoot. So it had to be subtle and immersive.
RMW VFX head Prasad Sutar – who also headed the project – revealed: “VFX technology today is no longer limited to action flicks and sci-fi movies. Directors today are wisely using it to ease the logistics and facilitate the shooting process, and with 2 States we have achieved that quite successfully.”