UTV Motion Pictures has announced the release of the biggest blockbusters of all-time – SHOLAY in 3D for 3rd Jan 2014. The indomitable writer-duo Salim and Javed Akhtar unveiled the 3D trailer and were overwhelmed by the stupendous response. Maya Digital Studios worked on the 2D to 3D conversion of the film providing an entirely new viewing experience to audiences.
“It’s been an honor and pleasure to convert Sholay into 3D. Sasha Sippy, the producer of the film wanted to enhance the magic of this film, and make sure that it continues to reign supreme in the heart of film lovers, even in the years to come. It was precisely then that I suggested the idea of converting Sholay into 3D”, says Ketan Mehta, MD, Maya Digital Studios and one of India’s most internationally acclaimed directors.
“Sholay is my love. I started my career in 1989. At that time there used to be lines of people wanting to buy the video cassette of Sholay. When the film released in 1975 there was a long que outside the theatres to buy tickets. It ran for over 5 years house full. I have been licensing various rights of Sholay from 1995 till date and I’ll never forget what the film has given me” adds Jayantilal Gada, Chairman, Pen India Pvt. Ltd.
“I am very grateful to the unmatched creative and technical team that was involved in making the original film, which has given me the opportunity to be a part of making history again. This is the first time in the world a 38 year old film has been upgraded, converted into 3D and the sound remixed in Dolby Atmos. A special thanks to everyone that has made this possible. I am honoured to be a part of being able to give back what people regard as the one of the greatest films in history, now with the best that technology has to offer”, says Shaan Utamsingh, Producer G.P. Sippy’s partner in Sholay Media & Entertainment.
This conversion is made using Stereoscopic 3D. There are two ways of making 3D films, either shoot them in 3D with latest technology dedicated cameras for 3D shooting, which are available today; or else convert a film shot in 2D into 3D to have the three dimensional experience. 3D gives a more real, life-like experience of viewing the film. It creates an illusion where one feels like one is actually sitting on location experiencing a ‘live’ performance. So the viewers are more involved with the film viewing process. And with elements of the film coming out, 3D makes such film viewing a more engaging, interactive experience
Sharing about the major challenges, Ketan Mehta, MD, Maya Digital Studios highlights, “Conversion of a film like Sholay from 2D to 3D comes with a lot of challenges, both technical & creative. The difficult level is that one second of filmed footage is 24 frames, and the length of the film is 198 minutes. So essentially, the 2D to 3D conversion of Sholay meant conversion of 285120 frames, from 2D to 3D”
” We are honored to be associated with the film and are confident that SHOLAY in 3D will make us fall in love with the film all over again”, says Gaurav Verma, Director – India Theatrical Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV.