Shah Rukh Khan has announced that Diwali offering Ra.One will be in 3D, taking the nascent Indian superhero role a step further. Considering it will be out in theatres this October, the film will beat Krissh 2, the only other Indian superhero, in the 3D race. The decision to turn the film into 3D was taken recently and in fact, certain sequences have been shot in July 2011 to add to the experience.
Among them is a scene wherein Khan, astride a futuristic bike designed by Sabu Cyril, takes a leap from the moon to the surface of the earth landing in a jungle in China! The actor, despite his knee injury insisted on performing the stunt— a somersault in complete superhero regalia, cape et al —from the bike tipping down and was not satisfied till the scene was just right.
The work on the film is on at breakneck speed with 1200 people working nearly 24 hours on the VFX in India. Other special features of the film include the actor’s face and hands as G.One being rendered to an almost plastic smooth finish as opposed to the removal of lines and wrinkles as is common in films. The process which has been used in Hollywood films is time-taking but was used here to differentiate between humans and the gaming characters.
Yet another interesting feature, perhaps a first for Hindi films, would be the song-and- dance routine in 3D, to which Khan and director Anubhav Sinha are quite looking forward. Ra.One means to churn out a lot of merchandise and games in the lead-up to the release. In a bid to create a world-class superhero film from India, Khan as a producer has been generous and painstakingly meticulous over details. Minute matters such as the skin texture of the gaming characters, the visual quality of electrical fire as different from an ordinary fire and the detailing of the superhero suit have all been paid special attention.
The bodysuit had to be improved using VFX as Khan decided it was not visually impressive. Citing an example of the high standards maintained in Hollywood, he narrated an incident wherein a senior DOP refused a comic film because he did not have comedy-appropriate lenses. “This was a 64-year-old guy who was prepared to learn the whole process of shooting a comedy film! We don’t have that culture—the yearning for learning,” said Khan, who hopes that his film will be excel on international standards.
