This story is from May 11, 2008

Tech’s the way to Tinsel Town

TNN / May 11, 2008, 00:50 IST

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On the occasion of National Technology Day, TOI takes a look at the digitisation of Bollywood.

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Still from Krrish. For too long, Indian Cinema has been reliant on its drama skills. Ever since the first Indian film directed by Dadasaheb Phalke, Raja Harishchandra came out, almost a century ago, Indian films followed a ��strict regimen�� of melodrama, music, song and dance.
Which should not be unusual since the roots of Indian Cinema lie in the theatrical traditions of the land.However, few can imagine the change that has taken Bollywood and other language industries in its thrall in the past decade or so. Now, Indian movies whether they are Hindi, Tamil or Telugu, use the latest technology and gizmos to give that hi-tech almost surreal effect, making the final product so slick that it seems a far cry from the days when Indian Cinema was Hollywood��s poor cousin.
But why did we start in this area so late? ��There were very few studios and special effects is also costly business. But now, our technicians have learnt the tricks too and with so many studios around, it has been made possible,�� says Bollywood trade analyst, Indu Mirani. Then, there is also the change in attitudes. ��Earlier, special effects were used as add-ons to prolong audience interest. But now, people realise that they can be used to tell the story better and make the final product more visually appealing,�� says A R Seshaprasad, digital production manager of a Hyderabad-based firm specialising in special effects. Agrees producer, Manmohan Shetty, ��If the script is good, special effects act as an added attraction.��
Films like Don, Krrish, Bhoot, Koi Mil Gaya and Dhoom 2 have opened up new chapters in digitisation of Bollywood. If moviegoers revelled in the fabulous treatment of past and present events in Rang De Basanti, then the credit has to go to special effects.

Besides enhancing the movie��s appeal, digitisation has broadened the horizon of film making. ��Earlier, writers had to think a lot about what they wrote because there was this possibility that it would not be possible to represent the same on screen. But today, they can give wings to their imagination,�� says Shetty.
Everybody stands to benefit from new digital technologies. ��For filmmakers, this is a boon. Corporates�� entry has revolutionalised filmmaking, leading to a much larger scope for selection of subject matter, which may include subjects on science or those involving special effects,�� says Prawal Raman, director of supernatural flicks like the Darna Mana Hai series.

But that does not mean that Bollywood��s love affair with the wire has peaked. ��There are three aspects to it �� production, post-production and exhibition. The post-production process is almost universal for Bollywood �� whether it is editing, special effects or digital intermediaries. Production though, is still done in analogue mode as we still use 35 mm prints. There are shoots done in High Definition (HD) and digital formats, but not much. In exhibition, we now have 1500 screens across India using digital exhibition,�� says Ravi Gupta from a premier production house.
And then, there is always the challenge of being forever innovative.��Filmmakers must not be complacent in the knowledge that they are capable of using such technologies,�� says Raman.

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