How justified is Indian filmmakers' craze for VFX?

- The use of technology in a film is welcome, but its excess is not appropriate. Movies like 'Brahmastra' and 'Adipurush' naturally require VFX.

Analysts have noticed that in recent films, more attention is paid to VFX and CGI and less attention is paid to the plot of the film. This question is being asked especially after the teaser of Ayan Mukherjee's Brahmastra and Adipurush which was released recently. Not only that but there are many projects in the pipeline including Ram Setu, Ramayana, Krrish 4. Film industry experts have expressed mixed opinions on the matter.

Even before the release of the high profile Adipurush which is a story from the Ramayana, there has been a controversy over the appearance of the characters of Ravana and Hanuman. Also, it is being criticized for its visual effects. A similar criticism was made earlier for Ranbir and Alia's Brahmastra.

A film industry expert explained that a filmmaker wants to bring something new in his film to draw the audience to the theatre. This is why creators have been focusing on VFX when it comes to giving the audience a cinematic experience.

Another analyst said that the days of releasing low-budget and mid-range films with tacky visuals are gone. Rejecting the allegation that VFX is being used only as a marketing tool to promote films, he said that if content is king, marketing is queen. Citing the example of Brahmastra, he said that it was the first film to have extensive VFX. VFX has never been used to this extent in any Indian film before. So there is nothing wrong in using it for marketing. Viewers may have seen many films of Ranbir and Alia but the VFX was the highlight of the film.

A well-known film analyst said that there is nothing wrong with promoting the film but all the elements that create some controversy for the film are doing wrong. Nowadays it has become a trend to criticize the film and find fault with it. The content of the film is important. But the VFX is bad, some characters look bad, some dialogues are wrong, statements are made. They have no right to publicize such decisions. He termed the anger of the senders as unjustified and said that those criticizing the appearance of the character of Ravana and Hanuman should keep in mind that the filmmaker has created the character according to his own interpretation.

Earlier VFX was used in Raja Mouli's Baahubali and was appreciated by the audience. The film did not create any controversy. Before that, Shah Rukh's Ra.One also used VFX extensively but it was not so popular. Rajinikanth's Robot and Rajamouli's RRR VFX were also appreciated by the audience.

According to another analyst, not only the audience but also the filmmakers exaggerate in discussing such matters. By revealing the budget of the film and creating a lot of pressure on the stakeholders associated with the film, Thapa is eaten. Instead, they should make a film and present it. But they praise the film so much and talk about it so much that the audience's anticipation rises. But the problem arises when the results are not as expected.

Although the use of technology in the film is welcome, its excess is not appropriate. According to a Bollywood creative director, films like Brahmastra and Adipurush require VFX. One is a period film while the other is a mythological film whose characters cannot be created without visual effects. Talking about Ram Setu, sets cannot be created on which the actors can walk. That is why the job of creating visual effects is that of the creative director.

It is worth mentioning that Ajay Devgan's company NY VFXwala has given an official statement that it has nothing to do with Adipurush's VFX. Adipurush is directed by Om Raut who earlier made Tanhaji which won Ajay Devgan the 2022 National Award for Best Actor.