Prime Focus, India's integrated post production and visual effects services company has delivered an array of post services and more than 1,000 visual effects shots for Bollywood film CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA (CC2C). Co-produced by Warner Bros, CC2C is the biggest internationally exposed film in the history of Indian cinema, the first Bollywood film to be distributed by Warner Bros and the first Indian production to be shot in China.
The Bollywood kung fu comedy is directed by Nikhil Advani and stars Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Hindi cinema veteran Mithun Chakraborty and Hong Kong actor Gordon Liu. CC2C tells the tale of a poor cook who travels to China to become a kung fu hero and follows him on his epic journey from the bustling Chandni Chowk to China.
With more than 1,000 vfx shots to deliver in a two month time frame, the movie was worked on by around 150 artists spread across India, with shots and sequences being delivered simultaneously by Prime Focus artists at facilities in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Goa.
Commenting on the creative challenge posed by the movie Merzin Tavaria, VFX Supervisor CC2C and Creative Head VFX/Animation, Prime Focus said, "This movie required a lot of planning to achieve the quality and quantity of visual effects within the timeframe. Our primary task was to make every sequence as realistic as possible. Then there were some scenes that required a 'hyper-real' style, which we developed with the director. In one song sequence, the lead actors jump off a building in Shanghai and fly through the sky with the Shanghai skyline behind them. For this shot to work, we had to build the entire skyline in 3D, which was a complex task. We worked tirelessly to ensure that we were able to deliver on the director's brief and we greatly appreciate the support we received from him."
One of the more challenging visual effects shots in the movie was a jetty fight sequence, in which the main character unleashes a kung fu move called the "Cosmic Kick." This causes a huge tidal wave to shoot up out of the water more than 100 feet in the air -- all created by the Prime Focus CG experts. "This was a very challenging sequence, involving some complex particle dynamics" commented Merzin. "I was very happy with what we achieved here, and think that the end result speaks for itself."
"Warner Bros. movies have been consistently acclaimed for their creative content, technically superior execution and strong viewer connect," added Tavaria. "The movie needed an international feel to it, with world class visuals. Prime Focus played a pivotal role in creating very real visuals and was able to meet the multifarious and complex requirements that the script demanded. We are absolutely thrilled with the final product and are confident that the audience will love this action packed comedy."
In recent years, the Indian entertainment industry has been evolving in terms of its finance, production and distribution infrastructures, moving ever closer to the Hollywood model. CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is an example of this evolution which continues for Prime Focus on forthcoming project RAAZ 2, which is being billed as Bollywood's most expensive horror film.
CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is playing in limited release in the U.S.
