Friday, July 31, 2009

Where is the Desi Sci-Fi?

I was left stupefied after just watching the trailers of G:I:Joe- Rise of the Cobra and 2012. These two are soon to be releasing high budget films made with an overdose of CG (Computer Graphics). It was just natural for me to sit back and collate Hollywood films with our Indian films. I asked myself - "Why hasn't any Indian film been able to produce stuff like this?" The answer is quite obvious; financial constraints. I think this is just a crap. I say the amount of money producers pump into CGs is diminutive. Leave alone a film completely made with CGs, there hasn't even been a decent Sci-Fi Indian movie. With the success of films like Koi Mil Gaya, Krish and even Harry Potter in India, we surely know that the Indian audiences love Sci-Fi , Fantasy etc. Indians definitely don't lack the talent, because the big guns in the CG department associated with mighty franchises like The MATRIX have been Indians.
I think Indian films have been devoid of a good solid script and storyline. Animations movies like Hanuman , Pandavas etc have been reasonably successful, largely because they were mythological adaptations. The Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Ambrish Puri starrer Sci-Fi masala movie , Mr.India(1987), was a blockbuster. This was solely because of the story, an enthralling script with some of the most unforgettable lines and some great songs.
Incorporating our dream songs , fantasy dance routines and make-believe Vijaykanth stunts in Sci-Fi films would make them at least, 'believable'. The animation industry is growing at a tremendous pace and there is a lot of effort to gather funds to improve facilities here. Selvaraghavan's Sci-Fi venture, Aayirathil Oruvan, that will hit the screens soon promises to be a level ahead with respect to CGs. But watch out for 'Sultan the warrior' , an animation film that will feature Superstar Rajnikanth in a new, 'animated avatar'. With Indian production houses tying up with the big names in Hollywood like Fox , WB etc, the future looks intriguing.

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