South Indian Film industry was on a roll last year after receiving recognition and acceptance from all around the globe for its enriched content, production quality, mesmerising visual effects and myriad factors that compliments all of it together. Recently as a cherry on the top, south movies Kanthara, RRR, Vikrant Rona, and Iravin Nizhal made their way to the 2023 Oscar nomination list making India beam with pride.

Anup Bhandari’s Vikrant Rona, the Kannada action thriller, was selected along with the 301 feature films for Oscar nominations, for which voting is scheduled to begin this week. Starring Sudeep (Kiccha Sudeep) in the title role along with Nirup Bhandari, Neetha Ashok and Jacqueline Fernandez, the movie amassed rounds of applause for its 3D and Visual effects.

After spending four years in production and being shot even during the intricate Covid-19 situations, the movie makes an effort to visually match the enormous grandeur of the genre. The combat scenario that takes place in the rain is exceptionally captivating and visually appealing, and the top-notch Stereoscopic 3D conversion & effects provided an amazing theatrical experience.

The movie reportedly collected 200 crores at the end of two weeks, becoming the third Kannada film after K.G.F: Chapter 1 and K.G.F: Chapter 2 to achieve that accomplishment, according to Wikipedia. As per the reports, after the first 16 days itself, the film brought in 14 crores from the Hindi version and 7.5 crores net from the Telugu version.

3D Animation & Visual Effects

Vikrant Rona is the first ever Kannada film that made use of advanced application of the real-time 3D development tool Unreal Engine, the most powerful for 3D creation. It was Anup Bhandari’s long-time dream to release the film in 3D, the decision which was backed by actor Sudeep and producer Manjunath.

Raj S and Anubha Sinha of Rays3D, who are located in Mumbai and have worked on more than 45 films (mostly Hollywood productions) were in charge of the 3D work.

In an interview given to Indian Express Raj said, “A typical film would take about three to four months for completion whereas Vikrant Rona took almost 13 months. The movie has more than 1000 VFX shots, which added to its intrigue. For Vikrant Rona, we assembled a team consisting of 500 members from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi, and Patna. As there were so many limitations imposed by Covid, the moment we began working on this project was crucial. We were unable to complete this work remotely; all work had to be completed in the studio. As a result, Vikrant Rona won our affection. The 3D conversion of songs took extra time, but the audience will certainly enjoy the immersive theatrical experience”. Vikrant Rona was a unique experience for the 3D team because the majority of the 3D work was completed during the pandemic.

Short Review

An isolated village in the kernel of a tropical rainforest began experiencing a number of strange occurrences about 50 years ago, which they began to believe to be supernatural. In this paranoia, arrives a brave Inspector Vikrant Rona to investigate the series of murders and related happenings of this mysterious village and all that seems to be linked to a supernatural force. The story brings the audience to the edge of anxiety in the climax whether the brave Vikrant Rona would be able to crack the case and solve the mystery. Every person in the community could be a potential victim and a suspect as a bizarre game unfolds.

The second half could be said as more incongruous, comparatively. The actual beginning of the movie is in the second half, where the story shapes in some form. The suspenseful mystery is one that comes to light when the movie comes to the climax.

Audience Reception

Although initially there were a few critical backlashes, the film received wide audience reception making it the second most-collected movie after the KGF series. The critical reactions were mainly focused on slow-pace storytelling but the audience reception was huge, the audience reviews all over the internet prove that they enjoyed the film as a visual treat.

Visually, the film evidently made a sedulous effort to live up to the majestic grandeur demanded by the genre after spending four years in production considering the fact that it was shot during the peak time of the Covid-19 situation. Particularly intriguing and visually appealing is a combat scene that takes place in the rain.

The typical audience’s expectations were satisfied when an intriguing horror mystery was presented in a loud and dramatic style with a special emphasis on Kiccha Sudeep’s swag. If the creators cut out the extraneous filler, Vikrant Rona could develop into a respectable mystery series in the future filled with more sinister experiences. According to specialists from various VFX companies and VFX institutes, this fascinating fantasy thriller is anticipated to be raised to the occasion sooner given its tremendous potential.

Other Nominated Indian movies