Roar: Tigers Of The Sundarbans created by world class VFX technicians and cinematographers

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The Sundarbans region of West Bengal is one of the most deadly albeit breathtakingly gorgeous places in the world. Because of the unstable terrain and dangers in the form of lethal reptiles and of course, the majestic Bengal tigers, this area remains secluded in mystery and very few people get to experience the visual splendor that this place has to offer. When film-makers Abis Rizvi and Kamal Sadanah embarked on the journey to make Roar: Tigers Of The Sundarbans, their objective was to give the audience a taste of action, drama and thrill of the amazing Sundarbans and the majestic tigers in the best possible way.

For this, they roped in Anibrain, one of Asia’s leading VFX agencies, famous for their work in Hollywood films like The Amazing Spiderman, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Ghost Rider and Resident Evil among others.

The journey has been long and arduous. From using dogs for the initial test shoots to testing scenes with CG (Computer generated) tigers, Roar brings world-class techniques to the Indian audience for the first time. Says producer Abis Rizvi, “When the CGI tiger was created, we wanted to ensure that it was as close to reality as possible. We have replicated every aspect of the Sundarbans tiger, right down to each muscle that moves when it walks. We collaborated with Anibrain to convert our vision into reality, and after seeing the end result, we are sure the audience is going to love it as well.”

They also worked with some of Hollywood’s finest technicians including Michael Watson, acclaimed cinematographer credited with Special Photographic Effects for films like The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn, Skyline, Snow White and the Huntsman. Under Michael’s supervision a team specializing in aerial photography was flown down from Finland to thrill the audience with an overview of the labyrinth of canals snaking through the hostile jungles of the Sundarbans.

Shooting in one of the most dangerous and mysterious locations in the world is a challenge that the team of Roar: Tigers Of The Sundarbans willingly accepted. Aerial cinematographers Ville Hyvönen and Kristjan Tiimus were specially flown down from Helsinki for the film.

Camera equipment worth thousands of dollars was mounted on a rig with blades with a platform built on a boat to take off and land. The aerial rig was used to film master shots for not just the action sequences but some dramatic scenes as well. Single shots consisted of the camera going from the close up of an actor to a few hundred feet in the sky only to capture birds flying in the foreground.

But one of the most noteworthy shots to be filmed by Helicam was a “Time Slice” shot. It usually takes at least 90 cameras to capture this but with the manipulation of speed of film synced with movement of the aerial rig, this team from Helsinki successfully achieved a shot never even attempted by Hollywood veterans

The quality and level of photography and action in Roar can easily rival Hollywood films and is going to be a path-breaking project in Bollywood.

Says producer Abis Rizvi, “This is definitely one of the big highlights of the film. To see the characters in the film running through the jungles as they are being hunted by the tigers from a Bird’s eye view created exhilarating drama. These were the visuals Kamal and I had decided on at the scripting stage”\

Check out these behind the scenes looks and stills!

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Roar: Tigers Of The Sundarbans, produced by Abis Rizvi, releases on 31st October

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