Vikram Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt all set to flag off ‘Virtual August Kranti’ in Bollywood!

By Chaitanya Padukone

A rather-euphoric yet practically optimistic trio-team comprising veteran acclaimed film-makers Mahesh Bhatt (all set to play real-life Grandpa role soon), Vikram Bhatt, and of course daring visionary Satish Panchariya (CMD of K Sera Sera) assured the news-media that “in the latest incredible virtual technology, nothing seems impossible, that too at an affordable cost.” When articulate Mahesh Bhatt shared his witticism that the new techno-virtual movie-making process might somewhat initially be “like showing a mirror to visually-impaired people”, Vikram countered by saying that “once people actually check out the awesome (unreal-engine) virtual technology, it would be an eye-opener”.

Come August 1 and there would literally be an August Kranti (revolution) for the Bollywood film industry all thanks to the new hi-tech virtual vision facilitated by the talented team at “Studio Virtual Worlds”. According to charismatic Vikram Bhatt, “this new virtual (unreal-engine) technology will enable us and all film-makers (mega budgets or small budgets), TV show producers and OTT productions houses to save on huge transport and hotel costs and avoid bureaucratic permission protocols and exorbitant rentals and fees.

Vikram Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt and Satish Panchariya

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Backed by a good engaging story, we can now recreate all kinds of mind-blowing visuals and breath-taking action scenes. All kinds of diverse spectacular landscapes (snowy mountains, historic monumental locations, valleys, barren deserts or jungles, airport terminals, railway stations, and legal courts are possible, all within the four walls of our large-enough four studios situated in Mumbai suburbs (in Borivali).  In fact, for our upcoming almost-ready-for-release period movie ‘1920 Horror of the Heart’ directed by my talented daughter Krishna Bhatt, we have virtually recreated the ‘Gateway of India under construction’ in the backdrop even as a cozy romantic scene is being enacted in the foreground,” explains witty Vikram who is currently in the news for his candid yet smart comments on the trending Sushmita Sen –Lalit Modi ‘courting-dating’ silsila.

Vikram Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt and visionary Satish Panchariya

Was it a tried, tested and trustworthy game-changer? Mahesh Bhatt reacts with passion in his voice. “Yes, it’s proven absolutely with the release of our recent supernatural horror movie ‘Judaa Hoke Bhi’ (2022) directed by Vikram Bhatt and distributed by K Sera Sera. In the entire film, virtual (unreal-engine) technology was used and the impressive realistic outdoor scenes were recreated within the LED-Walls studio premises. After the movie was released, not a single film-goer nor any film-critic who watched the movie in theatres could figure out that it was all done with virtual technology,” shrugs senior erudite producer-director Mahesh Bhatt-Saab who assured the media that Vikram and his team have “mastered the virtual technology by now”.

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Mahesh Bhatt with sr. film-journalist Chaitanya Padukone

Meanwhile, the Bhatts announced that their next hard-hitting movie with the sensitive theme of sexual human trafficking called ‘Khilone’ directed by Vikram Bhatt is also under production. “Out here again this same hi-tech virtual technology is being used,” shares Vikky who also reveals that yet another revolutionary technology of ‘meta-human’ unreal-engine enables the director to shoot without the physical presence of the star actors.

On a parting note, the wise and pragmatic Mahesh Bhatt supports his innovative nephew (also ‘love-guru’?) Vikram when the latter says “everything is possible to recreate, except that technology cannot create stories. Most revolutions start with a soft -whisper but can soon turn into a massive chorus scream of cheerful joy.”

(The writer Chaitanya Padukone is an eminent senior film-journalist-author of memoirs book R D BurMania)