Deepak Karambelkar steps into the future with Ketan Mehta and his Captain Vyom From films to television. Why?
An interest in television comes from my Film Institute days. I have also done projects like Mr Yogi and Baat Ek Raaz Ki. In fact, I started my career as a TV producer for ISRO. The interest in space comes from there.
You have used models like Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre -- everyone says they cannot act.We needed a fresh look. And a persona and body language which can fit into a future mode. Milind will surprise you. It is the director's job to know what he wants and get it. Also, in these series it is not the histrionics that are important but the imagery and the special effects.
What kind of investment has gone into this project?It will work out to over Rs 15 lakh per episode. This is not counting the investment in machines and development which has been a couple of crores.
Why are you telecasting on DD with its
inferior telecast quality?We are looking not just at DD, but also to break the barrier and put it on other channels around the world. It is sci-fi mixed with mythology.
What is the best thing about directing a sci-fi serial?It opens up the windows of your imagination.
How many episodes are you looking at?At least 52. The amount of time and energy makes Captain... the most expensive project in television history. We have used graphics for as long as eight minutes in every episode. Another eight minutes has gone into compositing.
Was translating scientific jargon into Hindi difficult?We realised that we were inventing the language of the future. Scientific terminology when translated in Hindi becomes impossible -- it is so Sanskritised. For instance, gravity a simple word. In Hindi it becomes gurutvakarshan.
Won't the audience be confused with the deluge of new jargon?Of course! But we are assuming that the serial will notbe a short affair and over a period of time they will get used to the language.
What were the other difficulties you faced?Challenge is a better word. Every single thing has to be visualised and designed. It was not like a soap opera where you go to a location with your actors and shoot in contemporary costumes. Every single costume, gun, spaceship, background...had to be invented.
Is the serial `inspired' by series like Star Trek?The comparison is inevitable. It is inspired by all the comic books I read as a child and the entire sci-fi literature. It is not a remake, or even close to one. We are pushing the technology forward, going much further than Star Trek.
Captain Vyom -- in a nutshell
Year: 2220 AD; Place: Io; Situation: Critical!
Touted as the "mythology of the future", Captain Vyom, revolves around the primordial cops and robbers theme. The cop is Captain Vyom, better know as the Sky Warrior (still better
known as Milind `Wooden' Soman). To live up to his warrior tag, Vyom goes planet hopping with a futuristic carrot and stick, maintaining law and order.
The background: Earth is governed by a World Government which has established space stations on various planets of the solar system. This includes a top-security prison on Io, one of the moons of Jupiter. The prison harbours some of the worst scumbags culled from galaxies far and wide. They include Vishkanya (Madhu Sapre) who can poison anything and anyone, Sonic (Dino Morrea) who can kill with sound waves, and others who put their opponents out of action in no less a bizarre manner.
But if the story has to go on, the villains have to break out, right? They do that when one gloomy day in space, a meteor races madly towards Io and bang! That takes care of the security system -- it is blown to smithereens. That also takes care of the first episode. Predictably, all other episodes are devoted to the Sky Warrior zooming around in space, putting the fugitives
back where they belong. Hopefully it won't put you back to sleep.
Captain Vyom, DD1, Sunday 10:00 am.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
