The Third Dimension of Marathi Cinema

Keeping up with the times, Marathi filmmakers are making 3D movies

First it was Hollywood, which began experimenting shooting movies in 3D in the recent past, then Bollywood caught on with the trend. The likes of the RGVs and the Bhatts began bringing the use of the technology with mixed success, primarily for their long list of horror titles, which are spun out with alarming regularity. The latest to join the 3D bandwagon is the Marathi film industry with films like 'Aai Mala Maru Nako' and 'Zapatlela 2' already on the floors.

Take for instance the case of the upcoming film 'Zapatlela 2'. A sequel to the original one made in the early 90's the film is loosely-based on the English horror flick 'Child's Play'. Mahesh Kothare, who had made the movie then is making the sequel which he is currently shooting completely in 3D. Kothare, amongst others, mentions that adaptability has played a key role for him to decide the format. "Reinventing with times is very important. In fact I was bringing back a character, Tatya Vinchu- the doll, back on screen after almost 20 years. And 3D fits in perfectly. There were certain scenes which demanded it. In fact the thought did cross my mind whether it would fit in or not. When we had the final script ready, we decided on doing it," he says. Interestingly Kothare has also bought in Spanish 3D stereography and special effects technician Enrique Criado for the shoot. Thought Kothare has been using techniques like the cinemascope, Dolby digital sound, digital special effects in his films since the early 90's, 3D, he says, is the next big thing in the Marathi film industry.

Horror films, according to Pratik Kadam, director of the Marathi film, Aik, have a lot of scope to be converted to 3D. "Horror as a genre in itself can have the necessary spine-chilling effects when portrayed on screen correctly. Use of 3D techniques makes the film a lot more better. I haven't really given it a thought to do a sequel to 'Aik', which was a horror film too, but 3D has captured my imagination. However if we are making a sequel we would do it in 3D," he says. Cost-wise, while normally, a Marathi film is made within 1 crore, making a 3D version increased the budget by two and half to three times, he adds.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Priest, others beaten up on church premises

Community halls ‘disappear’ from PMC official records

The Style Shrinks

Real estate agent from Pune financed fake currency racket busted in Chandrapur: Cops