The
Kerala-born Jishnu P. Dev has worked as a Visual Effects Supervisor
in a string of Bollywood films, including ‘Queen’ and 'Aap Tak
Chappan 2
By
Shevlin Sebastian
Photos:
Vishnu P. Dev. Rajkumar Rao and Kangana Ranaut pose in front of a
green screen in the first shot. In the second, the India Gate image
has been inserted
Vikas
Bahl, the director of the Hindi film, ‘Queen’, was in a tizzy. He
needed to take shots of actors Kangana Ranaut and Rajkumar Rao at
India Gate, New Delhi. But at that time there were daily protests at
the war memorial over the Nirbhaya rape case. “So even though Vikas
would have loved to take shots at the original location, he had to
give up,” says Jishnu P. Dev, Visual Effects Supervisor.
So
both the actors were made to pose in front of a green screen. “The
advantage of standing in front of a green or blue screen is that it
does not appear on the screen,” says Jishnu. “Later, I inserted
shots of India Gate behind Kangana and Rajkumar on the computer. I
also put moving cars in the scene. But those were taken in Mumbai.”
Jishnu
gives another example from the same film. “There was a scene, which
was eventually not used, of Kangana standing atop the Eiffel Tower in
Paris,” he says. “But since shooting at that height was not
possible, we again made Kangana stand in front of a green screen and
inserted an image of the Eiffel Tower behind her.” Incidentally,
the number of such altered images may range anywhere between 150 to
300 shots per film.
Jishnu
has worked in 15 films now. They include ‘Aap Tak Chappan 2’,
‘Titoo MBA’, ‘The Attacks of 26/11’ and the Marathi film,
‘Poshter Boyz’. He has worked with directors like Ramgopal Varma,
Vikas Bahl, the acclaimed Marathi director, Paresh Mokashi and Madhur
Bhandarkar for his upcoming film, ‘Calendar Girls’.
And
for Jishnu every director is different. “Each has their unique
vision, ideas and ways of working,” says Jishnu. “The experienced
directors know what they want and they tell me that in a precise way.
Some directors take a lot of time doing research. Others work
instinctively. And this is what makes my work so exciting.”
Visual
effects are of paramount importance, especially when you are setting
scenes in an earlier era. “The film, ‘Bombay Velvet’, is set in
the Mumbai of the 1960s,” says Jishnu. “It is difficult to
recreate all those scenes. So, a lot of visual effects have been
used. This was also the case with ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!’,
which was set in the Kolkata of the 1940s.”
Meanwhile,
when asked about his experiences in Bollywood, Jishnu says, “I am
working in the entertainment industry, but there is no entertainment
for me. It is hard work, almost 24 hours a day. Sometimes, I am
unable to watch the film I had been a part of, even though I was
invited for the premiere. That’s because I am already busy working
on the next film. Right now, I am establishing my career in
Bollywood, so I don’t want to take it easy at all.”
In
fact, last year, Jishnu set up a company called Corridor Studios Pvt.
Ltd., in partnership with his friend, Siddhesh Ware. The last film
the company worked for is ‘Massan’, an Indo-French collaboration,
which has been showcased at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival. “I am
very excited about it,” says Jishnu.
Indeed,
it has been an exciting and amazing journey so far. And it is one
that Jishnu could never imagine could happen to him. He was born at
Kudakkachira, near Pala, in Kottayam district. After his Plus Two,
from Our Lady Of Loud Higher Secondary School at Uzhavoor, Jishnu
joined the three-year BA animation course at the Media Village in
Changanacherry. Thereafter, he worked for the US-based MCN (Malayalam
Community Network) TV for one year at Kochi.
Later,
he went to Mumbai to specialise in special effects. He studied for a
year at the FX School. That was when he got his first break. He was
selected to work for Ram Gopal Varma’s Telugu film, ‘Dongala
Mutha’, which stars Ravi Teja. “My work was in pre as well as
post-production,” says Jishnu. The movie, incidentally, did well at
the box office.
After
that, through word of mouth, Jishnu has been getting projects
regularly. In fact, his first Bollywood film was also another Ram
Gopal Varma movie called, ‘Not A Love Story.’ “I believe I am
doing a good job,” he says. “It is a big thing for me that I am
getting Bollywood movies.”
But
his heart beats for Kerala, too. On a recent visit, to see his
parents, after a one-and-a-half year gap, Jishnu says, “I would
love to work in Mollywood. There are a lot of good visual effects
taking place in Malayalam films. Many of my friends are working in
the industry. My aim is to work to the best of my talent in both
industries.”
(The
New India Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)
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