3-D glasses not needed to watch Desai’s ‘Ramayana - The Epic’

NEW DELHI - Director Chetan Desai says making 3-D animated film “Ramayana - The Epic” was a daunting task, but he is happy with the fact that viewers will not have to wear glasses to watch his movie.

“It was not an easy task to direct the film because people know a lot about the epic and I had to ensure all facts are authenticated,” Desai told IANS on phone from Mumbai

Produced by filmmaker Ketan Mehta under his banner Maya Digital Media, the film boasts of spectacular audio-visual experience far beyond anything ever attempted in India with skills and designs matching international standards.

“Although the film is made in 3D animation technology, but the viewers will not have to wear the 3-D glasses to see the film. They will enjoy it in the same way as any other 3-D film.”

Why did he chose an epic as his first film?

“Ramayana is something that has enriched all of us for many years. It is something that every child would love to see. I was looking for a good story to start off and could be better than the epic itself,” he said.

The film will be released simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu Oct 15.

The director admits they have taken technical liberty to make the sets look real.

“A lot of effort has been put to make the film look appealing in terms of the grandeur. It was complex as we had to ensure that the props look real. We actually went to Ayodhya and took multiple still shots of the place so that our Ayodhaya looks real.,” Desai said.

“Whether it is Ravan’s Lanka of gold or Ram’s Ayodhya, we have taken a lot of technical liberty. The film has visual effects never seen in India before. As many as 400 people have worked together for two and a half years to make this film,” he said.

Bollywood actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Juhi Chawla and Ashutosh Rana have given voiceover respectively for lead characters Ram, Sita and Ravan.

Asked how he chose the actors for voiceover, Desai said: “For the character of Ram, I wanted someone who has a good command over Hindi and emotes powerfully. And I felt Manoj would be an apt choice for the voice-over.”

“For Ravan, I needed someone who is loud and sounds extremely powerful - someone with a raw laugh. I felt Ashutosh is absolutely the right choice. For Sita, I wanted someone who could emote innocence, sadness and sorrow very well. And Juhi Chawla is one such actress who can emote just the right way,” he said.