One of the most talked about things on Rajinikanth – Shankar’s Endhiran before its release was the ‘animatronics technology’ incorporated in the film. “Enthiran is the first Indian movie to use Stan Winston Studio’s Animatronics technology,” proudly wrote Shankar in one of his famous blog posts then. Now, Vijay’s upcoming film with Chimbudevan will extensively use animatronics since the story demands it, says a source. Boasted as a swashbuckling fantasy thriller, Vijay 58 is said to be set in the backdrop of 12th century BC.
If the reports are to be believed, as per the script, Vijay will witness gigantic palaces, come across exotic animals & birds, supernatural powers during his adventurous journey in the film. To showcase animals like lion, tiger and giant snakes on screen, Chimbudevan will use animatronics technology to make them look real. Earlier, Natty, the cameraman of Vijay 58, confirmed that the script demands the use of such locations like lakes, mountains and greenery that have never been captured before on camera.
The film will go on the floors from November and will be shot in ethereal locations in India including the interior Tamil Nadu (Pollachi), Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab.
What is Animatronics technology?
According to HSW definition, an animatronic device is a mechanized puppet. It may be preprogrammed or remotely controlled. The device may only perform a limited range of movements or it may be incredibly versatile.
It is worth bringing to your attention that Endhiran had 22 scenes (including the robot Chitti) shot using animatronics and it took nearly 30 months of planning and conceptualisation for the team. So, it looks like Vijay 58 has a long road ahead!