Brazen up. 2012 will see Nandamuri Kalyan Ram and Allari Naresh star in 3D Telugu films. Post Avatar , the 3D fever that gripped Hollywood and trickled down to Hindi film industry hasn't spared the Telugu industry either.
Kalyan Ram will be producing and acting in a yet-to-be-titled action thriller to be filmed in 3D format. Cinematographer Sunil Reddy will turn director with this flick. Disclosing this, Kalyan Ram says, “I've been wanting to do something new and the idea of 3D appealed to me.” The actor and his unit have been doing the ground work for the last seven months, meeting technicians in US and Hong Kong. The team doesn't want to take the shortcut of shooting a film in 2D and then converting it into 3D, like Ra.One and Don 2 , and instead will be shooting in 3D, like Vikram Bhatt's Haunted .
The unit has tied up with technicians who have worked on Final Destination , Avatar and The Amazing Spider Man series, apart from Canada's Skyworks Studio. “We've made arrangements for automated rigs required to shoot in 3D,” he says. The film is slated for a summer 2012 release.
In this, Kalyan Ram has competition in summer 2012. Producer Anil Sunkara's new film starring Allari Naresh will also be made in 3D. “My films are generally targeted at the family audience and are small budget films, around Rs. 6 crore. This time, owing to 3D, the cost will go up. We are not looking at a social fantasy or a virtual reality film like Ra.One but will stick to comedy,” says Naresh.
The still untitled flick will go on floors in December. “As a child, I remember being fascinated watching My Dear Kutty Chetan in Chennai. I am excited to be part of a 3D project,” says Naresh.
This move, he adds, will help fight piracy. “My films usually release in the US a week after its release in AP. By that time, the film is leaked on the internet and illegal downloads are rampant. 3D will make piracy tougher,” he says.
The only hitch the makers are faced with is the limited number of theatres in AP equipped to screen 3D films. Kalyan Ram is planning to tie up with a company so that 100 to 150 theatres can avail 3D projection facility by the time his film releases. “The details are still being worked out,” he sums up.