Naagin, Shani, Siya Ke Ram - When VFX ruled on Indian TV

VFX is becoming a key ingredient in some of the daily soaps nowadays, here is a look at shows that were loaded with them

By Urmimala Banerjee
Published: November 16, 2016 8:40 AM IST

Whether it is Naagin or Sasural Simar Ka, VFX is slowly making its way into Indian TV shows. It is expected given the fad of supernatural content on TV. We have naagins, form-changing animals, jinns, Brahmarakshas and a variety of Gods ruling over prime time content on TV. This is in sharp contrast to a decade ago when the only shows where we saw special effects were horror ones like Aahat and an odd mytho show or two. In its time, Shaktimaan was also loved by kids for its effects. In the current scenario, every production house has a dedicated VFX team and also outsource stuff. Here is a look at TV shows where VFX left an impact on audiences... Also Read - Nia Sharma to make big TV comeback with supernatural show Suhaagan Chudail; netizens react with amusement

Karmaphal Data Shani
Siddharth Kumar Tewary's magnum opus for Colors is truly the best one on Indian TV as far as VFX is concerned. The makers who have spent two years doing the background work for Shani seem to spare no efforts whatsoever. The producer told us that it was important to shoot a scene nicely for it to come out well with VFX. Most of the special effects is done by the in-house team at Swastik Productions while some chunks have been outsourced. Our favourite was the darshan of Lord Shiva in the opening episode. It was applause-worthy. The sight of Juhi Parmar riding a horse through Ladakh's lunar landscape was also fabulous.

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Siya Ke Ram
The first promo of Siya Ke Ram grabbed our notice with its aesthetics. The sight of miles of greenery with a little Sita running through it was pleasing to the eye. We also saw a view of a kingdom that reminded us of the epic aerial shots of Mahishmathi Kingdom from Baahubali. Nikhil Sinha, the producer of the show got the VFX done in-house for the greater part and the results were pretty decent. The effects were decent throughout the season and one of the high points of this mythological show.

Siya-Ke-Raam

Naagin (season one and two)
Honestly, the multi-coloured effect in the forest in the first episode of season one had us little amused but Naagin's VFX was one of the reasons why the first season was a huge hit. Kids in the rural areas loved the sight of the ladies changing into naagins at the drop of a hat. Then, we had an Icchadhari Nevla (mongoose), Morni (peahen) and even a jaw-dropping transformation of Lavina Tandon into Goddess Kali. The last one was one of the best in season one. Naagin 2 is here and we have seen a bit of VFX already with Shivangi being suspended in mid-air and Shesha (Adaa Khan) unleashing her Naagin form. Plus, Shivangi is also a giant golden serpent now.

Naagin 2 dominates the TRP charts

Naagin (1)

Nagarjuna - Ek Yoddha
Life Ok's big budget venture Nagarjuna is produced by Beyond Dreams. It is from the same production house that presents Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi. The show has huge sets, especially the one of Naag Lok with the skeletal bridge. We see a lot of VFX in scenes involving Nikitin Dheer and Pearl V Puri. The quality varies from sequence to sequence but most of it is quite decent. Considering the fact that is airs on a relatively new channel, it has not got the eyeballs it deserved. The VFX is definitely one of the best.

nagarjuna1

Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman
Sony TV's mythological show airs at 8pm. It is produced by Contiloe Productions, the specialist in historical and mythological shows in India. It is undoubtedly one of the most good-looking mytho shows on the tube. It was nothing too fancy but looked decent all through. The sight of Ishant Bhanushali (young Hanuman) doing his mischief and punishing the demons highlighted with special effects was quite endearing to watch.

Hanuman

Brahmarakshas
Zee TV's show Brahmarakshas enjoyed a good run on the TRP charts before disappearing out of the top 10. A large part of the credit should go to Parag Tyagi, whose physique did justice to the image of the feared man-beast. From physical transformations to shooting arrows laced with rajgiras (amaranth grains), Brahmarakshas also had its share of special effects. Given the good response to the show, we can say the VFX clicked with the audiences.

Brahmarakshas

Kawach...Kali Shaktiyon Se
Mona Singh and Vivek Dahiya's exorcism drama has a bit of VFX with the witches changing forms, jinns coming out of nowhere, divine apparitions and so on. However, the VFX is used quite sparingly. The initial few episodes only grabbed eyeballs because of the sizzling scenes between Maheck Chahal and Vivek Dahiya. We have seen witches, jinns and even a fairy on the show so far but the special effects did not make us take notice.

Kawach (1)

Vishkanya
Zee TV's show about a serpent maiden (we have so many of them) and her human lover raised our hopes with a fabulous teaser. Filmed in black and blue, it had a lovely effect. However, that was it as the rest of the show was quite a dampener in form of VFX.

Vishkanya

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ByUrmimala Banerjee
Published: November 16, 2016 8:40 AM IST