Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiyaan – First Indian movie to use technology developed for Avatar, Tin Tin and Beowulf
As you all know our Superstar Rajnikanth turns 63! We wish superstar a Happy Birthday! Wondering what is it Rajnikanth featuring on a Technology site ? Do not get confused, Superstar Rajnikanth has himself moved to a greater heights in using all the latest technologies in the world for his daughters new venture! Rajnikanth fans had every reason to celebrate to the fullest this year. His daughter Soundarya’s new directorial venture “Kochadaiyaan” starring himself Rajnikanth in an animated look is much awaited and set to release this Dec 2013, though a date has not been revealed. It is said to be the first ever in Indian Cinema to use the Photo-realistic Performance Capture Technology adopted by Hollywood masterpieces Avatar, Tin Tin and Beowulf!
[Rumor] : Release dates
But unfortunately, this December will not hit the theaters due to unsatisfied post-production! There is a rumor of release only in the next year Apr 2014. Hope it soon gets released and entertain much awaited Rajni fans.
Technology used in Kochadaiyaan
Through a special body suits with track points on all the joints and through infrared rays Rajnikanth’s every movement has been tracked digitally on screen and then animated. Centroid Studios who did the same for Brad Pitt’s World War Z have done for Rajnikanth too for Kochadaiyaan.
Rajnikanth’s facial capturing technology is been provided by Counter Punch Studios from Los Angeles together with Faceware Technologies who have worked for The Mummy 3 and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Facial expressions are captured with a technology called markerless facial capturing which deploys a Head Mounted Camera on each actor including Rajnikanth to capture there subtle facial movements. This is a standard benchmark in recent Hollywood films like Avatar.
Utmost precision has been taken to recreate and animate Rajnikanth. To add, dentists were called to the studio to take mould of Rajnikanth’s teeth so that it could be recreated onscreen to look like an exact mirror copy during recent shoot in London! The shoot took place at the world renowned Pinewood Studios and filming was conducted in a blank studio.
Kochadaiyaan Experience
Speaking about the experience, Soundarya says,
“My ambition has always been to immortalise my father and bring the legendary Rajnikanth that audiences around the world adore in an ‘Avatar’ he hasn’t ever been seen in nor experienced. It was amazing to see my father’s every move, gesture and expression on a screen in an animated form. I am sure that Kochadaiyaan will set the path for Indian cinema’s next 100 year journey.”