Expect larger-than-life visuals shot in Sivakarthikeyan's 'Maaveeran': Vidhu Ayyana

The use of mocobots, 3D rigs, and other high-end equipment in Sivakarthikeyan’s Maaveeran came to light after the release of an interesting behind-the-scenes video. This has created huge expectations among fans, who are now eagerly awaiting the release of the film. “Maaveeran is undoubtedly a big film, which is being made on a larger scale with an interesting concept,” begins Vidhu Ayyana, the cinematographer of the film.
The film is directed by Madonne Ashwin, the National Award-winning filmmaker known for his work in Mandela. It marks Vidhu’s second collaboration with the director. The lensman has previously shot films like Oh My Kadavule and Nitham Oru Vaanam. “This film is 10 or 15 times bigger than Mandela. In this one, we had to handle a lot of artistes, sets, and many other surprises that we hadn’t experienced before. We shot Mandela majorly in a village with a very small crew, but with this film, it is a completely different experience,” he adds.
“Everything in this film is on a grand scale,” Vidhu states, adding, “Ashwin is someone who plans every single thing in advance. Just like how we prepared storyboards for Mandela during the pre-production stage, we did the same for Maaveeran as well. About 70 per cent of the storyboard was ready before the film went into production. In fact, we previsualised many complicated sequences using 3D and animation, giving us a fair idea of what we were supposed to shoot and how the output would be.”
Clips of the team using a Mocobot camera went viral on social media. When asked about it, Vidhu says, “We used Mocobot for a song called Scene Ah Scene Ah after discussing it with Shobi Master, the choreographer of the song. The camera moved swiftly, in 0.5 seconds, and the dance moves had to sync with the camera’s movements. It wasn’t easy, and the dancers had to rehearse for a day before the shoot. Sivakarthikeyan did extremely well, and it will be a treat for sure. There are many more surprises in the film.”
Not only that, the team also incorporated a 3D rig to shoot crucial sequences, although the film itself is not a 3D film. “After spotting those rigs in one of the videos, many messaged me asking if the film would be released in 3D. We brought in those rigs for a different purpose. We used them to shoot some crucial sequences, including the climax. I informed Yannick Ben, the stunt choreographer of the film, about the idea of shooting some scenes using a 3D rig. He was super excited, and we had to rehearse for it as well,” says Vidhu, adding that this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the film’s producer, Arun Viswa.
Vidhu reveals that Maaveeran is the first film in his career that gave him sleepless nights. “Both the team and I had to overcome many challenges. It was Ashwin who constantly pushed me and helped me go beyond my limits,” he says, adding, “Every single day, we had at least 50 to 200 junior artistes on the set, and the place used to be really crowded. It was quite difficult for us to even position the cameras. We shot major sequences in the Kathivakkam housing board and also built an interior set in a studio on ECR. It was a bit tough for us to pull it off as both locations had space constraints. Lensing and focusing became really challenging in these locations. Additionally, there is an opening sequence in the film that has been entirely shot in the Theevithidal slum.”
Another interesting fact is that the entire film was shot using full-frame anamorphic lenses. “We believed that anamorphic lenses would add a touch of drama to the storytelling. Each lens weighs about 3.5kg to 8kg, and they are some of the biggest lenses available in the market. We couldn’t mount them on rigs, so we mostly preferred handheld shots. I had to run around carrying the heavy lens, camera body, and other equipment on my shoulders most of the time. It was quite challenging, as most of the scenes in the second half were shot in this manner. Also, many focus pullers couldn’t handle these situations and left the shoot midway. However, there was this guy called Maruthi who came on board and did a great job.”
Vidhu also informs us that the team has completed shooting for the film, with only some patch work remaining. “The post-production work has already begun. I haven’t signed any new projects as I decided to take a short break to spend some time with my family,” he signs off.