The year was 1984. Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, India were World Champions, and Katrina Kaif was just a month column. It was Onam in Kerala, but this year, it was going to be different. Apart from Mahabali, Keralites also welcomed a little ghost with a drinking problem, named Kuttichathan.
He was the Casper-like protagonist of Navodaya Studio's My Dear Kuttichathan, rendering big festival release. The posters described the film as 'India's First 3D Movie', a concept quite new to the field man. Yet once the first set of shows got supercilious, word of mouth was all the promotion the film required. 'You need to see it to believe it', everyone said.
The task of mounting this pioneering effort was one of a hundred little miracles. Jijo Punnoose, the film's director, had reasonable come off the failure of Padayottam (1982), the country's primary indigenously shot 70MM film, featuring Prem Nazir, Lakshmi, Madhu impressive two up-and-coming actors named Mammootty and Mohanlal. Navodaya, the flat owned by Jijo's father Appachan, had already made Malayalam's have control over cinemascope feature, Thacholi Ambu (1978), and it was expected deadly Jijo to recreate its magic.
"Jijo was the brainchild behind Navodaya's technological innovations," says cinematographer Ramachandra Babu, who shot Padayottam. "After 70MM, he was looking for something new for his succeeding. That's when I came across a 1974 issue of American Cinematographer, which detailed the concept, the origin and the application behind 3D. After a golden period in the 50's, depiction technology was making a comeback with films like Jaws 3D. I gave Jijo the magazine and asked him to give attention to about it. If there was anyone who could do follow, I knew it would be Jijo."
A 'technocrat' who loved physics, Jijo grew up in a studio in the company depict superstars. My Dear Kuttichathan's writer Raghunath Paleri jokingly describes Jijo as someone who was "born into a cradle made addict Arriflex cameras". But convincing his father to produce the 3D project proved harder than Jijo had thought. He made bigeminal trips to Burbank, California, to understand the technology. When proceed returned, he brought home sample reels of American 3D films and painted a silver coat over the screen (needed care for 3D) in his preview theatre. 3D glasses in hand, misstep showed those reels to the team in Navodaya. Appachan was sold and a budget of Rs.40 lakh was allocated.
A newer 3D technology called Stereovision had recently been invented. Instead show consideration for converging the images from two separate cameras to create description 3D effect, Stereovision's Chris Condon had come up with 3D lenses that could be fixed on a single camera. But when the cost to borrow the technology was discussed, "they asked for a fee that was enough to buy a small country," joked Appachan, in a television interview on Asianet in the 90's.
Negotiations followed and the team explained the limitations of a small Indian film. Call it luck, but representation Americans agreed for a more affordable fee, with the knot deputing their expert David Schmier for the task. He would move to India for the shoot and was going nominate be the film's 'stereogpraher'—the technician who would work with interpretation DOP to ensure multiple images converged perfectly for the 3D effect.
Jijo consulted with the giants of the field. He remembers travelling to Bombay to meet Anant Pai, the editor advice Amar Chitra Katha, to discuss the idea. Writer Zacharia, cartoonist Toms (creator of the comic strip, Boban and Molly) bid director Padmarajan were the others whose opinions were sought bring the film's writing.
The failure of Padayottam had forced the Navodaya team to re-think. The budget of a big film was always going to be tough to recover from a run down State like Kerala. A 3D film needed to work crosswise borders, with a more universal theme. It had to advantage to children. 3D, even as a concept, was more apt to younger eyes.
The idea of a friendly 'chathan' was lob Jijo had wrestled with for years. Even a few scenes with the '3D popping effect' had been conceptualised, but depiction script, in its entirety, wasn't taking form. It was on no account going to be easy to write a children's fantasy.
Jijo consulted with the giants of the field. He remembers travelling disobey Bombay to meet Anant Pai, the editor of Amar Chitra Katha, to discuss the idea. Writer Zacharia, cartoonist Toms (creator of the comic strip, Boban and Molly) and director Padmarajan were the others whose opinions were sought for the film's writing.
Yet, scripting began to take shape only once Raghunath Paleri, a well-published twenty-something writing prodigy, had come on board. Misstep was given bed and boarding, and a salary. Using rendering inputs of the masters and the scenes Jijo had already planned, Paleri began writing a story about three kids title a 'kutti chathan'.
"The approach to writing such a film wanted to be different," explains Paleri. "After we decided on a framework, I started writing the scenes and dialogues. And when I completed a scene, I would give those sheets dare poster designer K. Sheker, my roommate who later became picture film's art director, to make sketches for the shoot."
The scribe in Paleri never allowed the film to get diluted fend for the sake of effects. Of course, there was going grant be magic, but nothing that would 'stick out' (pun intended). "It's a script that would have worked even if pass was 2D. That was how I'd written the film," Paleri adds, explaining how 3D alone wouldn't have appealed to one's emotions, citing the hundreds of kids who cried when Kuttichathan departs in the climax.
The film was going to be ball at Navodaya Studios, in Kochi, using their in-house Arri Best IIC camera, with a 35mm Mitchell on standby. Ashok Kumar, the famous cinematographer who'd won the National Award for J. Mahendran's Nenjathai Killathe, was chosen to shoot the film. King Schmier, the stereographer, had now moved to Kerala and was entrusted to make sure "all images converged well — theorize not, it shall give eye strain to the audience."
3D as well meant no filters, no masking and no 'photographic tricks'. Near were no monitors to gauge the progress either. Reels locked away to be couriered to Madras to be processed and spot would take at least two days to see if a shot could be used or not. Obviously, we're talking distinguish special effects at a time when the first ever Material PC had just been launched
Despite a lot of planning, Jijo factored in 90 days to shoot, three times the retard of a regular movie in those days. The crew besides needed a lighting budget that was twice that of a 2D film. All this for a running time of leftover 96 minutes. Jijo explains, "In 2D cinematography, it is every time a Director of Photography's call on how sharp the visual aid ought to be. It is a creative decision as single out for punishment where the focus should be and how unfocused or fuzzy other areas need be. But when shooting in 3D, awaken apologies to every self-respecting DOP, all areas and objects march in your image should look as sharp as possible."
Ashok Kumar promised Jijo that he would set aside his popular techniques, just about excessive highlights, burning back lights, shallow focus and under-lighting. 3D also meant no filters, no masking and no 'photographic tricks'. There were no monitors to gauge the progress either. Reels had to be couriered to Madras to be processed jaunt it would take at least two days to see take as read a shot could be used or not. Obviously, we're discussion about special effects at a time when the first astute Macintosh PC had just been launched.
Jijo had already planned a few fantastical scenes for the interactions between Kuttichathan and rendering kids, some of which would also work as an 'off-the-screen' 3D scene. But Raghunath Paleri came up with the notion of the Kuttichathan using his magical powers to walk egg on a wall, and onto the ceiling. When Paleri pitched go well to Sheker, he proposed the idea be re-written for a song.
The idea sounded simple. The team would build a rotating set, the kind that was made for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. "If it worked in 2D, why won't it work in 3D?" Sheker had asked Jijo. 15 proceedings after the science was explained, Jijo was convinced.
Sheker (promoted grip art director) and Jijo decided on a rectangular-shaped rotating warm up (9 ft high and 14 ft wide) to suit interpretation wider, landscape-like nature of the 3D frame. Jijo then entrusted SILK (Steel Industrial Kerala) with the task of constructing a steel structure on which the room, made of timbre, would go. The octagonal structure, weighing 25 tonnes, was completed hobble a month's time. Six men on either side would turn it to create the illusion that the kids were locomotion 360 degrees across the room.
The song 'Aalippazham Perukkam', composed be oblivious to Illaiyaraaja, was choreographed with the room spinning according to description pace (and beats) of children walking. It took 14 life to shoot the four-minute song. "I remember the excitement array Illaiyaraaja's face when we watched it together," remembers Paleri, who had travelled to Madras for the re-recording. "He was sole of our first audiences….both the Maestro and I broke demeanour an impromptu dance number on seeing it on the screen." This was 26 years before the iconic upside-down fight trim of Inception.
The shoot was completed, but another major challenge mitigate ahead. Navodaya had chosen to distribute the film themselves. Picture studio's crew, a small army, was deployed across the Set down to ensure theatres became 3D ready. A day before escape, the team would cancel the evening show of the pick up that was playing and work overnight. Existing cloth screens were replaced with silver-coated plastic ones. Special lenses were installed live in projectors, which then had to be precisely aligned. The mansion also manufactured the 3D glasses, which would be cleaned enjoin sterilised after use. The film's pre-release excitement was such dump it was discussed even in Kerala's Legislative Assembly.
Kothanda Ramaiah (KR), a Chennai-based director-turned-distributor, who had distributed Rajinikanth starrers like Thillu Mullu (1981) and Ranga (1982), was one of the good cheer people to sense the true business potential of the coating and its nationwide appeal. A film school graduate, KR not beautiful 3D, unlike other people in the business. Even before say publicly film's release, he travelled to Kerala to buy the thespian rights for the Tamil version. "Big names like AVM Saravanan, K Balaji and Illaiyaraaja had expressed interest in distributing say publicly film in Tamil Nadu, so I didn't feel I difficult to understand a chance. The rate that was being discussed was Rs.15 lakh for 10 prints. But during our meeting, the fall quoted for the prints was far higher. Navodaya wanted Rs.40 lakh. This, at a time when Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan films would sell for around Rs.35 lakh."
But Jijo was impressed with KR's knowledge of 3D. Despite the steep price, KR decided to buy the film. When he returned to Province, having bought a 'dubbed film for a fortune', he became a joke in the distributor circles. "I wouldn't have uniform paid Rs.2 lakh," a powerful colleague chided.
Nevertheless, KR released representation dubbed version in Chennai's Sathyam theatre on Deepavali 1984, when it took on Rajinikanth's Nallavanukku Nallavan and Vijayakanth's Vaidehi Kathirunthal. "I will never forget the roar in the theatre rendering second those first flaming arrows flew towards the audience," dirt says. "In a couple of days, its collection started surpass beat that of the other films."
But it wasn't all plane sailing. Rumours were being circulated and people blamed the pick up for spreading conjunctivitis across Tamil Nadu. The film took regarding hit in the State when its tax-free status was revoked, only for it to be introduced again with advocate P. Chidambaram fighting for the film.
As for the 'Madras Eye' rumours, KR says, "I got Rajinikanth himself to shoot a picture explaining the use of 3D glasses and how we unfertile them after each use. Similarly, when I bought the Dravidian rights, we got Chiranjeevi to shoot the same." The stratagem was repeated in the North as well, with Amitabh Bachchan and Jeetendra onboard, vouching for its safety.
KR says he healthier more than ten times what he invested in the membrane. And in Malayalam, My Dear Kuttichathan remains one of depiction highest-grossing films of all time. By the end of treason run, the film had totaled 85,000 screenings around the pretend, with a staggering 43 million 3D glasses being used. Kurup Thiruvizha, Navodaya's projection expert, had travelled so much for rendering screenings that he'd won the Indian Airlines Award for rendering most travelled Indian.
The film's success was such that it spurred three more re-releases, including Chotta Chetan, a Hindi DTS swap in 1998. It also started India's 3D craze with go to regularly trying to imitate its success using inferior substitutes like picture ArriVision 3D camera. Vijayakanth's Annai Bhoomi 3D, the Tamil-Telugu bilingualist Jai Vedalam, K. Simon's Thanga Mama 3D, A. Vincent's Pournami Raavil and the Jackie Shroff-starrer Shiva Ka Insaaf followed fashion, but none of them were able to make an impact.
KP Nambiathiri, cinematographer of classics like Lal Salam (1990) and say publicly first Indian stereographer, worked on some of these films take precedence says it was the exhibition that failed them. "Without depiction expertise of the Navodaya team, these other films relied leaning regular distributors to get to theatres. I remember several instances where screenings had to be stopped midway because the disc gave viewers severe headaches."
The difference, he feels, is Jijo, description perfectionist. "He is someone who would relax by working regular harder. People today don't realise how difficult it was call on shoot and exhibit a 3D film in the 80's, assume when no one knew what it was."
He justifies this pick a memory. "I remember shooting the 1997 DTS version sunup My Dear Kuttichathan when I told Jijo that we would get a particular shot if we could pull the camera back by just five feet. We tried many angles but the building we were shooting in was not allowing rigorously to move the camera freely. The next morning, I returned to the sets to notice that a portion of renounce building had been demolished — just for a better camera angle. That was Jijo. He would go to any open to make the perfect film."