Apr 20, 2026 9:30am IST
From ‘Toxic’ to ‘Peddi,’ ‘KD The Devil’: Decoding VFX of South India’s Biggest Upcoming Releases
Visual effects are often one of the most talked-about aspects in big-ticket commercial cinema, either when perfectly nailed or when it’s a complete disaster. Though Indian cinema is yet to match Hollywood’s creative output, it has significantly improved in meeting audiences’ expectations of quality. For every “Adipurush”, in which the VFX work was trashed, there’s also a “Kantara: Chapter 1”, the graphics of which were much talked about. This is all the more impressive, given the much lower budget for VFX when compared to Hollywood movies. In 2026, the South Indian film industry has a bunch of big-budget A-lister films lined up, most of which also include extensive VFX work. Here’s a look at some…
“KD The Devil”
KVN Productions’ first release of the year is the Dhruva Sarja-led Kannada film, which is expected to hit theaters in multiple languages on April 30, 2026, but is currently embroiled in a censor certification issue, which is likely to affect the planned release. Directed by showman Prem, “KD The Devil” is one of the three major KVN productions (including “Jana Nayagan” and “Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown Ups”), amounting to a total of ₹1,000-crore investment. This is a gangster film set in the ’70s, a part of the VFX work of which has been done by Nilesh Tarle’s Frame X VFX Studio. “We specialize in rig removal and worked on certain action sequences of “KD”, amounting to a few minutes only. A team of about 110 artistes worked on these sequences, frame by frame, over three months,” says Nilesh, adding that VFX work is generally outsourced to multiple vendors, based on their expertise, while also ensuring timely deliverance.
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“Peddi”
Frame X VFX has also worked on director Buchi Babu Sana’s Ram Charan-led “Peddi”, which is coming in June 2026. Ram Charan’s film is a sports drama and Nilesh’s team worked on a few minutes of footage during a wrestling event in the film. This, he says, was also time-consuming, despite the limited duration his team worked on. “‘Peddi’” was also a three-month project for us, even though we barely worked on 4-5 minutes of VFX in the film. VFX work is always per frame, so the calculation is that there are 1440 frames per minute. The cost of work will, therefore, vary based on the scope of enhancements done in each frame,” Nilesh says.
“Patriot”
Director Mahesh Narayan’s spy thriller about a surveillance conspiracy, starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahad Faasil and Darshana Rajendran, among others, is slated to release on May 1, 2026. Said to have been made at a budget of approximately ₹130 crore, the specifics of “Patriot’s” VFX allocation remain unknown. Phantom VFX is credited with the work on the film. A spokesperson for Phantom VFX said that they are bound by an NDA until the time of release of the film and could not comment on the scope of work on the spy thriller.
“Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown Ups”
“Ramayana” maker Namit Malhotra’s DNEG has the responsibility for the VFX work of Rocking Star Yash’s next solo release, “Toxic,” one of the biggies of the year. The film’s budget is rumored to have shot up to over Rs 600 crore, a major portion of which amounts to the remuneration of cast and crew members like Yash, who is also co-producing, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, JJ Perry, among others. A period gangster film, ‘Toxic’ is said to feature VFX-heavy graphic action sequences, though a detailed budget break-up is not currently available.
“Jailor 2”
Director Nelson’s sequel to the 2023 hit “Jailer,” starring Superstar Rajinikanth in the lead, will be in theaters on June 12, 2026. The film’s budget has been rumored to be significantly higher than what was originally planned, with estimates closer to ₹450 crore. Yugandhar T, who worked on the “Jailer 2” announcement promo’s VFX, says that with commercial action films, simulating sequences involving fire and water are the most expensive elements, like, for instance, the explosions and fire in the “Jailer 2 promo” or Jr NTR’s “Devara,” including underwater shots of the actor riding a shark.
VFX budgets, say both Nilesh and Yugandhar, depend on the scope of work. A mid-budget (₹20 crore) film can make do with ₹1 crore on visual effects, if it is limited to, say, action sequences only, says Yugandhar, while a big-budget film in which entire backdrops, crowds, creatures, etc., have to be created, would need at least Rs ₹1 crore earmarked for the same, reckons Nilesh. “A mid-budget film, though, will try to do everything on live locations, because they will not have the bandwidth for visual effects. It is only when there’s a higher budget that VFX comes into play, when they can’t achieve something on live locations or if labor costs of erecting sets, etc., are too expensive,” says Yugandhar.
“Film teams see what is feasible, costs less and can be done quickly. A.I. is, obviously, cheaper, but there are limitations with control. You can achieve a frame or two in A.I., but not entire sequences. There is also the problem of too many vendors who compete with each other, which, then, makes a producer go with what he deems a fair rate rather than the quality of the final product,” explains Yugandhar, adding that typical commercial films with 4-5 action blocks require at least 3-4 months of VFX post-production time. Yugandhar adds that the best practice would be for VFX teams to be involved in the filmmaking process from the start, to guide the director and DoP on the shot requirements for the visual effects. This, he says, is rarely the case.
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