Sep 08, 2026 11:30am IST
‘Ramayana’: ‘Every Scene Was Pre-Visualized Using Motion Capture Technology,’ Reveals DoP Pankaj Kumar (EXCLUSIVE)
“Ramayana,” headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi, is possibly the most anticipated film of the year. The makers have gone to great lengths to market this film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, as India's most expensive film.
Cinematographer Pankaj Kumar, known for his work in films like “Ship of Theseus” and “Tumbbad,” has shot this epic along with Mahesh Limaye. Known for his enriched visual storytelling, the technician shares that he doesn’t think about the expectations and responsibilities of this big project, as all the pressure is on Tiwari.
He shares, "There is a lot of pressure for Nitesh because he has to be answerable to the audience. I don't face that much pressure. Actually, I do not care that much about how the audience is going to react because it's a process of work. If I did care too much about it, then my work would suffer. So, I just concentrate on what is the best possible way to depict the story visually. I do not bother myself much with anything else.”
Related Stories
The cinematographer shares how he approached and executed every scene in “Ramayana” to make it spectacular, while maintaining the emotional essence. “This is an ultra epic story. I gave a lot of thought to how it needs to be presented. There is a visual spectacle element that everyone will expect from a subject that is so dear to Indian culture. I approach every scene keeping in mind, I don't lose the emotional connect, while ensuring that we shoot in the manner that an epic story like this deserves. I do not think about how the audience will react, or anything like that.”
The ace lensman explains how the process of “Ramayana” was different from any other film, as it is a VFX-heavy project. He reveals every scene was pre-visualized and animated virtually. “The process of ‘Ramayana’ was very different because it is a VFX-heavy film. Most of the environments had to be created digitally. We were not going to get full-scale sets and we were building fragments of sets and most of the backgrounds were blue screen, and the world was going to be replaced by a CGI world. So, most of the scenes were pre-visualized. Nothing was decided on the floors that we will shoot it this way or that way. Each and every shot of the film had been properly pre-visualized with motion capture technology. In simpler terms, every scene was animated in virtual environments,” elaborates Kumar.
He explains how the coordination with Tiwari, and the team of animators, made the planning and execution smoother. “I would sit with the animators and design my camera moves according to the script. Nitesh and I would sit together and mull over the shots, whether it's working or what tweaking we need. So, all the discussions would happen at the pre-visualization stage in the virtual, working in the virtual environment. So, once we went on floors, there was no need for discussion. Everything was very clear about what we were going to shoot.
We would execute exactly what we had pre-visualized so that everyone was on the same page. The VFX people knew exactly what environment they needed to create for which angle. Production designers knew what fragment of set they needed to build. And I would know exactly how I need to light up because I know what my environment is and what the time of day is or what the light sources are. This film was planned with an immense amount of pre-production. I know that I have not done this much pre-production for any other film that I've done,” concludes the DoP.
“Ramayana,” which also features Sunny Deol, Kajal Aggarwal Kitchlu and Ravie Dubey, among others, is set to hit the screens during the Diwali weekend.
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.