Nov 07, 2026 3:00pm IST
Sohum Shah On Revisiting ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Terminator’: ‘I Was Mesmerized By The VFX Work In Films From The 2000s’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Actor-filmmaker Sohum Shah, whose “Tumbbad 2” is scheduled to release in theaters on December 3, 2027, has been revisiting some of Hollywood’s most iconic films, finding inspiration in the groundbreaking visual effects work that went into making them.
Shah admits that he wasn’t always particularly connected to Hollywood cinema. “I am a very desi person. During my time, I had watched only four films, and even those were Hindi-dubbed — “Titanic,” “Jurassic Park,” “Speed” and “True Lies.” I didn’t have a very deep relationship with cinema,” he says.
However, his approach has changed over the years, particularly as he has become more involved in filmmaking and writing. Shah recently revisited “Jurassic Park” and watched “Terminator.” He was struck by how much filmmakers had accomplished with visual effects at a time when technology was considerably less advanced than it is today.
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“I also recently watched 'The Lord of the Rings' and was mesmerized by the fact that they managed to create such incredible VFX back in 2000. There are so many massive sequences in those films! I revisited “Jurassic Park” and “Terminator.” It was so much fun to see the kind of work people were doing with VFX in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Those films did some amazing work,” he says.
The actor adds that watching international films has also become part of his creative process. He believes filmmakers need to explore cinema beyond their immediate surroundings to find inspiration constantly. “You have to watch films when you’re making something like this. I watch a lot of content for writing as well. You can’t just remain in your own bubble. You have to watch things because you need to find inspiration from somewhere,” Shah says.
Ask him which filmmaker’s set he would most like to visit if given the opportunity to travel back in time, and Shah immediately replies, “James Cameron! I really like him. I think “Terminator” is a fantastic film.” He doesn’t have a favorite between the first or second installment of “Terminator.” He would happily visit the sets of both, he shares. Shah also expresses an interest in witnessing the making of “Jurassic Park” and Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings,” particularly because of the scale and technical ambition involved in bringing those cinematic worlds to life. However, “Terminator” remains his top choice.
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