Thug Life

A Pivotal Moment in the Story

The sequence we were tasked with is set in the majestic Himalayas, where the lead actor and his crew arrive at a scenic viewpoint to behold the awe-inspiring Mount Kailash. This wasn’t just a breathtaking landscape shot—it was a narrative turning point in the film. The emotional weight of the moment demanded nothing short of visual perfection.

While the director envisioned a replication of Mount Kailash, he also wanted it to be elevated—more poetic, more cinematic. Our goal was to strike the delicate balance between realism and stylization.

Choosing the 3D Path Over 2D

Traditionally, a scene like this might lean toward 2D Digital Matte Painting with projection techniques. However, after discussions with VFX Supervisor Monesh, it became clear that the creative control and camera flexibility Mani Ratnam desired would be better served through a full 3D approach. This decision shaped the entire execution pipeline.

Reconstructing Mount Kailash from the Ground Up

We began by gathering Google Maps data to reconstruct the layout at real-world scale. Accurately building Mount Kailash was a feat in itself, but the real challenge lay in seamlessly integrating the live-action foreground plate with our CG environment.

To achieve this, we meticulously crafted a variety of assets:

• Dead trees, including Indian pine varieties, were modeled for the foreground.

• Procedural techniques were employed to enhance the trees with organic detail, ensuring they naturally blended with the photographed terrain.

• We introduced fine blades of grass, animated with subtle breeze movement—mirroring the delicate hair movement in the live plate.

• Layered fog elements were added to soften transitions and tie the whole shot together atmospherically.

These nuances contributed significantly to the realism and emotional depth of the scene.

Tackling the Technical Load

Rendering at 4K resolution with physically-based shaders came at a cost—massive render times. But the visual fidelity was worth it.

Once rendering was complete, another major hurdle surfaced: compositing 100 shots on a tight timeline. To meet our deadline without compromising quality, we distributed the workload between our Hyderabad and Chennai teams, ensuring round-the-clock progress.

Final Reflections

Delivering this sequence was a true team effort, blending artistry with engineering. It was an honor to contribute to a vision so grand, and collaborating with creative minds like Mani Ratnam and Monish was an inspiring experience. This project not only pushed our technical boundaries but also reaffirmed our belief in the power of storytelling through visual effects.