When it comes to big-budget Indian films their hype often builds up spectacularly ahead of the time they reach the big-screen and the new project director's film Varanasi makes it no exception. What raised the film's controversy this time though has been the fact that several action scenes went viral online, which has rattled fans and the production crew of the film.
Renowned for his secretive methods, Rajamouli deserves to be revered for visually spectacular cinema. The likes of Baahubali and RRR are redefining a new level in Indian cinema not just in terms of making an impact visually but in preserving surprises for viewers. Unfortunately, that exciting suspense now seems to be under assault with Varanasi.
These scenes, reportedly from important action sequences, were newly filmed at the sprawling sets of Ramoji Film City, which the reportings claim appear on the clips in question. While the security got tight, the pictures were taken by anonymous people and released to the internet.
The first leak of the movie didn’t take place on film as much scenes being shot overseas had already been uploaded to social media. This should raise awareness that production security has its own security issues. Besides the star-studded performances of Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the new film has captured a huge number of years' audience of interest.
So many high-profile titles on the line, a tiny leak can spread like wildfire, getting millions of views (or even a ton of eyeballs for one movie in general). Rajamouli fears viewers could unfairly judge incomplete footage. His filmmaking style is heavily dependent on using post-production tricks to transform mundane scenes into grand visual spectacles including VFX. Some of those upgrades could help, but in many cases, unedited video might not really make the cut and be as dramatic of an event as it should be for theatrical viewing.
Industry insiders suggest some of these leaks stem from social media pages racing to grow subscriber bases and engagement. There is no alternative but getting big, exclusive, "leaked" content, providing rewards to the wrongdoers, thanks to the attention the content brings. But that at the risk of working against hundreds of film-makers.
The Varanasi filmmaking staff will keep things tight without a whole lotta wait in terms of security. Rajamouli’s concepts are still being depicted for the film, fans hope for the action to arrive in theaters in April next year. Leaks might briefly kill the suspense, but they rarely undermine the magic of a good movie. The real test will be whether Varanasi is able to put some muscle behind this, and keeps making the movies.
