Bollywood fantasy films still a distant reality?

The genre of fantasy is powerful because it transports one from the realm of the known, into the unknown where zombies, ghouls, superheroes, and other supernatural beings abound. Talking about the reason for this dearth, Pete Draper, CEO and co-founder of Makuta VFX, the company behind Baahubali’s special effects says, “It comes down to stories, franchises, markets, whether producers are willing to take risks as a lot of them prefer formulaic fantasy or masala-heroic films, because otherwise, there are too many risks involved.” Money matters To make fantastical scenes in fantasy movies believable, bigger budgets are required. The film critic Raja Sen draws a comparison between Bollywood actors’ fees and their Hollywood counterparts when he says, “When we make big budget movies in India, we prioritise actors’ fees to such an inflated degree that you don’t have any money left for anything else. Right now, it’s demotivating people to produce fantasy films within India.” Plan of Action However, apart from the factors mentioned above, a lack of planning too can lead to the downfall of a fantasy film. “No matter how big your movie is, but if it does not have good writing, it won’t do well,” he says, adding that quality of fantasy scripts in India requires work.