As told to Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2019)

I must have been 18 when I started dabbling in industrial photography after a course in photo lab management from one of the institutes in Chennai. At the time, not many took up photography professionally. The photographers, who were around, were driven by passion. I was not keen on a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree so I opted for this one as I found it to be creatively more satisfying.

To start with, I used to do a lot of independent photography for different brands, working with a couple of advertising professionals of the time. I did that for a few months, juggling between Chennai and Bangalore. I would spend a couple of hours every day on photography while simultaneously studying film processing at a lab. My family used to own a film lab back then and I believed this would help me take that business forward. But soon film reels went out of fashion and digital took over. So, all that studying came to naught.

I have always been fascinated by lavishly-mounted spectacles though at the time I had no way of knowing I would feature in the 2015 epic, Baahubali, and its sequel two years later. I was an avid Star Wars fan and wanted to be a part of the making process of such films and learn the craft. So, without wasting any time, I joined a visual effects company that was into post-production for movies.

I started out as a compositor, putting several layers together. For example, in a car blast scene, you shoot the actors in one layer and the blast in another, then bring them together digitally by compositing them. Earlier the same process was done by camera masking, but with advancement in technology, the results are better. Over time, I started managing the facility as visual effects supervisor.

One of the first films I worked on was Mani Shankar’s sci-fi action adventure, Rudraksh, with Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty in the lead. That was the first time I was exposed to visual effects and 3D processes as very few CG (Computer Graphics) based films were made at the time. I worked at these places for around a year-and-a-half since money was not an issue, with my parents doing well and assuring me financial security. I don’t remember what I did with my first earning but being a foodie, I’m pretty sure I splurged on a meal at some restaurant.

Having developed a keen interest in visual effects, I started my own VFX studio which I ran for around six years and worked on almost 50-60 films. I used to work with a small team and dealt with many independent studios. While doing this I also produced a Telugu film, Bommalata, directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, which was adjudged Best Film in Telugu at the 53rd National Awards.

Encouraged, I wanted to produce more films in the indie space. However, the audience then was not very accepting of such genres and were instead hooked on commercial cinema. So, I took some time off and decided to act in the films I would like to make. That’s how I made my debut with Sekhar Kammula’s 2010 political-drama, Leader (below) which wasn’t a regular Telugu film back then.

Meanwhile, I had sold off my visual effects company and worked with a gaming firm briefly before becoming an actor. We made PC-based games. Around the time Aamir Khan’s Ghajini released and we had made a game based on the film. That was my entry into the Hindi film industry.

While I love what I do, I have not lost touch with the businessman in me. I have invested in start-ups dealing in virtual reality and augmented reality. I intend to continue doing this.