Sanjay Gupta-Suparn Verma join hands for ‘Avatar’ inspired 3D horror flick

By Bollywood Hungama -

January 8, 2010 - 12:00 AM IST

Avatar has done the trick. Not just has it created havoc at the global box office, it has also made many a filmmakers smell the coffee. The action adventure saga has registered its place in history as one of those films that has changed the very dimension of filmmaking. No wonder, Bollywood has also felt the impact, so much so that producer Sanjay Gupta has taken an early lead and announced his next film with director Suparn Gupta. Belonging to horror genre, this yet untitled 'live' film would be made in 3D format. This is not all as the duo wants to use the same technology with which James Cameron created Avatar and found worldwide recognition coming his way.

Says Sanjay Gupta, "James Cameron has shown the world that what was being created till date is now so passé. It's time to move on, to explore newer opportunities, to touch new horizons. One has to move out of the comfort zone and one has to do it fast. This idea was brewing in Suparn's mind for quite some time and I was pretty much on board to produce the film for him."

Traditionally, horror hasn't really made inroads in Hindi cinema in the way quintessential romantic film or an action drama has. Moreover, Sanjay Gupta has been known for making slick action flicks for last decade and a half. In such times, a step into horror genre and that too in 3D technology does sound a little too ambitious.

"Today with the kind of all around acceptance that Avatar is getting all over, I am convinced that audiences are pretty much ready for the 3D experience", says Gupta in a confident tone, "However, we also need to pull up our socks when it comes to the technology that we use for capturing the frames. It has to be cutting edge and futuristic. Avatar has shown us that way and we have all the right intentions on bringing in that technology to Bollywood for the first time ever."

For writer-director Suparn too, the film comes like a shot in the arm. His last release Acid Factory, which was made in collaboration with Mumbai Mantra, had turned out to be a mammoth disappointment at the box office in spite of quite a few decent reviews coming it's way. Just when one had thought that after his debut effort Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena and now Acid Factory, his direction career had come to naught, an offer like this extended by Sanjay Gupta must have been heartfelt.

Apparently, this is not the first time that Suparn is dabbling with a horror subject. As a writer of diverse films like Zameen, Chhal, Janasheen, Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? and Karam, he has dabbled with quite a few subjects. However, horror is something that was always his first love. In fact the very first script that he wrote belonged to horror genre and it was just incidental that he didn't film one. However, with the first decade of the new millennium coming to a close, he truly believes that horror is certainly in.

"The script on which I am currently working is entirely different from the one I had written close to a decade back. However, that 'keeda' of making a horror flick remained. One man who has made a difference to my career as a writer is Stephen King. Look at the volume of work he boasts of. He has written a phenomenal 100 odd films and across genres. Can you beat that? It is people like King who make you feel so small in comparison. We lesser mortals are just starting off", says Suparn in awe.

The film is expected to roll after April 2010 and the cast along with the title would be announced in due course of time. For Suparn, the film is a huge responsibility since he has to get it just right in his third film. Any lessons learnt from his first two efforts? "Yes, quite a few lessons have been learnt but one thing is for sure that there won't be any collaboration with Mumbai Mantra", he laughs away.