VFX Mastery: Bringing 'Dhurandhar's' Vision to Life

The visual effects studio philmCGI played a pivotal role in bringing director Aditya Dhar's vision for 'Dhurandhar' to life, contributing significantly to its box-office success and technical awards. The company, based in Pune and Thrissur, was instrumental in creating the world of Lyari and enhancing numerous action sequences.

PhilmCGI focused on set augmentation and refined compositing to make Lyari compelling, ensuring frame-level accuracy to maintain a grounded and cohesive environment. Their collaboration with Dhar began around early 2025, with intense preparation to meet the film's unyielding release deadline.

For the two parts of 'Dhurandhar,' the studio delivered a substantial volume of work, completing over 1600 VFX shots. Part I required three months of intensive effort for approximately 900 shots, while Part II was completed in two-and-a-half months with 650-700 shots. This was achieved with a team of about 80-90 VFX artists and an integrated AI-based workflow.

Director Aditya Dhar stressed the importance of invisible VFX, stating that effective visual effects should add value to the narrative without being overtly noticeable. PhilmCGI's co-founder, Anand Bhanushali, highlighted the growing talent pool in India and the increasing acceptance of VFX by filmmakers, enabling seamless integration.

PhilmCGI continues to seek challenging projects, with several CGI-heavy features in development. Their recent success with 'Dhurandhar' has garnered recognition, fueling their ambition for more demanding and innovative work in the future.