As Ranbir Kapoor-led Ramayana's VFX faces criticism, Hrithik Roshan says ‘bad VFX exists’

Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana teaser received a lot of reactions from the internet. The much-awaited two-part film also sparked a debate over its visual effects. Touted to be a magnum opus, the film was promoted as a landmark in Indian VFX usage. However, many expressed mixed reactions to the VXF, while a few compared it to a "video game."

What did Hrithik Roshan say about bad VFX

Amid this, Hrithik Roshan penned a lengthy note on Instagram about VFX in Indian cinema. Drawing from his experiences, he admitted that poor visual effects can be disappointing. He wrote, “Yes bad VFX exists. It’s sometimes so bad it’s painful to watch. Especially for me… and especially when it’s a film I’m part of."

Recalling his childhood memories, Hrithik Roshan shared how watching Back to the Future at the age of 11 in London changed him.

"As an 11yr old kid I saw Back to the Future on a trip to london and it changed me forever. I became obsessed. I would sit with my dads VHS player studying the frames pause -play pause-play until I broke the player. I ordered a book "industrial light and Magic" - The Art of Special Effects" from Reader’s Digest with my pocket money…and waited months for it to arrive at the Juhu post office. Happiest day of my life. I can still smell the book as I unwrapped it. Many others followed," he continued.

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"Ramayana makers are my heroes"

Talking about Ramayana, he added, “Today some special humans among us, like the makers of films like Kalki, Bahubali , Ramayana, ( also my dad for koi mil gaya n krrish ofcourse) are my heroes, they have the guts and vision to do what's never been done - all for the love of cinema so that we - the audience get to experience something never watched before. From my point of view they risked all that money, and years and years of effort just so another 11yr old kid could feel what I felt. To me that's noble. the intention by itself deserves applause! I am proud of my fellow Indians. What I would give to be a part of such dreams even as an assistant.”

“But this post is not about me , it's about us the audience . Thing is, it takes thousands of our artistes working round the clock for multiple years to bring vfx heavy films to life so the least we can do is bash them with some better awareness,” he urged the audience.

“Agree. And yes I do. Especially when they expect photorealistic from fantasy and mythology.”

Hrithik Roshan defends VFX style

“In the same way VFX movies can be Photorealistic (Invisible ) VFX where you shouldn’t notice the VFX at all. Like in big scale action films like James Bond, Die hard , War 1 etc OR the makers can adopt storytelling stylised VFX which is more magical with sometimes enhanced colors, Non-realistic lighting , visuals that purposefully resemble beautiful paintings. Like in movies like 300 , lord of the rings, etc,” Roshan explained.

Hrithik Roshan asserted that bad VFX isn’t simply about how something looks, it’s about whether a film delivers on the visual promise it sets. "So sometimes when you say “bad VFX.” Maybe it’s just a style you didn’t expect? So next time don’t just ask, “Is it real?” First ask, “Is it right for the story?” “is it making me feel what the maker intended?”