Ramayana's Namit Malhotra opens up about working on Oscar-winning VFX for Christopher Nolan's Interstellar; read

Hindustan Times

7 hours ago

The excitement in the air for Nitesh Tiwari's epic Ramayana is palpable. With an ensemble cast that includes some of the biggest names in B-Town — Ranbir Kapoor, Ravi Dubey, Yash, Sai Pallavi, and Sunny Deol — all eyes are also on Namit Malhotra, the brain behind the film's VFX. The 49-year-old has helmed the VFX design and production on not only Ramayana but his name is also attached to Hollywood cult classics like Dune (2021), Interstellar (2014), Avatar (2009) and more. Namit Malhotra and Yash
Education and career trajectory
You've probably read about him already. Born into a film family, Namit is the son of producer Naresh Malhotra and the grandson of cinematographer MN Malhotra. After completing his education in computer graphics, he launched his first company, Video Workshop. In 1997, he merged it with his father's film production and rental business to form Prime Focus. Then, in 2014, Prime Focus merged with the UK-based VFX giant Double Negative (DNEG). Since then, the company has provided visual effects for landmark films like Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Tenet (2020). Over the last ten years, DNEG has won the Best Visual Effects Oscar seven times — eight times in total.
A throwback to Interstellar
One of the films that won the Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 2015 Academy Awards was Interstellar. In an older interview with James Whittaker, Namit Malhotra opened up about what it was like to work on the film with none other than Christopher Nolan. 'My favourite filmmaker in the world is Christopher Nolan,' he said. 'He's the most stellar, one-of-a-kind director that I've ever seen. I compliment him all the time because I feel like he's one filmmaker who is so precise in his vision, in his execution.'
Speaking about the work they did on Interstellar, he said, 'We make a film for Mr. Nolan like Interstellar. You're talking about creating something that the world of science doesn't have — how does light travel through the black hole or the wormhole, and what does that look like?'
'The whole aspect of creating those vistas and visions about being in space and being in that part of the world that you've never really seen before... and making sure that whatever we do is hiding behind the emotional graph of the connect the father has with his daughter, and how he's really trying so hard to make that connection with her as he's battling through all those challenges and complexities of time and space,' he added.
'What becomes critical is that you can make something look really pretty and you can make something look really nice, but how do you make it authentic? That is where there's no one like Mr. Nolan to really drive the sense of realism and authenticity. So for us, we're making those scenes — when they're in the spaceship and they see the world outside, and he's falling through and he sees his daughter behind the bookshelf — those are all the scenes that come to my mind that needed an incredible amount of detail. While it has splendour, it doesn't take you away from the emotion of the scene.'
He summed it up perfectly: 'That's what I always say to people — visual effects is not the reason why a film is going to be connecting with people. In fact, the more seamless we make it, the more successful the film will be.
Further reflecting on his time working on Avatar, Namit highlighted how important it is for the world to feel real. 'It's not just a pretty visual, it's your environment, it's what you now believe. You're seeing the characters and you believe that's happening to them. You feel for them — you have joy, you have tears.'
Now, onto Ramayana
'This is personally my dream being fulfilled — of becoming a creative collaborator in that journey,' he said about working on Ramayana.
Speaking to the media in Mumbai during the teaser premiere, Namit described Ramayana as a project much bigger than a film. 'This is a cultural movement for every Indian around the world. With Ramayana, we're not just retelling history; we're introducing our legacy to the world. Bringing together the finest global talent allows us to tell this story with authenticity, emotion, and state-of-the-art cinematic innovation. We've seen Ramayana portrayed before — but this version reimagines its landscapes, creatures, and battles with the scale and splendour they deserve. As Indians, this is our truth. Now, it will be our gift to the world.'
About the film
Rooted in a mythological age ruled by the divine trio — Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva — the story traces the rise of Ravana (Yash) who grows powerful enough to disrupt the order of the cosmos. To restore balance, Vishnu takes human form as Rama (Ranbir Kapoor), leading to a legendary battle between good and evil.
Ramayana will be released worldwide — Part 1 on Diwali 2026 and Part 2 on Diwali 2027.