Kochi-based VFX designers Lavan and Kushan Prakashan are on cloud 9. They are part of the VFX crew of the Telugu legendary, superhero movie Hanu-Man, which received the National Award for Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic) and greatest stunt choreography. That will not be all, three different films that they’ve been part of have additionally received National Awards in totally different classes — Ullozhuku (Malayalam), Parking (Tamil), and Kathal (Hindi).
For the brothers, who hail from Kodungallur, close to Kochi, that is validation for the leap of religion they made 10 years in the past after they moved again to Kochi, from Mumbai (the place Lavan was working) and Bengaluru (Kushan’s base), to arrange Digital Turbo Media higher often known as DTM.
They have traversed a protracted solution to get right here, relocating to work in an business which, at the moment, functioned largely on private equations and relationships. “I wanted us to do something on our own. Lavan was not too keen, rightly so, because we did not know anybody here. I tried convincing him, but he was just not buying it. However, he called one day and over a five-minute phone call, we decided to take the plunge. His son was watching the animation movie Turbo, so that became part of the name of our company. That is how Digital Turbo Media came to be in 2015,” says Kushan.
One of the scenes from the Hindi movie, ‘Jalsa’, earlier than the VFX designing
“I still remember our first office in Panampilly Nagar, a one BHK which doubled as an office and a place to sleep when we had to work overnight. And those days when we did not have too many projects. The Malayalam industry was in its nascence in terms of visual effect.” They visited potential shoppers with showreels of their work in the different languages which weren’t of a lot assist touchdown assignments.
Huge VFX budgets
Today, the scene may be very totally different. The finances set put aside for VFX and artwork path runs into just a few crore rupees, the sky is the restrict. “The scene has changed drastically… money is not an issue when it comes to making a movie top notch!”
While Lavan has a level in pc software, Kushan got here in with none training in the discipline besides a love of cinema. Lavan first went to Mumbai, in 2005-06, studying every part he is aware of about pc graphics and design on his personal or with assist from his mates. He then labored with Sahara Movie Studios, Mumbai. “My brother worked very hard to pick up what he knows. Those days there were no YouTube videos to learn stuff from. But once he gained a foothold, I joined him. Everything I know, he taught me. My brother guided me into this career,” says Kushan.
The scene from ‘Jalsa’ afterwards
Kushan remembers being requested why they have been relocating to Kochi. “Those were the early days. Industry colleagues could not comprehend our move back home. But, today, in retrospect, they understand. Malayalam is one film industry where the money rotates pretty quickly. Post-production does not take more than 20-25 days. The sheer number of films being made is also huge.”
The first movie the brothers did VFX for was Saigal Padugayanu. “One of the things we worked on was the tunnel sequence. When I revisit our work in it, I feel that we could have done so much better than we did. But then it is like that with one’s work, especially the earlier ones.” Puthiya Niyamam adopted. These have been instances after they barely had a handful of films. The turning level was round the nook in the type of Rajeev Ravi’s Kammatti Padam.
“Lavan and Rajeev Ravi had known each other from Mumbai, that connection led to us being part of the film,” Kushan recollects. Kammatti Padam (2016) is situated in Kammattipaadam, a locality in Kochi, which not exists. The transient was clear, the crew needed to recreate the space utilizing VFX, amongst different visible results they designed for the movie. Not solely had DTM created the locality but additionally different components like constructing, skyline and the cityscape.
“Though the film made waves, we still did not get too much of work here. We were in two minds about releasing show reels of VFX breakdown when a comment from a friend set the ball rolling. They stared in disbelief when we told them parts of the film were VFX. So we released the showreel.”
That flipped the script. DTM went on to turn out to be one of the busiest VFX studios in Kerala. Their portfolio at the moment boasts a protracted record of films that they’ve been part of — Trance, Varathan, Ezra, Parava, Ayyappanum Koshiyum, Rorschach, Neymar, Kannur Squad, ARM, Thuramukham, Puzhu, Nna Thaan Case Kodu, Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil, Ullozhuokku…. Some films come as a shock or quite the presence of VFX in them.
The delicate artwork of VFX
Kushan laughs, “That is good, isn’t it? It is a win if it goes unnoticed. Also, the lay viewer may not notice it but those from the industry know. VFX and CG often complement art direction.”
Although they’d labored in different language films earlier than, as VFX technicians, as DTM one of their first undertaking outdoors Malayalam was the Tamil movie Dikkiloona. Then got here the biggies that they have been part of, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films corresponding to Kantara 1, Charlie, Virupaksha, Drishya 2, Vettaiyan, HIT3…which they landed both by way of their contacts or Malayali technicians working in these industries. They have been part of Hindi films corresponding to Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and KILL; they’ve not too long ago signed on a Dharma Production.
“There was a time when films from Kerala were taken outside the State to get VFX and CG work done. It is a matter of great pride for us that we have been getting some of the biggest Indian movies (as part of the VFX team) like the Kantara movies, Vettaiyan, HIT3 (VFX supervision included) to Kochi, to do the work. We, as in artists in Kerala, are among the best in the business!” He credit the success of DTM to the crew, “these are the same people we have known for 20-odd years, the set of people from Mumbai who we hung out with. They are all part of DTM today. Since my brother and I have to travel a lot as part of our work, they are the backbone of our company.” DTM additionally runs a VFX faculty, VFX Skool to coach budding visible results designers.
Kushan explains how DTM got here to be one of the VFX corporations on Hanu-man. “That is how the industry works because if, for instance a single company takes on the entire VFX works of one film then they would not be able to commit to other projects. Often films take time getting made, and economically it does not make sense to be with a solo project. This way, under one VFX supervisor, multiple companies can work on a single film and do other work without feeling ‘stuck’.”
Malayalam tasks, he says, wrap up faster in comparability. “Interestingly, filmmakers outside Kerala wonder about the use of VFX in our films. Which is a compliment to the quality of work of technicians working in Kerala! This year, in 2025, the growth of VFX, if one were to go by the budgets, has been phenomenal. The sky is the limit,” he provides.
Even after 600 films underneath their belt, Kushan says each movie comes with its set of challenges. “But the biggest challenge is delivering on time. We cannot make excuses.”
