Bobby Deol calls his transformation in ‘Alpha’ surreal, says ‘technology can only go so far’

Mumbai: Actor Bobby Deol, who played the role of Fateh Singh Lakhawat, a ruthless operative, trainer in ‘Alpha,’ has revealed how the project introduced him to a new side of filmmaking.

The actor described his digital transformation in the film as a “surreal” experience and said it was fascinating to witness how far cinema technology has evolved. However, Bobby mentioned that despite advancements in technology, an actor’s performance and emotional connection with the character remain the most important aspects.

Speaking about the same, he shared, “It was honestly surreal seeing years disappear from my face! I’ve played many different characters over the years, but this was a first for me. As actors, we’re always fascinated by how cinema continues to evolve, and this was one of those moments where you realize how far filmmaking has come. But technology can only do so much — you still have to perform the character truthfully. That was the exciting part for me: trusting the process while making sure the emotions remained completely honest.”

Director Shiv Rawail added, “From the very beginning, we knew this wasn’t a visual effect that existed for spectacle alone. For me, every creative decision has to serve the story. Hence, it was an important storytelling decision because the audience needed to believe they were seeing the character at a very specific point in his life.”

“If that illusion didn’t feel seamless, the emotional journey wouldn’t land the way we intended. The challenge was always to make the technology invisible so that audiences remained invested in the story and the performance, not the effect.”

Interestingly, Alpha brought together director Shiv Rawail’s vision and yFX Studios’ expertise, combining cutting-edge technology with meticulous craftsmanship to create a seamless transformation.

The breakthrough was powered by YRF’s in-house yFX division. Head of yFX Studios and VFX Supervisor Sherry Bharda mentioned, “Today’s audiences are incredibly discerning, which means visual effects have to be virtually undetectable. At yFX, for the first time we’ve deployed AI combined with visual effects with this level of fidelity and consistency across an entire sequence, rather than for the odd shot here and there. It wasn’t easy, because despite Bobby’s rich legacy on screen, usable footage of him from that era, in matching lighting and angles, was still hard to come by. So our artists had far less to train and work with.”

The seamless de-aging effects in ‘Alpha’ represented another achievement for YRF’s yFX division, highlighting the studio’s commitment to advanced filmmaking technology.

Produced by Aditya Chopra and directed by Shiv Rawail, “Alpha” features Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles. The film was released in theatres on July 3.

IANS