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ShareBangalore: It started way back in the 1890s, when British film pioneer William Friese-Greene filed for a patent for a revolutionary 3D movie process. Back then, two images were shown side-by-side and a stereoscope was used to converge the two images for viewing. The first 3D feature film the world saw was Nat Deverich's five-reel melodrama Power of Love in 1922. For India, the first 3D movie experience came much later as My Dear Kutti Chathan, produced by NavodayaAppachan in 1984.
This genre of movies have never failed to entertain the young and the old alike. Today, with the release of several 3D movies and many theatres readily spending enormous amounts of money for upgrading their equipments to cater to the 3D format, one wonders if such movies create the same thrill they once did. Vinayak Chandran, a degree student, recalls watching My Dear Kutti Chathan as a child: "I don't remember the movie very well now, but a few scenes like the one where the ice cream and fruits become life-sized is still very fresh in my memory. I even reached out tograb them."
A movie that was mainly aimed at entertaining children, it turned out to be a blockbuster. The film was originally made in Malayalam and later dubbed into several other languages as well. It was released again in 1998 with some new sequences and became the first film to introduce DTS sound in Malayalam.
3D movies saw a depression during the 60s due to the sky-high expenses involved. In the last few years, the field of cinema has seen the rise of 3D movies again with the release of Terminator 2, followed by Spy Kids, Beowulf, Chicken Little etc, but all on foreign shores. This Christmas, two theatres in the city, Urvashi and Mukunda, are going to be screening 3D movies.
Amit Gowda of Urvashi theatre says, "We have almost 30 3D movies lined up for next yearof which two are going to be Indian -- one is Rajnikanth's much-awaited Sultan." Having spent over a crore to install the active shutter technology in a tie-up with XPAND, world leaders in 3D technology, Urvashi Theatres hopes to bring 3D movies to the common man. It also takes the cake for being the first in the country to have installed this state-of-the-art technology along with digital projectors. Frequent movie-goers needn't worry as the only extra spend is Rs 50 for the 3D glasses.
Maya Abraham, a housewife, watched My Dear Kutti Chathan as a teenager. She says, "Since technology has developed so much since then, I am sure the effects are going to be much more realistic. But the memories of the first will always stay alive in everyone's minds."
"We expect people to come in droves to watch the 3D movies, especially because of the brilliant effects the new technology offers. This December, Jim Carrey's A Christmas Carol, James Cameron's Avatar and maybe Ice Age, if in demand will be screened," says Amit.
So this winter season, brace yourself for mindblowing 3D effects which are light on your pocket, and screened right in your neighbourhood.
