Click to play videoMumbai: Hollywood studio executives are calling it the new Lord of the Rings, and everyone's got their attention fixed on the new fantasy epic film Eragon which opens across the United States this weekend.
Few, however, are aware that those magnificent computer-generated dragons in the film have been created by an Indian.
Say hello to Los Angeles-based visual effects genius Sameer Hoon, the brainchild behind all those fictional creatures in the film. For Hoon, who's currently travelling across the world to showcase his contribution, the biggest challenge was keeping it all real.
"The challenge was to give the dragon a humane look as well keep it animalistic and to fit into the film,” says Hoon.
The only Indian at movie mogul George Lucas' visual effects studio, Industrial Light & Magic, Hoon has worked on several big-budget films like Twister, A Perfect Storm, Terminator 3 and Lucas' own Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith. For Hoon, working with Lucas on the final Star Wars film was like a dream come true, a dream he'd been nursing since his growing up years in Kolkata.
"I wanted to work for star wars and I have come to this point today,” he says.
Having seen some effects work in a few Bollywood films including Krrish, Hoon isn't terribly impressed, but insists there is potential where bigger budgets are available.
In fact, he just may be on a flight back to India shortly, having committed to provide consultancy on a few Bollywood projects that are being planned on an epic scale.
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