The ghost antics were difficult for Anushka Sharma in Phillauri, but she feels the toughest job was for the VFX team. She shares her experience and that of the VFX team in the 'Making of the ghost' video from the film.
"As an actor, I can always say that it was very difficult for me. I was hanging on a harness the whole day and moving on a hoverboard. My feet never touched the ground. On a serious note, it was difficult for me physically. But the real hard work on the character is done by Red Chillies VFX,” she said. The film also starred Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma and Mehreen Pirzada.
Anushka feels the character of Shashi is unique for a reason. “This is a unique representation of a ghost since it is based on a real character,” she said and added, “The entire lower body is recreated.”
Harry Hingorani, the VFX supervisor revealed, “It took a good three to six months to get the look right.”
Those who have seen the film would know how Shashi leaves behind gold dust particles whenever she disappears from the scene. “To stick that glitter is very tough because when you do a random, generic thing it doesn’t stick. So we had to track it properly,” he added. He said they tried it for the first time during the bathroom shot.
Director Anshai Lal explains the case of Anushka’s dupattas in the film. “She has some great dupattas (in the film). If she is standing, she has a different dupatta. If she is floating, she has a different one,” he said.
Anushka summed up her experience saying, “I am very happy as an actor that I was able to do this. As an actor, you are always looking for different looks for yourself in films. And nothing can be more different than this actually.”
Watch the making of the Phillauri ghost: