Aditya Roy Kapur puppet was created by Ramdas and Satyajit Padhye

Anurag Basu’s recently released Ludo (2020), which saw Aditya Roy Kapur play a ventriloquist and dubbing artiste, also featured a puppet modelled on the actor. 

The puppet was made by ventriloquist, puppeteer and puppet maker Ramdas Padhye and his son Satyajit Padhye. Ramdas, the son of pioneering ventriloquist YK Padhye, has been making puppets for 53 years and has so far made around 2,200 of them. 

Speaking about his experience working with the filmmaker, Ramdas said in an official statement, “Anurag Basu knew that we could make real-looking puppets of people. When he visited us, we showed him a few puppets and he was amazed by them.”

Explaining the process of getting Kapur’s puppet right, Satyajit said, “We did a 3D scan of Aditya before making his puppet. We also took a few 3D pictures of him. Based on that, we made the puppet. We had to retain the key aspects of Aditya’s face – his hairstyle and long nose.” 

Satyajit also provided training to Kapur. “We had a good experience working with Aditya. He learned the art with all his heart. I used to visit his home to teach him. He learnt the art of ventriloquism quickly. I was also at hand to offer any kind of help during the shoot. I am happy to say that Aditya got even the little nuances of the character right,” he said. 

After finishing the film, Kapur sent a thanksgiving message to Satyajit, which said, “I thank you for the assistance. It was an amazing experience to learn this art from you. I hope that your father will also like my performance.”