Magic behind the mic

Akshay Oberoi with co-actor Priya Shroff in the studio

Akshay Oberoi believes his latest work has revived his power of imagination. The actor has lent his voice to a yet-untitled animated series, which is based on Sneha Sapru's book, Magical Creatures of Mumbai's Underbelly. Having enjoyed his first brush with motion-capture animation, he says, "The technology behind it is cutting-edge. We donned specially designed helmets and gear, moved within a designated space, while the video camera captured our movements. This data was used to create the animation sequences that you will see on screen. This technique has been previously used in Happy Feet, The Adventures of TinTin, and more."

In the anthology of fantasy stories involving Medusa, a cartel of birds, and mermen, Oberoi plays Dev, who has a surreal adventure when sent to Kamathipura. New to motion-capture animation, the actor says he was guided by director Aayushman Pandey. "He had a vision of it technically. So, I shot in a room, and it became a wide canvas by the end of it." The project originated with the aim of creating an Indian series in the vein of the popular Netflix offering, Love Death + Robots (2019).