In March, the construction of a lavish set for Rocket Gang — choreographer Bosco Martis's directorial debut — was halted due to the lockdown. Now, as filmmakers have to shoot in a controlled environment and with minimal crew, Martis has chanced upon a novel idea to take his project forward. In a first in Bollywood, the director will film portions of the movie using real-time virtual reality (VR). The advanced technique — recently employed in The Jungle Book, and the live-action remake of The Lion King — not only provides an interactive experience to the audience, but also enables a director to shoot a film without the responsibility of erecting an elaborate set.

"We need to start shooting soon because the film has kids [as the principal cast] and if we wait too long, they won't look the part. An international team specialising in visual effects gave us a presentation about virtual reality that Zee Studios [producer] and I were kicked about. The process will save us time. Earlier, the actors were to perform against a chroma set. But with the VR headset, I can visualise the scene beforehand. After the shot, the actors too can see how the sequence looks, which will help improve their performance," explains the director.