Since the first time that the trailer for Brahmastra was released, there was an extended form of excitement and buzz created for the release of the movie. Viewers, especially the Indian audience, were now expecting a movie that would finally prove to be worthy of praise and viewing. While the experienced actors and delightful music already provided promising odds to the audience, it was the CGI effects in the trailer that really sold them. While there have been massive franchises in the South Indian industry, this was the first time that Bollywood was coming up with something of this scale. 

CGI Effects In Brahmastra

With the release of this highly anticipated movie, people have offered all kinds of reviews, some praising the acting while others criticizing the script. However, the one thing that has been found most commonly in a majority of the reviews was the high appreciation for the CGI effects used in the film. They have been called magnificent and unlike anything, you have seen in a Bollywood movie before this. This huge hit has been called a major step away from previous attempts at creating pleasing visual effects. 

Anyone who has seen enough Bollywood movies would be aware of how elaborately some of them have failed at creating a picture for a wide variety of people. In that sense, Brahmastra has proved to be a major success. Though there were a lot of question-worthy lines and the fact that it only took Isha, the love interest played by the extremely talented Alia Bhatt, mere minutes to fall in love with Shiva made us grimace, the film was a visual extravaganza that should be seen in theatres. 

Bollywood Movies With Horrible CGI

While filmmaking technology, such as CGI and VFX, has advanced significantly, Bollywood rarely gets it right. While films like Baahubali and Padmavat show how to employ technology to create unforgettable viewing experiences, there are certain cringe-inducing CGI scenes in Bollywood that make us laugh at their attempts, which have been awful.

1. Main Prem ki Diwani Hoon

Who in their right mind can forget this masterpiece? The critics must have had a field day with this movie, given the arduous script, the wacky lines, and the over-the-top acting. The animated animals (the dog and the parrot) almost seemed like impractical jokes played to the audience. As if these animals were not enough, the creators went ahead with making a whole movie full of scenes that were overreacted to the hilt throughout. There has been no idea about the reason behind such poor choices. 

One would wonder if this was performed for comedic effect or if it was an intentional and intelligent decision. The audio effects in the film were not particularly pleasant either, the parrot’s sound making anyone physically revolt. It had unidentified reasons, was frightening and irritating, and existed. Additionally, there is another scene in the movie where the visuals are horribly messed up. Even a respected actor such as Pankaj Kapoor had to endure such scenes which could mess up anyone’s mind. 

2. Mohenjodaro

Just as people started to assume that Bollywood was steadily improving at using visual effects in historical dramas, along comes Mohenjo Daro. This movie starred Hrithik Roshan as the central protagonist. The movie’s long-anticipated crocodile combat scene was particularly absurd. Viewers were disappointed about the sheer dramatization of the sequence; it was criticized vividly for the absence of realism in the background. First of all, it is very unlikely for a crocodile to jump that high, specifically if it is present in water.

In addition, the crocodile appeared to be performing an elaborate dance, which clearly wasn’t the way that a crocodile would attack anyone. This is not going to make Steve Irwin happy! No matter how good an actor is, it could not substitute for shoddy VFX because the situation appeared to be humorous rather than dreadful.

3. Half Girlfriend

The film based on a novel of the same name written by novelist Chetan Bhagat was not received well by the audience. The story was stale and forced the viewers into a field of boredom. What really hurt the performance of the movie was the dramatic and awful addition of Bill Gates during one of its scenes. The visual effects were downright cartoonish and begged to be ridiculed. 

4. Vaah Life Ho To Aisi

Yama is ordered to bring in the dead body of Aditya, a wealthy Indian. Yama complies. Aditya’s spirit begs him to release him and bring him back to life as he has a lot of unfinished business to attend to as they travel. Yama declines to comply. However, when Aditya insists, Yama gives him another chance. Aditya is then informed about how he is being allowed to go back to the plane of existence for a stipulated time period in order to rid his family of any difficulties and problems that they cannot take care of. 

Aditya is sent back together with a new friend who also passed away on the very same day as Aditya. When Aditya learns that his family’s home is being seized over by an unethical builder, he decides to fight back. The film stays afloat on account of its sympathetic storyline but the visual effects are nothing if not cringe-inducing. The absurdity of it all makes you question the directors and editors. 

5. Chamatkar

Sunder Srivastava is a recent graduate played by Shahrukh Khan who only wants to realize his father’s dream of opening a school on his half-acre land in his village. However, his friend takes advantage of him by forcing him to mortgage his property. When Sunder runs into a ghost, the ghost is helpful.

The charms exuded by Shahrukh Khan and the wits of Naseeruddin Shah were the factors that were able to compensate for the wacky CGI effects employed in the comedy. However, unlike some of these other movies, this was released decades ago which makes up for the less-than-optimal visual effects. 

6. Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani

Divya and Karan are in a committed relationship and want to wed. Divya’s life is permanently changed when she discovers she was the lover of a snake who can take physical shape in a previous life. The snake has returned and won’t allow anyone to stop him from seeing Divya again. 

This movie has created a fanbase of its own because of the number of memes that it has given birth to. The acting from Armaan Kohli and the cringy dialogues made this one of the most mocked films in Bollywood. The IMDB rating for it is as low as 2.6. The VFX made the whole film even more insufferable. 

7. Rudraksh

This film is based on the Hindu mythology of the Ramayana. It talks about the metaphorical evil left behind after Ravana was killed by Lord Rama. This is filled with cringy dialogues and the weirdest VFX effects. The film somehow even has animated mountains. There is nothing left unsaid in that case. This movie takes the honor of some of the worst CGI effects in all of Indian cinema. 

Conclusion 

These movies are from different eras of Bollywood. Whether they were able to perform well on screen or not, one thing that they are able to do is to stand testament to the progress that Bollywood has made in terms of its CGI.