HYDERABAD: In the heart of Annapurna Studios, a technological revolution is unfolding. The newly launched A&M MoCap Lab is being positioned as India’s largest and most advanced motion capture facility, and it has already been put to use by none other than filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli for his upcoming magnum opus, Varanasi.
The facility, formally unveiled by Rajamouli in late February 2026 but functional since mid-2025, represents a significant leap forward for Indian cinema’s pre-production and visual effects capabilities.
What is Motion Capture?
Motion capture, or MoCap, is a technology that records the movement of objects or people. In filmmaking, an artist wears a specialized suit equipped with markers. High-definition motion tracking cameras record their movements, which are then transferred to 3D computer-generated characters. This data helps filmmakers analyze precision, speed, camera angles, and depth before a single frame of live-action is shot. It also includes facial capture, enabling life-like expressions for animated characters.
A Facility Built for Scale
What sets the A&M MoCap Lab apart is its sheer size and technical specifications, designed to handle the kind of large-scale sequences Rajamouli is famous for.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Floor Space | 60ft x 40ft x 30ft (ample height, depth, and scale) |
| Cameras | Over 60 Vicon Valkyrie (VK26) high-fidelity motion tracking cameras |
| Key Software | Vicon Live (real-time streaming), Vicon Post (post-processing), Unreal Engine (live preview) |
| Facial Capture | Stereo head-mounted camera units for high-resolution facial performance capture |
This setup allows for the planning of complex sequences involving 20-30 actors or even full-scale war sequences as part of pre-visualization work.
Why Rajamouli Needed It
For his upcoming Telugu film Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajamouli used the MoCap facility to plan stunt sequences. This pre-visualization work is crucial for a director of his scale.
Producer Shobu Yarlagadda (of Baahubali fame) recalled travelling with Rajamouli to Bengaluru years ago for a test project. During Baahubali – The Conclusion, they had to fly an artist all the way to Los Angeles for MoCap work. The desire for a world-class facility closer to home was the seed that grew into this project.
In hindsight, Shobu agrees with Rajamouli’s statement at the lab’s launch: had such a facility been available while making Baahubali, particularly for the war sequences, it would have dramatically sped up the pre-visualisation process and filming.
A Powerful Partnership
The A&M MoCap Lab is a collaboration between three key entities:
- Annapurna Studios: The legendary Hyderabad studio founded by actor-producer Nagarjuna Akkineni, represented by CV Rao.
- Mihira Visual Labs: Shobu Yarlagadda’s company, launched to work on animation and VFX for the animated film Baahubali – The Eternal War.
- Animatrik Film Design: A global leader that provided technology solutions for Hollywood blockbusters such as Avengers: EndGame and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
CV Rao of Annapurna Studios noted that while the investment was significant, it was a one-time cost, and given the vibrant film industries and growing gaming sector in India, the decision was a clear one.
The Evolution of MoCap in Indian Cinema
Indian audiences first saw a photorealistic motion capture film with Soundarya Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan in 2014. “The film was ahead of its time but the technology was nascent. It was a great experiment. Today such a film can be done with ease,” says Shobu.
He cites international projects like the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots and Amazon Prime’s Secret Level as recent examples of MoCap’s possibilities.
With cutting-edge technology now available in India, producers and directors hope more filmmakers will explore it for both live-action and animation. The success of films like Mahavatar Narasimha has already shown the scope for Indian animation, and MoCap is expected to be a key tool for filmmakers like Ishan Shukla, who is directing Baahubali – The Eternal War.
The A&M MoCap Lab stands as a testament to India’s growing ambition in global-standard filmmaking, promising to bring the vision of its most ambitious storytellers to life with greater precision and ease.
