Rishi Kapoor to Carrie Fisher: Late actors who were brought to life on screen using CGI

Over the past years, the Bollywood and Hollywood film industries alike, have lost some of their greats who left a big void the industry. Although all these celebrity demises were just as shocking, some announcements came as an even bigger jolt as these stars seemed hale and hearty on the sets. At times like these, filmmakers have often risen to the challenges and pushed the envelope of filmmaking to give these late stars a befitting film and also let the audience bid their final goodbyes. From Rishi Kapoor in Bollywood to Carrie Fisher in Hollywood, here’s a list of late stars who were brought back to life on-screen using CGI.

After battling cancer for over two years, Rishi Kapoor passed away on April 30 at a hospital in Mumbai. At the time, the actor was reportedly shooting for his film ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ with Juhi Chawla in Delhi. Sadly, owing to some delays and his sudden demise, the film was left incomplete with just a few days if shoot remaining. According to the latest reports, the makers of what is now Rishi’s last film have promised that the project will see a theatrical release. Talking about how they plan to finish the remaining portions of the film, the makers said that advanced technology, an amalgamation of VFX, and some special technique will be used to complete Rishi’s portions in the film.

While this technique may be one of the first few attempts in Bollywood, on the other side of the globe, in Hollywood, filmmakers frequently resort to this kind of movie magic. Let’s take a look.

Veteran actor Oliver Reed passed away from a massive heart attack while working on director Ridley Scott’s film ‘Gladiator’. To complete the film, the director used a digitally constructed face which was mapped onto a body double during editing. With the use of special effects and an edited script, the results were convincing enough to go unnoticed by viewers. Reed even won a BAFTA nomination for his performance in the film.

Hollywood’s screen legend Marlon Brando made a lasting impression when he played the role of Superman’s father Jor-El in the 1978 film ‘Superman: The Movie’. It is no wonder then that his character was re-written into the 2006 pseudo-sequel ‘Superman Returns’. However, owing to the legend’s passing in 2004, the team went to great lengths to get a VFX company on-board to use previous footage of the star from the 1978 film to match Brando’s eyes and create a model and add texture to his mouth to make his dialogue delivery appear natural.

Actor Paul Walker, famous for his role in the ‘Fast and Furious’ series, met his untimely demise after a fatal car crash claimed his life. At the time, Walker was shooting for the seventh instalment of the franchise. To finish the project, the team used approximately 350 CGI shots and even had his brothers Cody and Caleb stepping in as body doubles. Not only was the director able to finish the film, but also complete the character’s arc while paying a touching tribute to the star.

The galaxy’s favourite warrior-princess Carrie Fisher suddenly passed away at the age of 60, while shooting for her film ‘Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker’. While fans grieved her loss, director J.J. Abrams went the extra mile to make sure Carrie got a befitting farewell as he altered the final Star Wars script and worked with unused footage of the actress and accurately brought her to life on the big screen.

Musical sensation and actress Whitney Houston’s untimely demise in 2012 shocked the world. And although fans mourned her passing, they were not yet ready to bid her goodbye. Hence, unlike the other personalities on this list who were brought to life on-screen, Whitney was created into a hologram for a concert that kicked off early this year. An Evening with Whitney, featuring a hologram of the singer flagged off in the US and saw the late diva singing her greatest hits accompanied by a live band.