Art director
Ullas Hydur
studied architecture, but always knew that he wanted to build more than just mundane spaces, resorts and buildings. And that’s what drew him to cinema. In
Avane Srimannarayana
, he proved how he could create huge sets for entertainment and now, he gets to take that creative streak further with
Avatara Purusha
for which he has woven several fantasy worlds together.
“I have been a cinema buff and a gamer too all my life. I am a huge Star Wars fan and I have always been in awe of the world they created. Since I cannot build those fantasy worlds in real life, I knew that cinema was the only place that I could do that,” he reveals.
Ullas says Avatara Purusha director
Suni allowed him just that. “Working with Suni is an amazing experience. There is a lot of scope for creative inputs and liberty. We have shown black magic scenarios, which are not like the regular ones. We had to create multiple worlds and they had to look convincing. Though we shot for the film across different locations in Kerala and Rajasthan, we had to ensure they looked like they were in the same realm. In Kerala, we shot in a house that is the protagonist’
s house
. In Rajasthan, we created sets that included a cave and also a training school for magicians.”
A lot of research went into the sets for Avatara Purusha. “We studied South African voodoo magic, Spanish gypsy magic, the mythical Mayan mandala form and bits from Greek history. We have tried to combine that and come out with something novel, while ensuring we had that final Indian black magic flavour to convince our audience. We have adapted symbols and rituals from across the world to ensure freshness. Even for our hero’s house, we have had references from older times to narrate the background to our story.”
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