S.S. Rajamouli Unveils Motion Capture Lab at Nagarjuna’s Annapurna

“RRR” director S.S. Rajamouli has unveiled what is being billed as India’s most advanced motion capture facility, unveiling the A&M MoCap Lab at Hyderabad’s Annapurna Studios.

The facility is a joint venture between Akkineni Nagarjuna‘s Annapurna Studios and “Baahubali” producer Shobu Yarlagadda‘s Mihira Visual Labs, with Hollywood’s Animatrik Film Design – whose credits include “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “RRR” – serving as the technology partner. During the unveiling, Rajamouli shared the first glimpse of the lab and confirmed that key sequences of “Varanasi,” which stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran were captured there.

For Rajamouli, the facility closes a long-standing gap in Indian filmmaking infrastructure. “India has always had some of the world’s best technicians contributing to major global productions, but what we lacked was an advanced facility right here at home,” he said. “When I look back at some of my previous films like ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Eega,’ I reminisce how I could have made them even better if I had access to motion capture technology back then in India. With the introduction of A&M’s motion capture technology, that gap has finally been bridged. We utilized this facility in the making of crucial sequences in ‘Varanasi,’ and the results were simply fantastic.”

Nagarjuna framed the launch as a milestone for Indian cinema at large. “For decades, Indian filmmakers have aspired to tell large-scale stories that match global standards, but access to high-end technology was often a limitation,” he said. “With A&M, filmmakers can now bring everything from epic adventures to intricate science fiction dramas to life right here in Hyderabad.”

Yarlagadda, whose Mihira Visual Labs co-developed the facility, described it as part of a broader infrastructure-building effort. “For Indian cinema to truly compete on a global stage, it is essential to create advanced technology ecosystems within the country,” he said. “Seeing a filmmaker like S.S. Rajamouli utilize our A&M MoCap facility for ‘Varanasi’ reinforces our belief that the future of Indian storytelling will be driven by innovation built at home.”

Brett Ineson, president and CTO of Animatrik Film Design, added: “We’re incredibly proud to see Animatrik’s motion capture technology powering this landmark facility at Annapurna Studios. Annapurna has long been a beacon of cinematic excellence, and partnering with them and Mihira Visual Labs to bring world-class performance capture capabilities to India is truly exciting. This collaboration represents a significant step in enabling filmmakers and creators to tell more immersive, emotionally rich stories with the highest global standards.”

The lab features a 60-by-40-by-30-foot capture volume equipped with Vicon Valkyrie VK26 cameras offering sub-millimeter optical tracking precision and real-time data streaming via Vicon Live. The setup integrates Unreal Engine for live virtual production previsualization and includes Stereo Head-Mounted Camera units for high-resolution facial performance capture. Notably, the facility is modular and expandable, allowing it to be disassembled and reassembled on location as productions require.

C.V. Rao, CTO of Annapurna Studios, emphasized the facility’s utility as a pre-production tool. “Directors and cinematographers can experiment with camera blocking, lens choices, camera movements, and frame rates in a dynamic virtual environment, allowing critical creative decisions to be finalized during the motion capture stage, prior to principal photography,” he said, adding that the approach is designed to minimize costly trial-and-error during live shoots.

The launch comes as Annapurna Studios marks its 50th anniversary. The studio said it intends to open the facility to Indian and international filmmakers, game developers, and animation studios seeking a production partner in Asia. It is also not the first time Rajamouli has partnered with Annapurna on a technological milestone – he previously launched India’s first Dolby cinema processing facility at the same studio.