Kannada film shot in record two hours, without any cuts

'Raktha Gulabi' is a rare film that was shot simultaneously across multiple locations

Here’s a film that has been shot in just two hours and eight minutes. It is shot in a single take without a single cut. Titled, ‘Raktha Gulabi,’ it traces the changes that occur in the life of a man. Circumstances force him to turn into a rebel and after that his life is fraught with many challenges. Directed by Rabi, this film has served as a perfect platform for new talents. In an interview with Metrolife, Rabi talks about the making of the film and more.

The movie was shot in two hours and eight minutes, without a cut. How did you manage that?

It was not easy. We had a lot of prior planning and preparation before the shoot. I spent close to a year in pre-production. We didn’t talk much about the project to anybody because this was a new concept and I didn’t want anybody to copy it. I briefed the actors and also visited the locations multiple times to ensure the shoot went as planned. Our day would start at 4 am and end pretty late. There are a lot of people who have worked tirelessly on this project.

What was the idea behind conceptualising a rebel for the lead?

The story passes through three different shades of a man’s life. Like any other, he leads a simple life, but circumstances turn him into a rebel. He starts detesting his rebellious existence. It is at this time that he finds love and decides to shun his old ways and start afresh. But the past haunts him. The question of whether he will move forward or get stuck in his past forms the crux of the story.

What were the challenges you faced?

The movie was scheduled to be completed in just two days. The budget was also allocated for the same. The first day of shoot went perfectly well. But, on the second day, we had to deal with bad weather conditions. This accounted for some extra production costs. The other challenge is that the movie travels to multiple locations, so setting up the camera and adjusting the other equipments were a time-consuming affair.

Could you talk about how to you managed to effectively create the visuals of bomb blasts and gun firing. How much of VFX has been used?

The bomb blasts and gun firing have been made to appear real. We saved on using VFX and found cheaper, but effective alternatives. We used air guns for the gun shots. To effectively create a bomb blast on screen, my friend and I created an air bomb which has the impression of a bomb, but one that is not harmful. We spent two months to create this air bomb. This helped us save on costs. There are three gun firing and one bomb blast scene in the movie. And all this was shot in a single take, without any cut.

Where has the film been shot?

The film has been completely shot in Arehalli, Sakleshpur and Hassan district. We also shot in the western ghats which gave us the added advantage of a scenic location. We have shot in 24 locations.

Cast and crew

Production: Machinekad Films

Written and directed: Rabi

Actors: Vikramadithya and Shivani

Music and BGM:
Prajoth D’Sa

Singers: Sparsha R K and Prasanna
Kumar M S

Lyrics: Praveen Kumar Jappinamogaru

VFX and Colorist: Paul

Editor: Vijay Kumar

DOP: Raavanan

Production manager: Bharath A V