Resizing the towering 5 feet 9 inches Shah Rukh Khan to a mere 4 feet 6 inches for the silver screen is no small feat. However, for Aanand L. Rai’s upcoming film “ZERO,” where the superstar portrays a dwarf, Shah Rukh Khan’s audacious team at his visual effects company, Red Chillies VFX, is fully prepared for the challenge. Scheduled for release on December 21, this film is just one of several projects currently in Red Chillies VFX’s portfolio, with most of them still shrouded in secrecy. In addition, there are ambitious plans to establish a VFX training school aimed at inspiring young talent to explore the world of visual effects. While the project is still in its early stages of negotiation regarding partners, stakeholders, location, and timeline, the team aspires to kickstart this initiative soon.

All these endeavors are undoubtedly fueled by the desire to build upon the acclaim garnered by some of Bollywood’s most VFX-intensive films in recent times. Shah Rukh Khan’s lifelong dream of producing a cutting-edge science fiction or superhero film led to the inception of Red Chillies VFX back in 2006. Although the Anubhav Sinha-directed “Ra.One” was released in 2011, it came long after Red Chillies VFX had already established itself as a dominant force in Bollywood, having contributed to numerous projects.

Fast forward seven years from “Ra.One,” and Red Chillies VFX has solidified its position as the go-to post-production supervisor for visual effects in the industry.

Keitan Yadav, the Chief Operating Officer/VFX Producer of Red Chillies VFX & Color, who has overseen special effects on several visually intricate films, including the blockbuster superhero movie “Krissh 3” and the psychological thriller “Fan,” remarked, “We are entering our 13th year as a VFX division. Starting as an eight-member team and growing into a facility with over 400 employees, our journey has been nothing short of remarkable.” This journey began with the grand scale and complexities of “Ra.One,” which garnered accolades, including the National Film Award for Best Special Effects, but soon expanded beyond the shadow of the superstar patron. Milestones included Rakesh Roshan’s “Krissh 3” in 2013, a 3D VFX-intensive project with over 2500 VFX shots, extensive building construction, explosion sequences, and Yash Raj Films’ “Fan” (a 2016 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer) with nearly 1800 VFX shots to achieve facial transformation for Khan, who portrayed both a middle-aged superstar and his doppelganger fan.

More recently, the VFX team has flourished with their work on films like Anushka Sharma’s “Phillauri” and “Pari,” both of which received critical acclaim for their visual effects. In January 2017, the color division joined the VFX unit, contributing to 22 movies within a year, including hits like “Golmaal Again,” “Fukrey Returns,” “Shubh Mangal Savdhaan,” “Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety,” “Pari,” as well as the National Award-winning short Marathi film “Adnyat” and the multilingual documentary “Sachin: A Billion Dreams.”

Yadav stated, “We’ve always maintained that we view ourselves as an independent business unit. Out of the 37 movies we’ve worked on, 22 are not directly linked to SRK. Nevertheless, we do seek Mr. Khan’s assistance whenever needed, and ultimately, it’s the body of work we’ve accumulated over the course of 12 years that speaks volumes.”