Move over 3D, 4D, and even 5D — Cinema is now eyeing the metaverse experience. Metaverse, the alternate digital reality, is having its moment. Metaverse allows participants to connect, work, and live life digitally with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) — to create spaces for rich user interaction, mimicking the real world. 

Metaverse is a game-changer when it comes to the Indian film industry. With the technology, shooting can now happen in a virtual world via avatars or scenes shot in the real world can be projected into the Metaverse. Here’s a look at films and series that were released in Metaverse.

BadeMiyan ChoteMiyan

On February 15, Bollywood producer Vashu Bhagnani’s production company, Pooja Entertainment, forayed into the metaverse and bought its first piece of virtual land. The space, called Poojaverse, will be a virtual area where the company will create an immersive experience for moviegoers, starting with BadeMiyan ChoteMiyan, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. 

Promotional events for the film, slated for release on Christmas 2023, will be held in the metaverse, says the company. Talking about the virtual space, producer Jackky Bhagnani says, “We are really excited to announce our foray into our very own virtual space – ‘Poojaverse’ and our next big film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan – the first-ever film from India to showcase its announcement on the Metaverse.” The film will also release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

KGF: Chapter 2

Hombale Films, the production house behind KGF: Chapter 2, announced that the movie would be entering the metaverse, with the name ‘KGFVerse’.  Fans of the KGF movie series starring actor Yash, Sanjay Dutt, and Raveena Tandon, would be able to explore the KGFverse with distinct avatars. The sale of the KGFVerse avatars would go live on April 7. KGFverse would be a digital avatar-based metaverse and would be dedicated to the fans of the KGF film series. The broader aim of this project would be to let the fans of the franchise build a slew of games and virtual environments to facilitate the movement of KGF in the Web3 powered metaverse.

Speaking about this new initiative, Vijay Kiragandur, founder of Hombale Films said, “Metaverse is the new frontier of the Internet and an innovative way to engage with audiences and movie fans. It is the future of virtual hangouts and a new way of consuming content, and therefore, we are exploring this space to enable our fans to interact with elements of both chapters of KGF in the metaverse.” Releasing nationwide on April 14, in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam, KGF: Chapter 2 is written and directed by Prashanth Neel, one of the most sought-after directors, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the Hombale Films banner.

Radhe Shyam

Prabhas starrer Radhe Shyam had its own unique version in the Metaverse. It was the first movie to offer people the chance to create their own avatars in the Metaverse. In just 3 minutes of its launch, a huge crowd of 2 lakh people entered the Metaverse and crashed the servers. The audience flooded the comments section, praising Prabhas and his never-dying spirit of bringing something unique every time. 

Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar and edited by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, the film was released on March 11, 2022.

Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness

Disney+ Hotstar’s Specials Rudra-The Edge of Darkness was also released in the dynamic world of the metaverse. Exploring the emerging intersection of the digital and physical world, the platform was created by Hefty Entertainment who are associated with Hungama Digital’s Web3 venture. 

Talking about this new development, lead actor Ajay Devgn said, “The exciting and novel space of the metaverse is an all-new world. It goes beyond our wildest imagination. I have always wanted to be closer to my fans and today I can proudly say – I am there. With my avatar, inspired by my role in Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, I am marking yet another first by foraying into the metaverse with the Hotstar Specials series that is so close to my heart now. From a digital series debut to my very first venture into the metaverse, this has been an incredible journey for me.”

Helmed by ace director Rajesh Mapuskar, the riveting psychological crime drama is celebrated actor Ajay Devgn’s digital series debut, where he will be donning the avatar of a never-seen-before cop. Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India, the series also features a stellar cast including Raashii Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra in pivotal roles.

Spanning six episodes, the series is an Indian rendition of the globally successful British series, Luther. Rudra: The Edge of Darkness is streaming exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali.

Lock Upp

ALTBalaji has launched a first-of-its-kind fantasy-based metaverse game for its reality show Lock Upp. The show is streaming live on ALTBalaji and MX Player. Players can join celebrity contestants on the show, explore the captive world of the Lock Upp metaverse and play a role in the ecosystem and win prizes. 

In the game, 13 celebrity contestants compete for the most basic amenities as they fight for the winner’s title. When someone registers for the first time for the game, a free contestant token will be added to his vault. The prime objective for players is to win the grand season prize by predicting contestant progress, completing game challenges, and exploring the metaverse. Besides, players can also win weekly prizes by winning contests.

(Featured Image Credits: Instagram)