Meeta Dash is living the dream. Having worked on the visual effects (VFX) of several Hollywood films, she is now basking in the success of Avengers: Endgame. One of the indispensable members of the VFX team that worked on the sophisticated and stunning visual effects of the film, she is happy to see its stupendous success. Having released three weeks ago, Avengers: Endgame is still running to packed houses. A lot of the credit for the success of the world’s most successful movie franchise goes to the VFX team. However, the efforts of these backstage superheroes often go unnoticed. For the uninitiated, 80 per cent of the film’s VFX was done in India. Orissa POST caught up with Meeta to know more about her journey as a visual effects designer and her contribution towards making Avengers: Endgame one of the biggest success stories in international film history.
Meeta, who belongs to a humble middle-class family, was born to Basanti and Niranjan Dash at Hatpada Pada village in Titlagarh. “It is my job for which I get paid, but it always feels great when you find your name in the film’s end credits. It makes me happy when people say that this Odisha girl has made us proud by working in a Hollywood film,” says Meeta.
The young visual effects designer did her intermediate in science from DAV College in Titlagarh and later moved to Bhubaneswar to pursue a certificate course in animation and visual effects from a private multimedia training institute. While pursuing her course, Meeta learnt that there was a vacancy for a visual effects editor at a Pune-based organisation. She promptly applied for the job and was called for an interview. However, Meeta was unable to find a reservation on any of the trains for her travel date. She boarded a train without reservation, appeared for the interview and successfully cracked it. Since then, there has been no looking back for Meeta.
Meeta, who has already worked on more than 40 Hollywood movies, says, “It was not easy to be part of these big-budget movies. After working for two years in my first organisation, I applied for a job in Digital Domain, which does VFX for big-budget Hollywood films. I started out as a visual effects designer for the Hollywood film Hercules. Since then, I have worked on films like Beauty and the Beast, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame among others.”
Working on Avengers: Endgame will always remain special, says Meeta, given that the expectations of the audiences started soaring from the day the film was announced. “It took nine months for us to complete the film’s VFX. The makers of the film are so professional that we were asked to work on every pixel of the film, which wasn’t an easy task. I would work till the late hours and even on weekends to meet their requirements. We gave our 100 per cent to make the film a visual treat. And now that the film is on a record-setting path, I feel immensely satisfied,” she says.
Asked about her plans of working in Hindi films, she says, “I haven’t been offered work on a Hindi film yet, although our organisation did the VFX of Rajnikanth starrer, 2.0. Since my team was busy working on Avengers: Endgame, I couldn’t be part of it,” says Meeta.
India has fast emerged as a VFX hub and many big-ticket Hollywood films outsource the visual effects job to Indian firms. “There is huge scope for aspiring visual effects designers and editors in India. Today, a film’s success largely depends on its VFX, so filmmakers give this area top priority. Soon, a day will come when every film will heavily depend on VFX,” she says.
Meeta has already started working on another big-budget Hollywood film. However, she prefers to remain tight-lipped about the project. “There is no shortcut to success. Only hard work and dedication can help you get success,” she says.
SOYONG, OP