Shah Rukh Khan starrer Fan tells the story of two characters – Bollywood star Aryan Khanna and his fan Gaurav – both played by Khan.
Yash Raj Films just revealed the elaborate process behind Khan's look as the latter character, involving computer-generated effects, makeup, and prosthetics.
Nine-time Academy Award nominee and three-time winner makeup effects artist Greg Cannom was brought on board to create the transformation.
He used an existing mould of Brad Pitt's cheeks to use as a model for Gaurav's.
And added eyebrow pieces and eyebrow tape to give the character a sinister feel.
And Pitt's cheeks even got an update – Khan was adamant about Gaurav having dimples.
Khan's face was digitally mapped from nearly every angle, allowing for it to be altered in an array of shots and expressions.
His nose, for instance, was completely altered to be much smaller.
The makeup and prosthetic-application process took hours. Khan joked that most of the movie was made sitting in a single chair.
Moulds of Khan's face were created. He spent 70 days as Gaurav.
In the film, Gaurav's build is significantly smaller than Khan's.
His body was digitally mapped wearing an array of outfits that Gaurav is seen in, so it could be altered from multiple angles and in various scenes.
In one ambitious scene, Gaurav is seen with his shirt off, revealing Shah Rukh's much skinnier computer-generated body.
Each frame was analysed and tweaked multiple times to perfect the alterations.
And all the work amounted to a chilling effect in each scene where both characters appear together.
SRK explained that after all the hard work, they still weren't sure if everything was working, but the most reassuring comment came from one of the VFX team member's mothers.
You can watch the entire process here:
