Basi Reddy's ultimate vision is to make Hyderabad a world class digital film hub

Hyderabad, June 13, 2017: If the Bahubali had set a benchmark impossible to beat in the near future, it was due to digital technology. The larger than life waterfalls, the grandiose battle sequences all made due to the digital technology. The film has shown some of the finest graphics we have ever seen. They have used almost most possible technologies in the movie.

If Digital hogs the limelight for its success, we need to thank Kotha Basi Reddy, the man who introduced Digital Technology into the Movie Making in India in the year 2003. Digital Colour Grading Equipment (Base Light), he bought from London. He and his colleague CV Rao(the Baahubali fame for graphics and post production) got trained in London.

He brought this equipment with huge investment. He is fondly called Digital King in the industry. He is the Father of Digital Cinema. The whole country is using Digital Technology now. The company he found, Digiquest is the pioneer in Digital Film Making in India.

Digiquest served more than 400 films in terms of Digital production till date, the record not many can boast of in India today, informs Radhakrishna, a long time associate and disciple of K.Basi Reddy.

"There was a lot of resistance. I struggled to push the digital technology in filmmaking. I suffered massive financial loss. I took the burden of educating people about the benefits of it. Now I feel jubilant that digital technology is behind most of the films made. It is mission accomplished and satisfying", says Basi Reddy.

I reached out to all film industries--Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Oriya, Hindi and even Bengal Film industry, informs Basi Reddy in a chat with the media.

After fighting for 14 long years, Basi Reddy won the battle. Now everyone uses Digital Technology. When you say Digital, it is Digiquest said, CV RAO, GM, Post Production, Annapurna Studios, who has long time association with Basi Reddy.

Recognizing his visionary thinking and introduction of Digital Technology in India, CII--The Confederation of Indian Industry(CII), a 123 years old 8000 members strong a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, made him part of their think tank and national media and entertainment committee member.

K. Basi Reddy, worked hard to get industry recognition for AVCGI--Animation, VFX, Comic & Gaming Industry of Telangana which he was instrumental in founding it up. AVCGI is a non profit association formulated for the artists, by the artists, of the artists. Its aim is to rope in the entire Animation, Visual Effects, Comic and Gaming industry under one roof.

Film causes a lot of damage to the environment. Also, it was a burden on the foreign exchange to the country. Digital Studio helped save money on foreign exchange and cost of film production. And it also democratized the industry. That is my contribution to the industry, claims Basi Reddy. I have no hesitation in saying this because in those days saving on foreign exchange was a big issue.

Digiquest, the studio set up by K. Basi Reddy, has spent years working hard to promote digital film technology to the Indian film industry.

"We pride ourselves on being the first to bring in digital technology to India. We have scripted a new page in the history of India cinema by transforming from analog to digital", informs K. Basi Reddy.

Equipped with own state-of-the-art production studio house, excellent facilities, Digiquest Academy nurtures students in Digital Film Making.

Sontha Ooru was the first film I made by using this promising digital technology. This film bagged four Gold Nandi Awards.

Then we made an English movie "7 Days in Slow Motion", which bagged 17 international awards. Subsequently, we also made Boxoffice, Oka Romantic Crime Katha. We have worked for several other movies, to a name a few Magadheerva, Bahubali 1 & 2, Eega, Kick, Katamarayudu, Soggade Chinni Nayana, Oosaravelli, Kithakithalu and many other.

I like digital technology. I have a dream to produce an Oscar Award winning movie. That is my life goal. We are currently planning on that project, Basi Reddy shared his life ambition.

I made The Take Over, a documentary which is my journey and goal accomplished against all the odds in the movie making industry by the digital movie making technology which I introduced in 2003. The Take Over won the "The Best Educational Film" of the Year at All Lights India International Film Festival 2016 held at Ramoji Film City. The Take Over Documentary won the most Prestigious Award Dada Saheb Phalke Jury Award. The Take Over also won The Royal Reel Award for the direction. The Take Over and Strangeressss won several awards nationwide. Even selected for Cannes Film Festival

We have produced several documentaries/short films and advertising films on various subjects of women, safety, Seat Belts, Drunken Driving, traffic rules, signal jumping, Stay Aert & Be Safe, etc. and concern for She Team - Cyberabad Police. SS Rajamouli, Sania Mirza, Anushka, VVS Laxman, Jayasudha Kapoor acted in some of the documentaries, Basi Reddy informed.

Commenting on the digital marvel, Bahubali, Basi Reddy said, it is the film of magic realism created by mythology and technology, a good start for our Telugu movies to force ahead It created by magic and Midas touch of the director SS Rajamouli.

These unprecedented records of Baahubali can't just be attributed to one factor. It owes this grand success to many elements says, K. Basi Reddy. Bahubali is the costliest Indian film ever made. 90 per cent of the VFX of this movie is done in India and most of it in Hyderabad, which is a great achievement, he observes. My ultimate vision is to make Hyderabad a world class digital film and entertainment hub. And Bahubali success adds to my mission, he said.

It is well known to everyone that there is a lot of fascination for the 'wood' suffix in the film industry. We have many industries--Bollywood, Tollywood, Koillywood, Sandalwood, Mollywood, Gollywood, Pollywood, Ollywood and why not we not "Hyderwood". Every industry has their significance in their names. Earlier, all the dramas and plays used to take place on stage before cameras came into existence. The stage floors were usually made up of WOOD to perform on it. And maybe, this is how the word ‘WOOD’ found its existence into HOLLYWOOD and much more.

Tollywood is the name for the Telugu Cinema, but it is used for Bengali cinema too. Technically Tollywood refers to Bengali film industry as Bengali Cinema is based in Tolly Gunj, a place in Kolkata and hence the name – Tollywood. Since Bahubali brought a good name for the city, i propose "Hyderwood". We must all work to popularize it, said Basi Reddy.

CMD of Digiquest India Ltd, K. Basi Reddy currently holds many portfolios. Some of these include Executive Member Telugu Film Chamber; Secretary Telugu Film Studio Sector, Executive Committee member of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce Digital Delivery Committee; Founding Convener for the CII-Media & Entertainment then AP Chapter; Executive Member Film Federation of India; Organizing Committee Member for the 18th Intl Children's Film Festival Hyderabad 2013.

He served as Jury Member for Nandi Awards in 2010 and 2011. He is a Film producer too and produced several movies. They screened in many international film festivals.

The student of Agriculture Sciences, Basi Reddy was one of the promoters of CYIENT(the old Infotech Enterprises). He worked for the organization in the USA. He left his cozy job in the USA. Came back to set up a Digital Studio and Training Academy, introduced many first of its instruments and equipment such as Digital Cameras, CG/VFX, and Digital Colour Grading Equipment etc.

Many of his students, disciples made big in the industry. Some of those include CV Rao, who is currently working as GM, Post Production, Annapurna Studios. The others include Sai Kiran, of 24 Karat Entertainment which is a motion picture camera rentals, Lighting and Post-production facility offering services to media and entertainment industry catering to diverse clients across the Globe with trained expertise.

K. Basi Reddy has set up a Digiquest Academy, which offers four years BFA(Bachelor of Fine Arts), Master Diploma and Diploma courses in Multimedia, Gaming, Animation, Editing, and VFX, etc. These courses are offered in Collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU)

He is a visiting faculty at Potti Sriramulu University.

He is an animal and nature lover. He has an organic farm, which, he says, his future dream is to educate others to save our soil and health. He hails from Mahboobnagar District. He hails from a political family. His mother, Smt. Jayalakshmamma is one of the first female MLA of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and first from Mahboobnagar District in the year 1957.