My Dear Kuttichathan: How India’s first 3D film, with rotating sets, was made for Rs 40 lakh

In 1984, director Jijo Punnoose's My Dear Kuttichathan became India's first 3D film, a milestone achieved at a budget of Rs 40 lakh. The movie, centered around a goblin befriending three children, was penned by Raghunath Paleri and starred Master Arvind, Master Mukesh, Master Suresh, and Kumari Sonia. Jijo Punnoose, who drew inspiration from Steven Spielberg's Jaws, personally visited the US to learn 3D technology before filming commenced at Navodaya Studios in Kochi.

The 90-day shooting process took place in Kochi, with technical work for songs and music carried out in Madras. To screen My Dear Kuttichathan in 3D, Navodaya Studios equipped several theatres in Kerala with special 3D lenses and glasses imported from the US. The film's rotating set for the scene where Kuttichathan and the children walk on the wall reportedly took inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and later influenced Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010).

Despite being a children's fantasy film, My Dear Kuttichathan remained wildly successful, grossing approximately Rs 2.5 crore at the box office and winning the National Film Award for Best Children's Film. The movie goes to show that pioneering spirit and innovation can triumph over challenges, setting the stage for future advancements in Indian cinema.