Allu Arjun and Atlee’s upcoming film Raaka has made a mark in the Guinness World Records even before reaching theatres.
The ambitious project has set a record for the “Most People Motion-Captured in Real-Time”, with 37 performers captured simultaneously during a shoot in Mumbai on 15 September.
The achievement was officially recorded by Guinness World Records, which lists the record as being achieved by Sun TV Network Limited and director V Arunkumar, better known as Atlee, for Raaka. Allu Arjun and Atlee received the Guinness World Records certificate, with the film’s production house describing the achievement as a moment that takes Indian cinema “to the world stage”.
The record also offers a glimpse into the scale of Raaka, which is being mounted as a major visual-effects-heavy project. The film is directed by Atlee and produced by Sun Pictures, with Allu Arjun in the lead and Deepika Padukone as the female lead. The official Pictures website lists both actors alongside Atlee in the film’s cast and crew.
The project has been described as a science-fiction action film, with extensive motion capture and forming an important part of its production.
Its first look, released earlier this year, showed in a striking, beast-like appearance, while the makers have kept much of the story under wraps. The film is expected to release in 2027, although an official release date has not yet been announced.
For , the milestone arrives at a particularly significant moment away from the film set. The actor is part of Raaka’s principal cast and had been working on the project during her pregnancy.
Reports previously indicated that she was completing portions of the first instalment before taking maternity leave.
On 19 September, Deepika and husband Ranveer Singh announced the arrival of their second daughter. The couple shared the news in a joint social media post, writing, “Welcome baby girl”, nearly two years after the birth of their first daughter, Dua, in September 2024.
The timing adds another dimension to Deepika’s involvement in . India Today had earlier reported that she plays a pregnant woman in the film, with her character’s survival forming part of one of the story’s emotional threads. That report also said her portions were connected to the film’s ancient, Vedic-era setting.
Raaka is Atlee’s upcoming collaboration with Allu Arjun and is being produced by Sun Pictures. The film is positioned as a large-scale science-fiction/action project, with extensive visual effects and motion-capture work.
The makers have kept the story largely under wraps, but the first look released on ’s birthday showed him in a radically different appearance, with a bald head, intense kohl-lined eyes, grey beard and a clawed hand. The visual has fuelled speculation that his character is connected to the film’s creature-driven world.
The scale of the production is also reflected in reports that Raaka is being planned as a two-part epic. India Today reported that the story will move between two worlds and timelines – one rooted in a tribal, Puranic/Vedic-era setting and another in the contemporary world. The same report said the project is being mounted on a reported budget of around ₹1,000 crore, although that figure has not been officially confirmed by the makers.
With its achievement now official, Raaka has generated another major talking point well before audiences see the finished film. The 37-performer motion-capture record underlines the technical ambition behind Atlee’s project, while Deepika’s recent return to motherhood places her participation in the film within an equally notable personal chapter.
