Full-scale aircraft interior set : RAMOJI FILM CITY Hyderabad

Aug 07 2025

Full-scale aircraft interior set : RAMOJI FILM CITY. Hyderabad

How a full-scale aircraft interior is revolutionizing film production in India – insights from veteran DOP Ajayan Vincent.

Imagine planning an intense emotional sequence between two characters flying halfway across the world. You need mood lighting, a realistic cabin, access to multiple angles, and, most importantly, time. Shooting inside an actual aircraft or building an airplane set from scratch used to be daunting—logistically, financially, and creatively.

But now, India’s filmmakers have a new runway.

Welcome aboard the Boeing 787-8 interior set at Ramoji Film City, a fully immersive and modular aircraft set designed with filmmakers in mind. This facility is not just a backdrop — it’s a technical marvel, a cinematic playground, and a game changer for directors, cinematographers, and production designers alike.

✈️ A Full-Scale Aircraft Interior, Built for the Lens

This isn’t a half-done mock-up or a one-side shell. It’s a full-length aircraft interior, fitted with:

Business Class and Economy Class seating (both customizable)
A fully functional Service Galley
A realistic and illuminated Cockpit interior
Side paneling that opens for cross-sectional shooting
Built-in LED lighting to simulate different flight times and moods

Ajayan Vincent, who recently visited the set and has worked on over 100 feature films, says,
“What impresses me is how this set is designed not just for realism, but for ease of storytelling. You can move panels, shoot from outside-in, control light… all within a controlled studio environment.”

🎬 Modular Design: Built to Fit Any Story

One of the most practical features is its modular layout:

The Business Class section can be transformed into another Economy section with ease. A full set of economy seats is in reserve.
Seat upholstery can be swapped out to match the branding of any fictional or real-world airline.
Galley doors, seat trays, and overhead bins are functional, enabling detailed choreography for crew or passenger action scenes.

Whether you’re shooting a glamorous jet-setting montage, a high-tension hijack, or a quiet reflective moment during turbulence, the set adapts to your narrative needs.

🎥 Cinematic Advantages: Designed for DOPs

For cinematographers, aircraft interiors have long been a logistical headache. Shooting inside real planes involves tight angles, poor lighting, sound restrictions, and limited control. This set eliminates all those issues.

Key DOP-friendly features include:

Hinged sidewalls: Create cross-sectional views or mount cameras from the exterior.
Controlled LED cabin lighting: Simulate sunrise, turbulence, or a nighttime mood.
Spacious for rigs: Accommodate dolly tracks, jibs, sliders, or even handheld gimbals.
Silent acoustics: No external disturbances, unlike real aircraft or outdoor hangars.

Ajayan adds, “Even something like placing a soft bounce for a close-up would be a challenge on location. Here, you can light cinematically without compromising realism. You can fly emotionally while grounded physically.”

🛫 Already Proven in Production: The Case of IDENTITY

The Malayalam film IDENTITY is the first to make full use of this set. The realism in the inflight sequences drew attention for its authenticity, and much of that credit goes to the pre-built aircraft interiors at Ramoji.

In fact, the cockpit scenes in IDENTITY were shot using the fully illuminated cockpit mock-up, which is part of the same studio floor, ensuring continuity and ease of workflow.

💸 Cost-Effective, Time-Saving & Customizable

Building an aircraft set from scratch can burn weeks of pre-production time and cost lakhs (or even crores). Filming inside a real airplane comes with restrictions, limited hours, aviation authority permissions, and sound contamination.

With this pre-existing set, you save on location costs, build time, approvals, and avoid unexpected delays.

Production teams can book the set and begin blocking within hours. Wardrobe, makeup, and rehearsals can take place right beside the set — everything under one roof at Ramoji Film City.

🎭 More Than Just a Set — It’s a Storytelling Tool

This set isn’t just a practical solution. It’s a narrative asset. You can:

Stage dramatic hostage scenes
Explore character transitions across flight stages
Shoot music sequences in a dream-flight format
Create travel montages for OTT dramas
Even stage mid-air action stunts using harness rigs and VFX additions

Ajayan Vincent concludes, “As a DOP, you dream of tools that help you tell stories. This set does that. It brings the sky closer to the lens — literally and emotionally.”

🛩️ Private Jet Set – Key Highlights for Filming

Luxury Private Jet Interior Set
- Realistic and high-end cabin layout resembling Gulfstream or Bombardier-style jets.
- Interiors include plush leather seating, wood-paneled surfaces, foldable tables, window lighting, and compact galley sections.
- Designed for celebrity scenes, corporate characters, or political figures in films/series.
Compact Yet Cinematic
- Set dimensions allow for:
  - Close-ups and over-the-shoulder shots.
  - Medium two-shots across seating rows.
  - Use of sliders, handheld, or small crane rigs.
- Perfect for stylized, controlled lighting and mood-driven storytelling.
Set Flexibility
- Walls and ceiling panels are removable for camera placement.
- Seats can be rearranged or removed for wide-angle shots or fight sequences.
- Cabin doors and cockpit entrance included for continuity shots.
Use Cases
- Often used for:
  - Drug mafia/crime boss entries.
  - High-profile business negotiations.
  - Romantic sequences in elite settings.
  - Emergency landings or hijack scenes (with modifications).
Complementing the Boeing Set
- Great to use in parallel with the Boeing 787-8 set to show:
  - Different classes of travel.
  - Private VIP journeys versus commercial flight transitions.
  - Political or celebrity characters arriving ahead of the public.
Examples of Films That Use Such Sets
- Many Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films use private jet sets for stylized montages, international jumps, or antagonist travel scenes.
- Often seen in high-end web series and biopics.

Final Approach: Why It Matters

The availability of this Boeing 787-8 aircraft interior at Ramoji Film City reflects India’s evolving production infrastructure — one that’s increasingly on par with global filmmaking standards. For Indian cinema, especially for regional filmmakers looking to scale up production value without shooting abroad, this facility is a blessing.

With its adaptability, scale, and filmmaker-first design, this set is no mere replica. It is a take-off point for visual storytelling, ready to serve directors with ambition and DOPs with vision.

Drafted by

CJ Rajkumar

Author/ Cinematographer