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Tag: Ashish Kulkarni

  • From Panels to Portfolios Comic Con and IICT Team Up for Creator Power

    From Panels to Portfolios Comic Con and IICT Team Up for Creator Power

    MUMBAI: When cosplay meets classroom and panels turn into portfolios, you know India’s creative industry is getting its origin story right. In a move straight out of a well-scripted crossover, Comic Con India and the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) have inked an MoU to jointly supercharge India’s animation, gaming, comics, and extended reality (AVGC-XR) ecosystem.

    The partnership, announced during the launch of the IICT-NFDC campus in Mumbai and the unveiling of the WAVES Outcome Report, was signed by Ashish Kulkarni, Board Member, IICT, and Shefali Johnson, CEO, Comic Con India. The high-powered event also saw the presence of government heavyweights like Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Ashwini Vaishnaw, union minister for I&B, Railways and IT, and Sanjay Jaju, secretary, ministry of information & broadcasting, a clear signal that India’s creative economy is getting serious state backing.

    Comic Con India, now part of Nodwin Gaming, has long been the country’s pop culture mothership, attracting fans, creators, and cosplayers in droves. On the other side, IICT, a newly announced National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR aims to be the IIT of the creative world, with a mission to train top talent, foster original IP, and bridge academia with the industry.

    The MoU packs in more than just fanfare. IICT students will get a dedicated showcase zone at Comic Con India events, along with masterclasses from top creators in gaming, comics, animation, and XR. The partnership also includes hackathons, design jams, behind-the-scenes internships, and initiatives to promote youth-led fan art and indie content creation.

    The collaboration comes at a time when India’s AVGC-XR sector is levelling up. As per the FX & Beyond: Shaping India’s AVGC Landscape report, the sector accounted for 20 per cent of the broader M&E industry in 2023, with revenues of 3.9 billion dollars. That figure is projected to rise to 6.8 billion dollars by 2026. Perhaps more crucially, AVGC-XR is expected to generate 160,000 new jobs annually with a roadmap to reach over 2 million direct jobs by 2030.

    “We are proud to collaborate with IICT as part of the broader AVGC-XR vision for India,” said Shefali Johnson. “Through Comic Con, students can gain mentorship, connect with pop culture communities, and better understand the commercial dynamics of their craft.”

    Ashish Kulkarni added, “This partnership aligns perfectly with the government’s vision of making India a global creative content hub. We aim to carve pathways for Indigenous IP using a transmedia ecosystem and build a vibrant pipeline of cultural ambassadors from India.”

    For fans, creators, and students alike, this crossover has franchise potential. With India looking to go from content consumer to content powerhouse, the IICT-Comic Con alliance might just be the origin story the AVGC-XR sector needs.

    Get your pens and pixels ready.

  • Role of skilling, education in media and entertainment sector critical in realizing vision of Viksit Bharat: Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, GoI

    Role of skilling, education in media and entertainment sector critical in realizing vision of Viksit Bharat: Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, GoI

    MUMBAI: Govt of India, secretary, ministry of skill development & Entrepreneurship Atul Kumar Tiwari said that the Indian media and entertainment sector is growing rapidly and there is immense potential for skilling in this sector. This sector has been growing with a CAGR of over 13 per cent in the last few years and employes 30 lakh people directly and 55 lakh indirectly. Skilling combined with education and scaling can help India achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, there by supporting the GDP as well as establishing the prowess in India’s soft power, he added.

    Addressing the session on ‘LEAPing into the Future’, at FICCI FRAMES 2024, Tiwari said that in order for India to prosper, there is a need for creating a mass awareness about skilling. The New Education Policy (NEP) along with all government policies focuses on skilling. All sectors of the economy are recognizing that skilling is going to be a game-changer for India. With our country’s demographic advantage, having the youngest and the world’s largest number of working-age individuals, skilling will lead to a significant enhancement in productivity and employment. We have the youngest population in the world, largest number of working population and skilling them will lead to a great deal of enhancement in productivity and employment along with competitiveness, he noted.

    Tiwari also emphasized spreading awareness on ‘LEAP – Leveraging Education to Accelerate Progress’, which is the need of the hour. That nothing is more creative than making a film. The government, he said, is working to identify and bridge the skilling gap through policy initiatives along with industry and academia collaboration. “There is a need for us to identify the opportunities and create awareness among people, especially in tier 2,3 cities to attract more talent,” he emphasized.

    He further stated that the M&E sector has experienced a remarkable transformation with the advent of the internet, revolutionizing entertainment consumption. The dynamics of content creation have shifted, leading to a buzzing M&E landscape that not only entertains but also promotes and preserves cultural heritage, added Tiwari.

    He also stated that the Indian media and entertainment sector not only provides support to nation’s GDP but also promotes tourism, increase in cultural exchanges and strengthens India’s soft power.

    Whistling Woods International (WWI) filmmaker & founder and chairman Subhash Ghai highlighted the role of education and skilling in media and entertainment sector. He added that we are currently relying on memory-based education rather than skill-based education. It is crucial to develop skill-based education in the country, noted Ghai.

    FICCI, secretary general SK Pathak said, “In the 25 edition of FICCI FRAMES in 2025, we will identify the transformational changes required in the media and entertainment industry, focusing on the initiatives needed for India in 2030.”

    Ashish Kulkarni, chair, FICCI AVGC-XR Forum and Founder, Punnaryug delivered the vote of thanks.

    Hande Ercel, Turkish actress was also present during the inaugural session.

  • Streaming is seeing phenomenal growth in India: Prime Video India’s Sushant Sreeram

    Streaming is seeing phenomenal growth in India: Prime Video India’s Sushant Sreeram

    Mumbai: In a highly engaging panel curated on the opening day of FICCI FRAMES 2024 titled ‘Reinvent: Navigating the Future of the Media and Entertainment Industry’, Prime Video India country director Sushant Sreeram delved into the dynamic landscape of the streaming industry in India, exploring growth trends while highlighting Prime Video’s business and content commissioning strategy.

    Moderated by Ernst and Young partner Ashish Pherwani the panel began with a keynote from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting secretary Sanjay Jaju.  In addition to Sushant Sreeram, the panel saw the participation of industry leaders from multiple M&E sectors, including Prasar Bharti CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee chair and Viacom18 CEO – broadcast entertainment Kevin Vaz; FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee co-chair and Meta India VP and head Sandhya Devanathan; FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee co-chair and Warner Bros Discovery general manager – India & South Asia Arjun Nohwar, and Signpost India chairman & managing director Shripad Ashtekar.

    Responding to a question on key trends across SVOD, TVOD and AVOD business models, Sushant said, “Streaming is seeing phenomenal growth in India. It has, in fact, become a dominant use-case for internet in the country, and a large part of that growth is coming from outside the metros.  We have about as many people streaming content in India, as those watching linear TV. This is a very significant inflection point for the video streaming industry in India.”

    He went on to share, “Another key point to note is that there is no one single customer for streaming, our customers sit across the spectrum of accessibility, affordability, and the languages in which they prefer to consume entertainment. Therefore, our strategy for building solutions for India has always been to focus on “AND” solutions, rather than making choices between “this” or “that”. That is exactly why Prime Video’s entertainment hub – where all the different VODs come into play, continues to do incredibly well. In fact, India is one of the frontrunners on new customer adoption for Prime Video globally. Also, our Channels proposition, where consumers get access to content from popular streaming services with add-on subscriptions, has grown well, with more than 20 partners on the service. Further, our Movie Rentals service where consumers – both Prime members and those who aren’t yet Prime Members, can rent movies ala carte, is seeing great consumer uptake across the country. Mini TV, Amazon’s free ad-supported service, also posted steady great growth in 2023. When we think about how to serve India, we prioritize what is important for customers – great value, great selection, and convenience. It is true for what we do at Amazon overall and the same holds true for Prime Video as well.”

    Responding to a question on the cost of content, Sushant spoke about the fact Amazon and Prime Video is invested for the long-term in India. Elaborating on the same, he said, “It is important to place this in context – our investment thesis is built on developing this category over a fairly long period of time. That’s the time horizon that we operate with for all our investments at Amazon, and the same holds true for Prime Video. The second is that we want to create a category of great cinematic storytelling and we know that consumers value that. We realized that creating an ecosystem across the board, not just the service, but creators and the technical ecosystem is an investment that is well made.”

    He went on to add, “The other thing about our investment thesis is that we look at it through the lens of how we bring in customers to enjoy this multi-benefit proposition for Prime, which is a unique proposition for customers and Prime Video is a part of that. That changes how customers evaluate what is value for money, and that gives us the impetus to continue to make investments. And finally, we want to make all the great stories that we can, but we realize that we can’t make all of them. We’re therefore always excited about the collaborations that we can forge, with creators, Channel partners and studios to build out a true video entertainment marketplace. The fact that Prime Video has close to 100 projects right now in various stages of production and development is a clear indication that there is appetite for great stories in the country!”

    To wrap up the highly engaging session, each participant was asked their Mantra for 2024, to which Sushant replied, “For us, it’s still Day one!” Day one is both a culture and an operating model that puts the customer at the center of everything Amazon does. Day one is about being constantly curious, nimble, and experimental.

  • FICCI FRAMES 2024: #Reinvent: Navigating the future of media and entertainment industry

    FICCI FRAMES 2024: #Reinvent: Navigating the future of media and entertainment industry

    Mumbai: The Indian media and entertainment industry is witnessing significant changes, with shifting consumer preferences for high-quality content, new broadcasting technologies, pressures on advertising spend, and the advent of AI. The #Reinvent session at FICCI Frames 2024 examined the dynamics driving this transformation and explored a range of enabling policies designed to support an industry navigating through a period of significant upheaval.

    The keynote of this session was given by Ministry of I&B secretary Sanjay Jaju, who said, “As we move forward, the Government of India’s focus is on creating a conducive environment for the Media and Entertainment industry to thrive.”

    The session was moderated by Ernst and Young partner Ashish Pherwani.

    “In the last one year, the skilling ecosystem of Maharashtra has supported 48,000 youths from Maharashtra to be trained only in media and entertainment. This was something of a record under M&E skill council. A big thank you to Mangal Prabhat ji and his government for their proactive efforts to train rural and urban youths,” FICCI India AVGC-XR Forum chair Ashish Kulkarni.

    “Globally, the media and entertainment industry is witnessing remarkable shifts with digital innovation reshaping consumption patterns and content creation dynamics,” FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee chair and Viacom18 CEO – broadcast entertainment Kevin Vaz.

    “India is a significant priority market for Meta globally. We have invested considerable time in developing products tailored to the diverse needs of the hundreds of millions of people using our platforms. We are dedicated to serving both users and businesses by continually enhancing our offerings,” FICCI Media and Entertainment committee co-chair and Meta India VP and head Sandhya Devanathan.

    “There is no one single customer. Customers sit across a spectrum of accessibility, affordability, of languages in which they want to watch their entertainment and what their entertainment needs are. For us, building solutions for India has always been about what we need to build as an end solution and not making piecemeal choices,” Amazon Prime Video country head Sushant Sreeram.

    “Free dish has been growing continuously and consistently. In 2003, when it started, the industry was at a very nascent stage and it set the context for the rest of the industry to grow and develop,” Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Gaurav Dwivedi.

    “We usually focus on the who, what and where. Who is consuming us, what kind of content they are consuming and where do they prefer to consume. I think the new dynamic that is now emerging is for us to focus on when and traditionally linear TV networks didn’t focus on that. By when, I mean consumption patterns that are arising from the situation that you are in – like in an elevator, waiting for a bus or picking your child from school. And in that 30-second to five-minute moment, do you have content form that they find engaging,” FICCI media and entertainment committee co-chair and Warner Bros Discovery Sr VP and general manager  – India & South Asia Arjun Nohwar.

    “Out-of-home advertising is playing a great role in sustenance of smart cities because when we see any social spaces – roadside shelters, libraries or any basic first mile or last mile connectivity solutions, it is the responsibility and obligation of out-of-home player where they invest in basic infrastructure. It is beyond billboards and includes investing in smarter solutions like charging points too,” Signpost India chairman & MD Shripad Ashtekar.

  • “Traditional media in India is also experiencing a steady growth”: Kevin Vaz

    “Traditional media in India is also experiencing a steady growth”: Kevin Vaz

    Mumbai: Viacom18 CEO- Broadcast entertainment Kevin Vaz reflected on the Media & Entertainment sector, both on a global scale and within the Indian context at FICCI frames 2024 event. He said, “In 2023, our industry witnessed a remarkable era of content creation, with over 200,000 hours of content produced annually. Indian content has transcended international boundaries, captivating audiences in more than 160 countries and topping streaming charts on global platforms. In 2023, Indian content bagged not one but two Oscars for the best song and the best documentary respectively. Indian music talent has bagged 3 Grammys recently. 2 Indians (Vir Das And Ekta Kapoor) won the prestigious International Emmy’s awards. This shift indicates a new era where local flavors and stories are embraced by audiences worldwide, showcasing the universal appeal of Indian stories and our storytelling.

    The integration of digital technologies in the Indian M&E industry is at a scale without parallel amongst the comity of nations. Driven by accessible and affordable internet, with Commercial 5G services rollout propelling the growth of India M&E, we must recognise the virtuous cycle of investments in creativity that drive the expansion of affordable internet in India. We can be proud of the fact that Indian companies, Indian creators, Indian producers, are at the forefront of the digital content revolution, be it in films, music or gaming.

    Platforms like JioCinema have revolutionized sports viewership in India, offering accessible and affordable access to live matches like the IPL. This goes to show the importance of internet accessibility in driving the growth of the M&E industry. Unlike other industries, M&E has caught the digital transformation wave early and stand ready to reap the benefits with supportive developments in the all-critical triad of infrastructure readiness, consumer market growth, and enabling public policies.

    The surge in digital media is forecasted to propel the M&E sector’s growth to a 10% annual rate, reaching INR 3 Trillion by 2026. Technological innovations have brought with it a paradigm shift in consumer preferences. Consumers now demand more personalised, interactive, and immersive content. This creates another facet to the growth of the entire digital media segment, including online curated content, digital advertising, online gaming, to name a few. Each of us need to reflect on how these preferences will change the way we think about the future of M&E, and the business models that are most suited to respond. To navigate the future, all of us at various intersections of the industry need to adopt innovative strategies and create engaging content across multiple platforms, leverage big data analytics, collaborate with global partners, and explore new revenue streams.

    Despite this digital boom, traditional media in India is also experiencing a steady growth, showcasing India’s diverse media consumption habits. While this might appear to be a paradox when viewed through a singular global lens, this is the truth of India – a market of AND, not OR.

    As we reflect on the journey of 2023, it becomes clear that it was a year marked by both challenges and triumphs. The first half was subdued, with modest growth rates across various segments of the industry. However, as raw material prices stabilized and marquee events like the ICC Cricket World Cup and Assembly Elections unfolded, we witnessed a significant uptick in the second half. And while the M&E industry is estimated to grow at 10% CAGR through the next few years led by digital, traditional mediums such as Television and print are also poised to grow.

    This growth underscores the enduring appeal of linear TV, particularly among established advertisers who value its unmatched brand-building capabilities at scale. It’s essential to acknowledge the continued significance of traditional media, including television, print, and outdoor advertising, in reaching diverse audience segments, especially in regional markets.

    The road ahead for the industry is brimming with possibilities and challenges alike. The integration of artificial intelligence promises to reshape the landscape of content creation, distribution, and consumption. Particularly generative AI, which is now an inexorable part of M&E supply chains. Advances in generative AI, while still relatively nascent, have produced an explosion of possibilities in the creative sector. It has ushered in a new dimension to the creative process, allowing the industry to explore uncharted territories of creativity and push the boundaries of productivity.

    As AI technologies continue to evolve, they offer unprecedented opportunities for personalized experiences and targeted advertising. However, this next-gen transformation also presents challenges such as data privacy concerns, reskilling and the need for ethical considerations – concerns that the industry and government together need to explore and address.

    Amidst these dynamics, the industry must also address the pressing need for stronger intellectual property rights protection to safeguard the integrity of our creative ecosystem. The proliferation of digital platforms and content creation tools has exponentially increased the avenues for creative expression, yet it has also heightened the risk of copyright infringement. Strengthening our IPR laws is essential to foster a conducive environment for innovation and creativity while ensuring fair compensation for content creators. The National Intellectual Rights (IPR) Policy, established in 2016, is due for review. This presents an occasion for all of us to engage on how we think about monetisation, commercialisation of content as well as the protections required for it, in a fast-evolving technological environment.

    The road ahead encompasses both opportunities and challenges in equal measure. As we navigate this complex landscape, as stakeholders of this vibrant sector, we must all remember that at the heart of it, our industry is about our consumers in a very human sense – their emotions, relationships, talents – their stories. All of us here today are simply facilitators – connecting stories to audiences and audiences to stories.

    As we begin FICCI Frames 2024, I look forward to the next three days filled with enlightening discussions, insightful sessions, and meaningful collaborations. Let us seize this opportunity to chart a course towards a future that embraces innovation, leverages technology, and upholds the timeless values of creativity and expression.

    Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude and admiration for Leena Jaisani and her team for putting FICCI Frames 2024 together. This is the 24th edition of India’s biggest media and entertainment symposium and it just keeps getting bigger and better. So kudos to the team for scaling this up consistently!” he concluded. 

  • “The indian animation industry has lost a true legend”: industry mourns the death of Arnab Chaudhuri

    “The indian animation industry has lost a true legend”: industry mourns the death of Arnab Chaudhuri

    Artist, director and industry veteran Arnab Chaudhuri passed away on 25 December in Kolkata. He was noted in the animation industry for his feature film with UTV in 2012 titled Arjun: The Warrior Prince.

    As soon as the news came, the industry started mourning the death of a fellow colleague.

    Says Punnaryug Artvision founder Ashish Kulkarni, “Arnab Choudhury was such a gentle man. The Indian animation industry has lost a true legend. What an animation direction in  “Arjun: The Warrior Prince” animated movie. We were just together at Kochi Design Week 10 days ago. We were on a panel  discussion which I had an opportunity to moderate. Just difficult to even imagine that 10 to 12 days ago he was perfectly fine and was  moving around with a camera taking pictures. We had lunch and breakfast together and discussed a lot of great initiatives for AVGC sector. He even jokingly asked me what is the full form of AVGC. Such a humble, highly respected and creative person, who brought pride to India in many ways by creating world class animation. I am finding it extremely difficult to even believe that Arnab is not with us anymore. May is soul rest in peace. He will always be remembered for his creativity, attitude and pleasant personality.”

    With more than two decades of experience in the fields of television, animation and creative design, Chaudhuri had worked with major organisations like Turner, Walt Disney and Channel V.

    “This is really shocking, I still can’t believe it. I knew Arnab so well – such a decent, gracious person, so hardworking and so passionate about animation. This truly is a great loss. He had many more wonderful films yet to make – most unfortunate that we will never see those. I will miss him.” said Paperboat Animation co-founder and chairman Soumitra Ranade.

    Toonz Media CEO P. Jayakumar also reminisced on how he met Chaudhuri just a week back at Kochi Design Summit, where he was the keynote speaker, and how he was one of the well wishers of the studio and the industry. He also said that the Arjun director had collaborated with them on various projects and even gave numerous masterclasses to their artists. “This is a severe loss to the industry. It is very shocking” concludes Jayakumar.

    Expressing his heartfelt grief over the loss, Technicolor India head Biren Ghose mournfully shared: “I was extremely sorry to hear about the loss of the very talented Director Arnab Chaudhuri. He was a valued and amazingly talented member of the animation and film fraternity in India. Only the good die young. He took great pains to change the “local animation” paradigm having labored over a full-length animated feature at a time when there were hardly any local projects of that size and scale. The film is “Arjun”. This brilliant passion project set a new bar in our country. The manner in which he went about preparing and pre visualizing every aspect of the “look and feel” and “art direction” in this genre was pioneering.”

    Speaking about how he felt at the screening of Chaudhari’s movie in Annecy, he added, “It was a very proud moment for me to attend the screening of this movie in Annecy – “The Mecca for animation competitions” and I recall that the global audience truly appreciated and applauded his work. I will never forget the pride we all felt as Indian compatriots at the standing applause the film received. I hope he will rest in peace and I know that he will set about working on his next story and delight all those even in the world beyond….one day we will all get to see that as well. In sorrow for his loss, in happiness that we knew him and in appreciation for his legacy in storytelling. A heartfelt salute.”

    Even noted independent artists from the industry shared their thoughts, “I met him for the first time two weeks ago after hearing about him for decades …and we spent hours talking about art, stories and philosophy, and we spoke about our future projects and life goals with such excitement. Such a gem of an experience . He will be greatly missed.” said Vaanarsena Studios senapati Vivek Ram.

    The loss of a veteran from the country’s animation industry will surely be felt throughout.

    “A sad moment in Indian animation today. I met Arnab when he was heading Disney channel. His film Arjun was one of the first few animation films in India that actually didn’t target only kids. His efforts n the style of work will always be admired by coming generations for sure. Rest in peace”. shares Vaibhav More Films founder Vaibhav More.

  • India’s quest for good animated content

    India’s quest for good animated content

    MUMBAI: If you don't give the audience what they want, someone else will. Kids' content producers and broadcasters have figured out that Indian kids want relatable and even local characters.

    The OTTV Kids and Animation Summit 2018 saw a session on the making of home-grown characters with panelists Punnaryug Artvision founder Ashish Kulkarni, Toonz Media Group content alliance and partnerships SAARC Kishor Srivastav, Green Gold Animation chief strategy officer Srinivas Chilakalapudi, Graphiti Multimedia director and COO Munjal Shroff and Sony Yay head of programming Ronojoy Chakraborty. Dveo Media CEO Deepak Ramsurrun moderated the panel.

    Highlighting more about the making of home-grown characters, Shroff said that it should keep kids engaged and enable them to dream about it. Adding to Shroff’s point, Kulkarni said that when he started, he had to look at the heritage characters as they didn’t have the liberty to use those projects in other countries because they didn’t have the support from government to produce original content. "There was support for content services but not for content creation. The challenge here is that we are struggling with budgets to create our original content. When you create a character, there are certain things to be taken into consideration. First is that kids don’t understand sequel. Second is that kids would like to see the same character that they relate to. So when you touch upon the heritage, you cannot create 150 episodes of repetitions. The start, middle and end of the story should be in that 11-22 minute episode and they should be able to find themselves inside the characters.”

    Commenting on the same, Srivastav said that while creating original content, we need to see the channel’s feedback and proper research is to be conducted on industry trends and need gap. He added, “We consider the steal character while making an original content, which means, how the character speaks, what they wear and what effect they have on their storyline and background of the character is also important.”

    Chakraborty chipped in saying that according to their research kids love remote control cars and that is why they came up with a show named Kicko and Super Speedo. He said that they also found out that that kids love funky hairstyles, clothes etc.

    When asked about the aspects being considered while making a localised show, Kulkarni said people need to find new content. One should look at the economics, which plays a major role. The key to animation content is powerful idea, powerful character and the ability to tell hundreds of stories in the same plot.

    “I have never sold my IPs to anyone till date; I only gave licensing rights to the channels. So it depends how you want to do it and why you want to do it. If you are selling the IPs, there’s a lot of creative people tampering with the content around. The dilemma that we have with this country and the struggle that we are facing since the last decade is that the price gaps of 22 minutes caps around Rs 12 lakh or Rs 20-25 lakh and that is the challenge to build quality content," he said.

    Only if people are willing to fund animation will we see a future where Indian content is making waves abroad.

  • Indian animation needs a global outlook

    Indian animation needs a global outlook

    MUMBAI: Among the key issues addressed by the recently concluded FICCI MEBC (Media and Entertainment Business Conclave) (South) in Bengaluru on 29 and 30 October was the state of the animation industry in India and what can be done to improve its lot.

    The second day of the conclave saw a dedicated session titled ‘Emerging trends of Indian IP in animation and their exploitation’ with Turner International India senior director and network head for kids in south Asia Krishna Desai, Graphic India co-founder and CEO Sharad Devarajan, Shemaroo Entertainment director Jai Maroo, Krayon Pictures co-founder Nisith Takia and Greengold Animation founder and MD Rajiv Chilaka and Reliance Animation CEO Ashish Kulkarni as moderator.
    Devarajan began by highlighting the need for a cohesive ecosystem favouring the country’s animation industry.

    “Indian consumers today are used to seeing the best of the world and so, we need to transcend the national market and go to the international market,” he said, stressing the need to create content like that made by Stan Lee or Steven Spielberg. “Multi platform and global is how you have to think of stories today,” he said, pointing out how a version of Mahabharat was launched as 18 days, a re-imaging of the original by Graphic India at the San Diego Comic Con and went straight to Youtube.

    Chilaka made a special reference to Chhota Bheem as a kids’ icon while speaking of Greengold’s huge success in the field of animation. “We have grown from just four to over 300 in 12 years. No one knows which show will work, so we have to just give it a shot. Chhota Bheem started off as just 10 products and now it is available in more than 3000 across 30 country stores. We didn’t realize that it would be a phenomenon but now we are confident about making a movie every year,” he said, pointing out that while IP monetisation was happening, it was equally important to build good infrastructure around it to help harness IP better.

    Maroo said Shemaroo would help in distribution and marketing even though it wasn’t actively involved in the creation of animation. “There are people with great production and artistic capacity for whom we can work on aspects like music, distribution and marketing. The reason why characters like Bal Ganesh and Chhota Bheem work well is because of their sheer stickiness. We should have IP with an Indian soul but an international story. What the west has is sharp screenplay that translates across boundaries. That is what we lack,” he said.

     

    Desai opined there wasn’t enough investment in animation and pointed out the difficulties in creating animated content. “There is less advertising revenue for a kids channel (Turner), so we also have less money to invest in new content,” he said.

    Kulkarni said, “In India, animation is positioned as a kids’ genre,” to which, Devarajan gave an example of the Japanese, who have moved Anime from kids to a sophisticated audience. “Their characters have elasticity and a soul that appeals to various demographics. Why aren’t we creating any Clash of the Titans or Lord of the Rings?” asked Devarajan.

    Chilaka said they needed to come up with interesting ways of promotion to grab eyeballs, citing the example of Raju. “We timed Raju to release three weeks before the football world cup and on TV, we did a premiere during the semi-final,” he said.

    Maroo pointed out that very few screens were available across the country for animated movies, thereby restricting viewership. “This industry is the best when commerce meets creativity,” he said. Takia felt not many people understood the business even if they were superlative on the creative front. “We can call ourselves successful only when we galvanise the creative population,” added Devarajan. Maroo rounded off saying: “The future will be about how many different revenue platforms you build.”

  • Entertainment tax relief for Krishna aur Kans

    Entertainment tax relief for Krishna aur Kans

    MUMBAI: 3D animated feature film Krishna aur Kans has been declared tax-free in six states including Maharashtra.

    Produced by Reliance Animation, the film, which released on Friday, has been declared tax-free in Punjab, Rajasthan, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

    Other states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are also considering the proposal.

    “We are thankful to all the state governments for such overwhelming support towards the film for the cause. We want every family in our country to celebrate Janmashtami with ‘Krishna aur Kans‘ and enjoy the adventures and pranks of their favourite Krishna,” said Reliance Animation CEO Ashish Kulkarni.

    Krishna Aur Kans is the story of Lord Krishna and the brutality of Kans. It highlights Krishna’s birth and his victory over Kans. “We’ve watched many animated films revolving around the Gods in the Hindu mythology but this one takes Hindi 3D animation to a new level,” the CEO observed.

    The film has voiceovers by Juhi Chawla, Manoj Bajpayi, Om Puri, Prachi Save, Anupam Kher, A.K. Hangal and Mukesh Khanna.

    “Schools across the states have started doing block bookings of the shows for their students. Even corporate, social groups and clubs in various cities across the country have done block bookings for their employees and members. Also, religious organisations have made bulk bookings,” Kulkarni said.