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Tag: Graphic India

  • Amazon Prime to air ‘Baahubali’ animation series

    Amazon Prime to air ‘Baahubali’ animation series

    NEW DELHI: The magnum opus ‘Baahubali’, a film that earned over Rs 6000 million in worldwide box office collections, is now being turned into a new multi-episode animated series titled – “Baahubali: The Lost Legends”.

    This was announced by Amazon Prime Video which has tied up wth acclaimed filmmaker SS Rajamouli, Graphic India and Arka Mediaworks.

    “S.S. Rajamouli is one of the most visionary movie minds in current times and we are thrilled to have him launch this exclusive series, Baahubali: The Lost Legends,” said Amazon Prime Video India Director and Country Head Nitesh Kripalani in a statement, adding, “The animation series will allow our customers to discover hidden stories and legends from the Baahubali world. And now for the first time, customers can watch the exclusive trailer first on www.Amazon.in”

    “What we managed to showcase in the film was just the tip of the iceberg,” said director Rajamouli. “From the minute I started working on this story, I knew the world of ‘Baahubali’ cannot be encompassed into a film or two, simply because there is so much more to tell and animation is another way to do that.”

    Graphic India Co-Founder & CEO Sharad Devarajan feels that filled with political intrigue, betrayal, war, action and adventure, the animated series will take audiences on new adventures beyond the film.

    As a part of festive celebrations, customers can watch the exclusive teaser trailer of `Baahubali: The Lost Legends’, the animated series, exclusively on www.Amazon.in only on 1 and 2 October 2016.

    The animated series was conceived by S S Rajamouli, Sharad Devarajan and Arka Mediaworks, who will all be producers along with Jeevan J. Kang, Graphic’s EVP Creative and the lead character designer for the new animated series. Graphic’s senior animation writer, Ashwin Pande, will also be a producer.

    According to Arka Mediaworks CEO Shobu Yarlagadda, “Having created so many iconic stories and characters, there is no one more equipped than Graphic India, to take the story of Baahubali forward. We are very excited for what’s to come.”

    Baahubali: The Lost Legends is set before the Kalakeya invasion depicted in the movie, when Baahubali and Bhallaladeva are still both young princes of Mahishmati. Two brothers competing to rule the greatest kingdom of its age and the epic adventures they must endure to prove they are worthy to one day wear the crown. Under the watchful eye of Sivagami, and the warrior Katappa, one shall rise to be King of the throne, while the other shall become King of the people.

    The animated series will feature new, never before revealed stories about the characters from the film including Prince Baahubali, Bhallaladeva, Kattapa and Sivagami as well as dozens of new characters that will expand the world of Baahubali and reveal hidden secrets for millions of fans, an official statement stated.

  • Amazon Prime to air ‘Baahubali’ animation series

    Amazon Prime to air ‘Baahubali’ animation series

    NEW DELHI: The magnum opus ‘Baahubali’, a film that earned over Rs 6000 million in worldwide box office collections, is now being turned into a new multi-episode animated series titled – “Baahubali: The Lost Legends”.

    This was announced by Amazon Prime Video which has tied up wth acclaimed filmmaker SS Rajamouli, Graphic India and Arka Mediaworks.

    “S.S. Rajamouli is one of the most visionary movie minds in current times and we are thrilled to have him launch this exclusive series, Baahubali: The Lost Legends,” said Amazon Prime Video India Director and Country Head Nitesh Kripalani in a statement, adding, “The animation series will allow our customers to discover hidden stories and legends from the Baahubali world. And now for the first time, customers can watch the exclusive trailer first on www.Amazon.in”

    “What we managed to showcase in the film was just the tip of the iceberg,” said director Rajamouli. “From the minute I started working on this story, I knew the world of ‘Baahubali’ cannot be encompassed into a film or two, simply because there is so much more to tell and animation is another way to do that.”

    Graphic India Co-Founder & CEO Sharad Devarajan feels that filled with political intrigue, betrayal, war, action and adventure, the animated series will take audiences on new adventures beyond the film.

    As a part of festive celebrations, customers can watch the exclusive teaser trailer of `Baahubali: The Lost Legends’, the animated series, exclusively on www.Amazon.in only on 1 and 2 October 2016.

    The animated series was conceived by S S Rajamouli, Sharad Devarajan and Arka Mediaworks, who will all be producers along with Jeevan J. Kang, Graphic’s EVP Creative and the lead character designer for the new animated series. Graphic’s senior animation writer, Ashwin Pande, will also be a producer.

    According to Arka Mediaworks CEO Shobu Yarlagadda, “Having created so many iconic stories and characters, there is no one more equipped than Graphic India, to take the story of Baahubali forward. We are very excited for what’s to come.”

    Baahubali: The Lost Legends is set before the Kalakeya invasion depicted in the movie, when Baahubali and Bhallaladeva are still both young princes of Mahishmati. Two brothers competing to rule the greatest kingdom of its age and the epic adventures they must endure to prove they are worthy to one day wear the crown. Under the watchful eye of Sivagami, and the warrior Katappa, one shall rise to be King of the throne, while the other shall become King of the people.

    The animated series will feature new, never before revealed stories about the characters from the film including Prince Baahubali, Bhallaladeva, Kattapa and Sivagami as well as dozens of new characters that will expand the world of Baahubali and reveal hidden secrets for millions of fans, an official statement stated.

  • Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    MUMBAI: After its successful debut on Cartoon Network in 2013, Graphic India and Stan Lee’s “Chakra The Invincible” is back with three new installments of “Made for TV” movies for Turner International. Chakra is the brainchild Graphic India’s Sharad Devarajan, and POW Entertainment founder Stan Lee, who is credited with creating billion-dollar character intellectual properties such as the Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor and the X-Men.

    Sixty to 70 mins long, the first of the three installments, Chakra Rise of the Infinitus, was aired on Turner’s Toonami last Sunday, while the second and third animated movies are scheduled for December-end and first half of 2017.

    “The movie will subsequently be aired on other Turner channels such as Cartoon Network,” said Devarajan. “I have had a great long-standing partnership with Krishna Desai who heads Turner’s kids content division. He is a true fan of comics books; Stan Lee and I saw the true potential for this kind of unique content,” Devarajan added on choosing Turner as the broadcast partner.

    To make the content travel to regional markets as well, the movies have been produced in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu feeds. Apart from its TV broadcasts in India, Graphic India is largely looking into syndicating the TV movies to other international markets. “Our partnership is only for the Indian market, but Graphic India is aggressively expanding to other markets with foreign broadcasting partners as well. We have already partnered with Angry Birds creators, Rovio Entertainment, and its digital platform ToonsTV, making Chakra as the first third-party character to have launched on the platform.”

    The character received a warm welcome from the fan boys in the United States. “Kids from the mid-west America have been found dressing up as an Indian superhero in cosplay conventions and birthday parties — that is how popular it is in the western markets,” Devarajan shared, adding that 100,000 copies of the comic book have been distributed in the North American market.

    Devarajan also has big plans to market the character in India, starting in the next two to three months which will tied to the promotion of the live action Bollywood film inspired by Chakra, announced by Phantom Films (in 2017).

    “We will be pushing the distribution of the comic book, organise live events, and ensure that Chakra has a visibility in games, merchandise and promotions deals with brands in India.”

    Devarajan shied away from discussing the actual budget of the latest series of TV movies, but he reassured that they have scaled up the production.

    “Now that we are getting international market attention about distribution, the more we move to multi-market, the scope of expanding both, scale and budget, increases. Working only in the Indian market gives us limited options, but when foreign players are willing to invest, we naturally consider a higher budget,” he added.

    Apart from Chakra The Invincible, Graphic India will also see its long-announced animated series “Astra Force” (featuring an animated Amitabh Bachchan) see the light of the day this year-end with Disney India being the broadcast partner.

  • Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    Chakra movies to air on Toonami; Astra Force coming soon

    MUMBAI: After its successful debut on Cartoon Network in 2013, Graphic India and Stan Lee’s “Chakra The Invincible” is back with three new installments of “Made for TV” movies for Turner International. Chakra is the brainchild Graphic India’s Sharad Devarajan, and POW Entertainment founder Stan Lee, who is credited with creating billion-dollar character intellectual properties such as the Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor and the X-Men.

    Sixty to 70 mins long, the first of the three installments, Chakra Rise of the Infinitus, was aired on Turner’s Toonami last Sunday, while the second and third animated movies are scheduled for December-end and first half of 2017.

    “The movie will subsequently be aired on other Turner channels such as Cartoon Network,” said Devarajan. “I have had a great long-standing partnership with Krishna Desai who heads Turner’s kids content division. He is a true fan of comics books; Stan Lee and I saw the true potential for this kind of unique content,” Devarajan added on choosing Turner as the broadcast partner.

    To make the content travel to regional markets as well, the movies have been produced in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu feeds. Apart from its TV broadcasts in India, Graphic India is largely looking into syndicating the TV movies to other international markets. “Our partnership is only for the Indian market, but Graphic India is aggressively expanding to other markets with foreign broadcasting partners as well. We have already partnered with Angry Birds creators, Rovio Entertainment, and its digital platform ToonsTV, making Chakra as the first third-party character to have launched on the platform.”

    The character received a warm welcome from the fan boys in the United States. “Kids from the mid-west America have been found dressing up as an Indian superhero in cosplay conventions and birthday parties — that is how popular it is in the western markets,” Devarajan shared, adding that 100,000 copies of the comic book have been distributed in the North American market.

    Devarajan also has big plans to market the character in India, starting in the next two to three months which will tied to the promotion of the live action Bollywood film inspired by Chakra, announced by Phantom Films (in 2017).

    “We will be pushing the distribution of the comic book, organise live events, and ensure that Chakra has a visibility in games, merchandise and promotions deals with brands in India.”

    Devarajan shied away from discussing the actual budget of the latest series of TV movies, but he reassured that they have scaled up the production.

    “Now that we are getting international market attention about distribution, the more we move to multi-market, the scope of expanding both, scale and budget, increases. Working only in the Indian market gives us limited options, but when foreign players are willing to invest, we naturally consider a higher budget,” he added.

    Apart from Chakra The Invincible, Graphic India will also see its long-announced animated series “Astra Force” (featuring an animated Amitabh Bachchan) see the light of the day this year-end with Disney India being the broadcast partner.

  • Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    MUMBAI: Graphic India has announced the hire of veteran animation executive, Narendra Deshpande as senior vice president of production and animation. Deshpande will work closely with Graphic India’s Co-Founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajanand its EVP, Creative, Jeevan J. Kang, to scale up Graphic’s original animation production across television and digital platforms.

    “Narendra brings to Graphic India two decades of animation production experience and excellence and it’s our great honor to have him join us in our mission to create original Indian characters and stories that captivate the imaginations of audiences around the world,” said Devarajan. “With an ever increasing number of new animated shows in production and development, Narendra will oversee our production scale-up and build a world-class execution pipeline.”

    “After an enriching journey of 20 years in the animation industry, having learned a lot from each and every experience, I am now joining Graphic India with new hope and a new dream. With the intention to be more perfect, acquire more knowledge with open arms andaim to achieve great heights,” added Desphande. “With my dedication, devotion to my work and a bagful of new ideas, I had heard that if you ‘Choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’, and that’s exactly what I am going to do as pleasure in work gives perfection. I believe in hard work to get desired results. No gains without pains. Looking forward to a fantastic time at Graphic India.”

    Graphic India is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through animation, comics and digital platforms. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 500 million people under the age of 25 and more than 900 million mobile phone users in the country.

    The Company’s animated shows include, Chakra The Invincible, with superhero icon, Stan Lee and has appeared on Cartoon Network/Toonami as well as the Angry Birds ToonsTV platform.

    Phantom Films recently announced a partnership with Graphic for a live-action Bollywood film based on Chakra, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane. They are also also working with acclaimed actor, Amitabh Bachchan on the launch of his first animated series, Astra Force, which will appear on Disney Channel later this year. It was also recently announced that Graphic India is working with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and Arka Media Works to create new content around the hit film,Baahubali.

    Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics LLC, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and NYC Media Group, Start Media.

  • Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation

    MUMBAI: Graphic India has announced the hire of veteran animation executive, Narendra Deshpande as senior vice president of production and animation. Deshpande will work closely with Graphic India’s Co-Founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajanand its EVP, Creative, Jeevan J. Kang, to scale up Graphic’s original animation production across television and digital platforms.

    “Narendra brings to Graphic India two decades of animation production experience and excellence and it’s our great honor to have him join us in our mission to create original Indian characters and stories that captivate the imaginations of audiences around the world,” said Devarajan. “With an ever increasing number of new animated shows in production and development, Narendra will oversee our production scale-up and build a world-class execution pipeline.”

    “After an enriching journey of 20 years in the animation industry, having learned a lot from each and every experience, I am now joining Graphic India with new hope and a new dream. With the intention to be more perfect, acquire more knowledge with open arms andaim to achieve great heights,” added Desphande. “With my dedication, devotion to my work and a bagful of new ideas, I had heard that if you ‘Choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’, and that’s exactly what I am going to do as pleasure in work gives perfection. I believe in hard work to get desired results. No gains without pains. Looking forward to a fantastic time at Graphic India.”

    Graphic India is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through animation, comics and digital platforms. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 500 million people under the age of 25 and more than 900 million mobile phone users in the country.

    The Company’s animated shows include, Chakra The Invincible, with superhero icon, Stan Lee and has appeared on Cartoon Network/Toonami as well as the Angry Birds ToonsTV platform.

    Phantom Films recently announced a partnership with Graphic for a live-action Bollywood film based on Chakra, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane. They are also also working with acclaimed actor, Amitabh Bachchan on the launch of his first animated series, Astra Force, which will appear on Disney Channel later this year. It was also recently announced that Graphic India is working with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and Arka Media Works to create new content around the hit film,Baahubali.

    Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics LLC, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and NYC Media Group, Start Media.

  • Disney Channel snaps up Amitabh Bachchan’s animated series ‘Astra Force’

    Disney Channel snaps up Amitabh Bachchan’s animated series ‘Astra Force’

    MUMBAI: Graphic India and Disney Channel have joined hands with Amitabh Bachchan to produce a 52-episode animated series titled Astra Force. 

     

    The series created by Bachchan and Graphic India CEO Sharad Devarajan is slated to air on Disney Channel India in 2017.

     

    “I am truly excited to be collaborating with my friends Devarajan at Graphic India and Siddharth Roy Kapur at Disney to launch this exciting new superhero series, Astra Force,” said Bachchan. “In the same way animation from other markets has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, it’s now India’s time to create new heroes and animated shows to spark the imaginations of children all across the world.”

     

    A funny and fast-paced, action-adventure series, filled with laughs and thrills, it tells the story of a mythical hero from a distant world, who was stranded on Earth millions of years ago after an epic space battle.

     

    When eight-year old brother and sister twins accidentally awaken the mythical superhero from his long hibernation, they must teach him about our modern world and join Astra to save the universe from a new wave of giant monsters and intergalactic threats. If monsters weren’t enough, Astra’s new young friends also have to hide the superhero from their parents and deal with Astra’s insatiable hunger for modern desserts after an eternity spent in hibernation.

     

    “At Disney, we believe in showcasing great stories with compelling characters that are loved by our audiences. It is imperative to get the local texture right for any story to resonate and emotionally connect with the viewers. With Bachchan associating with Graphics India and Disney Channel India on Astra Force, we will be bringing an interesting facet to storytelling in the local animation space,” said Disney India managing director Siddharth Roy Kapur.

     

    “Bachchan is a real life superhero to millions, including myself, so it’s no surprise that he is the perfect person to become immortalized in this new animated avatar,” added Devarajan. “The opportunity to collaborate with Bachchan on Astra Force is made that much stronger by partnering with Disney, a company whose creativity and storytelling I have admired all my life.”

     

    Devarajan is the producer of the series along with Graphic India SVP creative Jeevan J. Kang who is overseeing visual development, character design and art for the project. Graphic’s previous animated superhero, Chakra The Invincible, was created with Stan Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Avengers) and received over 30 million views globally on Rovio’s ToonsTV platform available through the Angry Birds app.

     

    In addition to the partnership with Disney Channel India, Graphic India will also be launching the character in a series of digital and print comic books available through a special Facebook comic app through Bachchan’s large social media following.

  • Graphic India raises $2.8 million to create mobile content

    Graphic India raises $2.8 million to create mobile content

    MUMBAI: Graphic India has closed a new seed-financing round of $2.8 million. 

     

    The financing was led by CA Media, the Asian investment arm of Peter Chernin’s The Chernin Group that had picked up a stake in Graphic India in 2013, and Michael Maher’s New York based Start Media. The other investors in the seed-financing include Backflip Studios Julian Farrior and Dale Thoms.

     

    The funds raised will be utilised to create content in English, Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages for the Indian youth to consume on their mobile devices. India has more than 850 active mobile connections and 550 million people under the age of 25.

     

    Graphic India is looking at launching a new wave of enduring characters and mythic heroes for audiences in India and around the world.

     

    Graphic India CEO and co-founder Sharad Devarajan said, “The next Steven Spielberg, JK Rowling, Stan Lee or Miyazaki exists somewhere in India, ready to change the world through their stories. At Graphic, we will find these breakthrough talents and give them the resources and the digital platform to share their creativity with the world. This new financing will expand our content offering and allow us to create India’s premiere mobile platform for comics and animation – engaging and building a passionate community of superhero, sci-fi and mythology fans through Graphic’s content and characters.”

     

    Over the next few months, Graphic India will unveil a number of digital products and apps in India to build direct engagement with the growing community of comic book and animation fans in the country.

     

    “We have always believed in the immense potential of Graphic India. An amalgamation of talent and creativity, the characters, heroes and stories from Graphic India, tap into the unique ingenuity and culture of India, but appeal to audiences worldwide. With smart phones increasingly becoming the preferred medium of entertainment for the youth and the ever increasing consumer reach of mobiles in India, the move towards expanding their offering and creating content for smart phones and tablets will give them with a significant boost and enthuse the next generation of comic buffs,” added Chernin Asia Media Group COO Rajesh Kamat.

     

    Founded in January 2013, by Devarajan, Gotham Chopra and Suresh Seetharaman, Graphic India had previously raised $2.5 million in initial seed financing from CA Media.

     

  • Pogo and Graphic India presents ‘Sholay Adventures’

    Pogo and Graphic India presents ‘Sholay Adventures’

    MUMBAI: Pogo, Graphic India and Sholay Media and Entertainment have announced that they will bring “Sholay Adventures,” an animated reinvention of the beloved classic, to the small screen. The first movie in the series will premiere on POGO on Monday, January 26th at 12pm.

     

    Sholay Adventures will be the first of four television animation films that introduce Jai and Veeru in new and mischievous kid avatars. Parents will remember the enduring qualities of friendship and loyalty from the original film, while kids will experience heroes like Jai and Veeru for the very first time. Sholay Adventures will bring together two generations in a new fun adventure.

     

    Commenting on this partnership, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International said, “With Pogo, we have always strived to create local content that resonates with Indian kids. By partnering with Graphic India and Sholay Media Entertainment to reinvent an iconic movie like Sholay, we hope to engage and entertain not only kids but also parents.”

     

    “Sholay is beloved by millions of people across the country. We are thrilled to be working with Sholay Media and Entertainment and POGO to take these iconic characters into exciting new stories through animation for the first time,” commented Graphic’s Co-Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan “The legendary friendship of Jai &Veeru has captivated generations. Now, with this fun and action-packed, kids animation, both fathers and sons will be able to experience Sholayin a whole new way together.”  

     

    Veeru and Jai are back! As 10 year olds working for Thakur Uncle’s secret SHOLAY police agency, they’re on a mission to stop Gabbar Singh and his villainous group of monsters and criminals known as the Fright Force! The fate of the world is in the hands of these two best friends! The animated films take the well beloved characters that populated the original Sholaymovie and reinvents them in a fun animated way for kids.

     

    Devarajan is an Executive Producer of the animated film with Sascha Sippy, Chairman of Sholay Media and Entertainment. The new animated look of the beloved movie characters were created by Graphic India’s SVP Creative, Jeevan J. Kang with the script for the animated series written by acclaimed writer, Alok Sharma, a lead writer on Cartoon Network’s originally produced hit series, Roll No. 21.

     

    Beyond animation, Graphic India and Sholay Media and Entertainment will also introduce books, merchandise and other products for kids based on the new Sholay Adventures.

  • Producer Mark Canton to develop superhero film “Warrior Birth of the Sadhu”

    Producer Mark Canton to develop superhero film “Warrior Birth of the Sadhu”

    MUMBAI: Acclaimed Hollywood producer, Mark Canton, and Graphic India, acharacter entertainment company focused on creating superheroes, comics and stories through mobile and digital platforms, announced today that Canton will be developing and producing a live-action feature film based on Graphic’s superhero property, “The Sadhu” through his production company, Atmosphere Entertainment.

    Canton’s long list of blockbuster motion pictures include the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel ‘300,’ ‘The Immortals,’ and the just released ‘300: Rise of an Empire,’ which opened last Friday (7) to a stellar worldwide weekend gross in excess of $133 million and is setting new box office records in numerous countries. Graphic India Co-Founders, Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra, who will produce the film with Canton, also co-wrote the theatrical film screenplay for “Warrior: Revenge of The Sadhu,” which is based on a new mobile comic series on the character to be launched later this year across India.

    The story centers on James Jenson, A British soldier whose family is brutally murdered by a corrupt superior officer in the Indian colony of Bengal in 1858. Jenson escapes in the remote forests of India where he seeks refuge with the mysterious Indian mystics known as sadhus. After years of being trained in their supernatural arts, Jenson must decide whether to use his newfound powers for inner peaceand enlightenment as they are intended, or for justice against the people who murdered his family. Warrior: The Sadhu follows the journey of one man who barters his soul’s deliverance for his family’s honor.

    Commenting on the project Canton added, “In the same way Greek myths have captivated the imagination of audiences around the world, the screenplay by Gotham Chopra and SharadDevarajan for ‘Warrior’ taps into the mystical traditions and mythologies of India through an accessible action-packed adventure that I am confident will make a spectacular blockbuster film and will mark the birth of a new franchise.”

    Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder and CEO of Graphic India added, “With ‘300’ and ‘Immortals,’ Mark Canton has produced some of the most successful films in Hollywood based on epic myths and legends.We are incredibly honored that he will now be working with us to take the story of ‘The Sadhu’ to the big screen.”

    Graphic India was formed by comic book company, Liquid Comics and CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG).