Animation gets its AniMela

Nonika Singh

India does not have a vibrant culture of reading comics, and hence has limited appetite for animation. Animation films are primarily for children. Indian animation films don’t quite work in theatres. Amid these misgivings that abound almost as truisms, can we expect the Indian animation film industry to survive and thrive?

Yes, if you look at critically acclaimed films like Gitanjali Rao’s ‘Bombay Rose’, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi’s ‘Wade’ and Ishan Shukla’s ‘Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust’. Yes, if you listen to Kireet Khurana, who has just wrapped up AniMela, India’s first international animation, VFX, gaming, comics and XR festival. The answer once again is in the affirmative as big-ticket producers like Shobu Yarlagadda of ‘Baahubali’ fame are closely watching the industry and paying attention to Bakarmax Studios, home to comics and animation. Yarlagadda feels, “All we need is one or two breakthrough films to make an impact.” Equally heartening is the viewpoint of award-winning Spanish filmmaker Isabel Herguera, who believes, “Indian animation filmmakers, especially those in the independent space, are developing a distinct signature.”

Not surprising, Khurana asserts, “We have reached an inflection point and attained the critical mass for the industry to move forward.” Of course, who knows it better than the National Award-winning maker, who started out in the 1990s, that the path is not easy. As one of the first few in the country to have studied animation in Canada, he understands the challenges only too well. These have remained the same since Khurana made ‘Toonpur Ka Superrhero’ in 2010, even though the number of animators has gone up exponentially. That’s precisely why he thought of providing an ecosystem to all the talented animation makers who have great ideas but do not know how and where to pitch these.

As AniMela partnered with the Annecy International Animation Festival in France, the centre of animation films, he thinks co-productions could help overcome the impasse. Isabel, who picked up an Indian story (written by Begum Rokeya Hossain) to become the starting point of her film ‘A Sultana’s Dream’, which kick-started AniMela, nods. She says, “It’s fundamental. Not only do co-productions make financial sense, but also in terms of human experiences, you stand enriched.”

Dystopian and complex films like ‘Schirkoa’ might make you believe that Indian animation is no longer about mythology and can handle diverse themes. Yarlagadda believes, “A simple but emotional story will always connect. Complexity could come later. Mythology is as good a start as any.” He cites ‘The Legend of Hanuman’, currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar, which has gone into its third season as an example that has worked extremely well. Five seasons of his animated series ‘Baahubali: The Lost Legends’, a spinoff of the blockbuster, too, have elicited a positive feedback on Prime Video. Khurana, however, feels that big OTT players, who are otherwise credited with redefining storytelling, are, as of now, not interested in animation projects. “Animation is too experimental a space for them to invest in,” he says.

Ultimately, of course, it’s the chicken and egg story. No one invests in animation films as there are no returns and good films can’t be made since there are no funds. Money talks, and when will it really start talking in the animation film industry is the big question. Khurana feels that “we have to tell stories that travel well, resonate internationally and not just serve the domestic market”. Isabel agrees. “India has many stories that can be mined and possess a universal resonance. The truth of Rokeya, written in 1905, is universal. I saw many similarities between her story and that of my grandmother.”

Indian animators are being lauded for different ways of storytelling as well as for using varied techniques. We wonder whether the hybrid model of combining live-action with animation will work wonders. Yarlagadda is sceptical. As far as movies like James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ are concerned, he thinks, “They are way out of our scope as yet.” But as Ishan Shukla has used motion-capture technology, clearly a definite start to compete with the world has been made.

Whether live-action films and animation should compete with each other is yet another talking point. Isabel feels, “Certainly, when big festivals embrace animation films and showcase them along with others, the signal goes out that it’s not for children and is being seen as purely a film. It’s a statement.”

And AniMela, where nearly five projects (series, films and shorts) were picked up for mentorship, hopes to amplify the statement that the world of Indian animation is all poised to make. As Yarlagadda puts it, “A popular graphic novel with a cult following gets made into an animation film”, and India is likely to take note. If your counter is that graphic novels themselves are in a nascent stage, he suggests to check out the online world. ‘Schirkoa’, which premiered at the International Film Festival at Rotterdam, came out of Ishan’s graphic novel. His observation — “Pop culture is changing quite rapidly, there is a lot of engagement with story-driven video content and Japanese anime” — points towards a growing demand, particularly among Gen Z. Only Indian animators need to tap into it with enduring characters and gripping storylines.

Whether our own Naruto Uzumakis are born or not, voices like that of Ishan are being heard.

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