Animation films, no child's play

It’s been a trickle, alright but one whose momentum has been persistent, so where animation movies were rare features a decade ago, the sudden shift meant Indian audiences this year were exposed to a handful of well-made animation films, made by Indians, for Indians including Arjun the Warrior Prince, Krishna Aur Kans and Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan.

Poor turnover at the box office and disinterested audiences are not really causes to exult at the coming-of-age of animation films in the sub-continent but that doesn’t deter Jonathan Dotan, producer of the Sons of Ram — Heroes Will Rise that will see a wide release on 2nd November, ’12 in over 400 theaters in stereoscopic 3D and 2D.

“When I’d started out in the country, in 2006, I’d seen a lot of animation films made here. I will say that the films are getting much, much better, with every passing year. I am really excited for Indian animation,” he says, sounding quite optimistic.

Commenting on the lacklustre status of the animation industry in the country, the film’s writer-director, Kushal Ruia avers, “The thing about the animation industry is that it’s very time intensive, which means, the money you spend is proportional to the time spent on it.

So, unlike the West where an animation film is made over two -three years and has the backing of production houses who are ready to invest huge budgets, Indian animation filmmakers don’t have that luxury.”

And then, there’s the problem of Indian audiences who just don’t see any sense in spending money on “a cartoon picture.” “I remember seeing a man in a movie hall who refused to watch Wall.E because it was an animation film. “I am not a kid” was that man’s response and I remember thinking that “that is my audience.”

The need for the hour, as Kushal vocalizes it is, “We need people with vision; people who know how the industry works and who are ready to give money and allow people to make the films the way they want.” And luckily for him, making a film the way he wanted to is a wish that has come true for Kushal with Sons of Ram.

But, before getting into talking about the making of the film, there’s is that niggling question at the back of our heads: Why a story from mythology, again? Why can’t it be a contemporary story? Jonathan takes a go at it and explains, “ The story of Luv and Kush is based on mythology but at its core, it is a wonderful adventure of brotherhood and camaraderie; of the trials and tribulations of what a family, particularly what a single mother goes through and since the inspiration came through from Uncle Pai’s comic, we used the story and contemporised it.”

He then ponders a bit to point out, “The most successful films have always been about fables that talk about good values.”

Kushal, however, makes a friendly jibe at the question saying, “I am as frustrated about the question as a filmmaker myself!” He then wisely adds, “The fact is that mythology works in India. Atleast, that’s what the content creators seem to think.”

He even admits to taking the mythological project with some initial scepticism. “It was pre-decided that we’d be doing Sons of Ram because it is one of the most popular comics for Amar Chitra Katha. So, when I came in, I was sceptical initially,” admits Kushal but once he braced himself, he gave the movie his all.

“I wanted to justify the original mythology and wanted to tell the story my way. It was about making the story more believable to modern audiences without being preachy or stuffy.”

Making an animation movie, according to Kushal is an elaborate process. One that involves everything from creating background stories for the characters, storyboarding, which according to Kushal, “takes forever”, then putting it into animation, editing the film and then getting the voice-over artistes to act the roles.

“Only idiots work in animation!” quips Kushal before wisely adding, “If you want to get into animation, you better love it.”

One of the highlights of Sons of Ram, that both Jonathan and Kushal take care to point out is of playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan lending her voice for the character of Sita.

“In animation movies, the voice of the characters is very important. We found Sunidhi’s voice perfect for the role of Sita. She is as good an actor as a singer and forms the heart of the film,” enthuses Kushal, whose main focus right now is, “to make Sons of Ram the best animation film that’s been made.”

Before the duo sign off, they also let in on that “plans are on to make a film on Shikari Shambu. The movie is called Shambu and the Man-eater and we’ve evolved him from a hunter to a ranger. And in the film, the much-loved hunter becomes the hunted!” ends Kushal, on a cheerful note.