When we talk about superheroes, we always remember Hollywood’s Superman, Spiderman, Ironman, but you will be surprised to know that our Indian superheroes are also not behind in winning the hearts of the world. Be it the innocent Little Bheem of Dholakpur or Hanuman, who is called the world’s first superhero, these desi Avengers are making their mark on the audiences all over the world through OTT. Read this special report:
Highlights
- Desi superheroes are attracting audiences across the world on OTT, Desi Avengers have won the hearts of the world
- Disney Plus Hotstar’s animated series ‘The Legend of Hanuman’, based on the exploits of Hanuman ji, performed so well that the platform has brought four seasons of it
- Industry experts attribute the global success of these Desi superheroes to the combination of stories rooted in Indian culture and excellent animation
Chhota Bheem, Hanuman, Balveer, everyone’s magic worked
Be it Hanuman Ji, considered the biggest superhero, or the tiny little boy Chhota Bheem, these Desi Avengers have taken over the world through OTT. Disney Plus Hotstar’s animated series The Legend of Hanuman, based on the exploits of Hanuman Ji, performed so well that the platform has already released four seasons of it. According to Ormax India, the first season of the series got 20 million views in a year, while the second season garnered a record-breaking 8.5 million views in just ten days. Earlier, Chhota Bheem’s spin-off ‘Mighty Little Bheem’, which ruled the hearts of Indian children for 15 years, also surprised everyone and broke all records of success. This first Indian animated series of Netflix topped the pre-school category. Launched in 2019, this Indian show topped the most watched shows in the US that year. It got more than 27 million viewers worldwide, including Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, due to which its three seasons came one after the other.
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and also a superhero
Apart from these, superhero Baalveer, who rocked the small screen for 12 years, is now attracting viewers from all over the world on OTT. Baalveer, which recently launched its new season on Sony Liv, was included in the top 3 shows in the very first week. These superheroes are rocking not only in videos but also in audio series. On Pocket FM, four superhero audio series Number Zero (140 million plays), Shourveer (250 million plays), New Avatar (190 million plays), Super Yodha (140 million plays) made a record of being listened to more than 100 million times i.e. 10 crore times.
Superhero movies
A hit combination of a rooted story and great animation
Industry experts attribute the global success of these Desi superheroes to the jugalbandi of stories related to Indian culture and excellent animation. When asked about the reason for the success of this show, Sharad Devarajan, creator of The Legend of Hanuman, says, ‘All our mythological stories and characters, especially Hanuman ji, have inspired generations for thousands of years. his/her principles, values, teachings are universal and they will always remain relevant. These are immortal and timeless stories, with which people of all ages connect. Today, we makers are narrating them using modern technology like action and animation, so the younger generation is liking this jugalbandi.’ After the success of The Legend of Hanuman, Sharad Devarajan has recently brought the animated series Bahubali: Crown of Blood and according to Ormax India, it topped the most watched series on OTT with 3.5 million views as soon as it came. Meanwhile, Rajiv Chilaka, founder of Green Gold Animation, which created Chhota Bheem, also considers the main reason for the popularity of these superheroes to be their desi-ness and connection to the roots. According to Rajeev, ‘People had seen only foreign superheroes for a long time, but with the increasing global exposure, now they want to see all kinds of heroes and characters. They want to know different cultures, they found both variety and novelty in Mighty Little Bheem. The biggest thing is that we did not leave our Indian roots even for the foreign audience. We showed the Indian village, forest, family, clothing, culture in the same way. We never hid our Indianness nor tried to become western. That’s why they found this show different.’
Hanuman on OTT
Desiness and kindness won hearts
Chhota Bheem has the Indianness and goodness in him/her, like he/she is always there for his/her friends. he/she supports truth and goodness. he/she is a noble, smart and courageous child. he/she respects his/her culture. All this appeals to children and their parents too, that is why he/she is liked so much. – Rajiv Chilaka, Creator, Chhota Bheem
I liked the new style of animation
The way we have presented The Legend of Hanuman at a world-class level of animation, our young generation has not seen it before. I think the execution of how you are telling this story is very important. If we give our audience world-class quality shows, they will definitely follow. – Sharad Devarajan, Creator, The Legend of Hanuman
