SS Rajamouli created a new path for the makers, filmmakers are now finding their place in the world of animation.

There was a time when only English American kids shows were available on TV channels for children. In this, main shows like He-Man, Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry and Mickey Mouse had made a big place in the lives of children. After that, times had changed and Japanese and Korean kids cartoon shows gained a huge following in India. Today many kids channels offer Korean, French and Japanese kids shows dubbed into Hindi and other languages ​​to cater to Indian children. These include big shows like ‘Shinchan’. But at that time, Indian film makers themselves did not make any animated series, their world was limited to films. But SS Rajamouli broke this thinking and told that among the big filmmakers there is a child somewhere and they can make animation content according to every age including children.

Filmmakers have a child at heart.

Recently SS Rajamouli announced a new animated series on ‘Baahubali’. But this is not the first time, before this he had made ‘Baahubali: The Lost Legends’ in the year 2017. 5 seasons of this series were made which were released by the year 2020. But now in the year 2024, once again Rajamouli is going to bring a new animated series on ‘Baahubali’, this clearly shows that big filmmakers like Rajamouli, who make big and grand films, no longer want to limit their world to films, but they are also working on animated series. He wants to play a big role in a different genre by making a series. But before SS Rajamouli, there is no film maker who has made any kids content in his film. After the release of the first series on ‘Baahubali’, film maker Rohit Shetty collaborated with a channel to create a Little Singham Kids show based on his popular franchise ‘Singham’. An animated film and series were also made on the film ‘Fukrey’, which became quite popular among children. Regarding this, Uttam Pal Singh, Kids Cluster Head (South Asia), Warner Bros. Discovery, says, ‘Bollywood is one of the most popular genres which transcends age. In such a situation, seeing a famous character of cinema in an animated avatar in animation entertainment is also a magical experience for children.

Eye on animated films

In the Bollywood film industry, makers have always been making films with real characters, but animated versions of films have been made in Hollywood for a long time. For example, in the year 1932, the film ‘Tarzan the Ape Man’ was released, several installments of which were later released, but in 1999, an animated film was also made on the same character and after that a TV series was released. In today’s era, the biggest example of this are all the Marvel films, on which animated movies have also been made. Talking about India, animated series have been made till now, but along with this, big film makers now want to take steps to make animated films based on famous super films. Regarding this, SS Rajamouli recently said, ‘Whenever a brand is created in Hollywood, it comes in different forms, but this does not happen in India. In India, if a film does well, it just ends at the box office. We didn’t want that. He further says, ‘The idea of ​​making an animation film has been in my mind for a long time. I learn as I make films and then use that information in my films. I have learned a lot by watching the work of ‘Bahubali: Crown of Blood’ co-producer Sharad Devarajan, so that one day I can use those skills to fulfill my dream of making an animation film. It is already a matter of making animation content from films, but the makers are also keeping an eye on the non-animated kids content coming on TV and they are also focusing on making Bollywood films on them. Like Shaktiman became the first superhero for children in the 90s, but now a film is also going to be made on the same. So there is no doubt that the makers are also trying to work in different genres with the characters which have left an impression on the children.

animation industry business

The animation industry in India has seen a boom in the last few years. According to a report, the animation market was worth Rs 137 crore in the year 2023, it is expected to reach approximately Rs 1660 crore by the year 2031. If we talk about series and films based on films, they have also been liked a lot. According to Uttam Pal Singh, ‘Since their launch, ‘Little Singham’ on Pogo and ‘Fukrey Boys’ on Discovery Kids have created a lot of excitement and engagement among children across the country. While ‘Little Singham’ stood second on the channel, it attracted 2.5 crore viewers. When ‘Fukrey Boys’ was launched, there was a 60% increase in viewership in the afternoon slot and 84% increase in the evening slot.’ But regarding what kind of character the makers keep in mind in animation, Uttam Pal Singh says that for animated entertainment, the first and most important thing is how attractive is the lead role, how entertaining is it and what are the endearing qualities in it. Are. Also what is his motivation? It is also seen why it attracts the audience? Would the audience want to see him every day, would they like to connect with him in 100 or 500 episodes? For any adaptation, the character’s connections and the universe created by the storytellers are important.

What do experts from the film world say?

SS Rajamouli said, ‘We wanted to take the Baahubali franchise forward but we didn’t know how to do it. We are experts in film making. Not in animation or gaming, so it took us time to find the right person. Uttam Pal Singh, associated with Warner Bros. Discovery, says that Bollywood is one of the most popular genres and in such a situation, seeing a famous character of cinema in an animated avatar in animation entertainment is also a magical experience.