Toon typhoon to hit silver screen
THEY may not yet give King Khan a run for his hold over the box office.
By Meenakshi Verma, TNN |
NEW DELHI: THEY may not yet give King Khan a run for his hold over the box office. But, desi cartoon films are all set to storm theatres next year. Indian animation companies are dreaming 70 mm, as they line up plans for the big screen.
In a bid to repeat the success of animated movie Hanuman, many animation companies, including Bollywood production houses, are getting bullish about the cartoon film format. Around eight animation movies are slated for release in the next fiscal and mythological characters seem to be the flavour of the season.
Toonz Animation is making a sequel of Hanuman with Percept Picture Company which is slated for a 2007-end release.
“For the domestic market, one has to make an animation movie in a cost-effective manner; yet, we believe the Indian market is now ready for animation content,” says P Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Animation. Hanuman II will be a Rs 13-crore movie and will leverage merchandising content. Besides Hanuman, Toonz Animation is also working on a Rs 10 crore movie based on the epic Mahabharata.
That’s not all. Two more films are expected on Lord Krishna. Hyderabad-based studio Colour Chips is making a movie on Lord Krishna which is slated to be released in early 2007, while Bangalore-based Anirights Infomedia is making one with Iskcon, also slated for release next year.
Secunderabad-based PMI Green Gold Animation is producing Lord Ganesha at a budget of $1.5 million. “The domestic audience will be able to relate to the movie and that is why we are making Ganesha; it is slated for release by the end of 2007,” says Rajiv Chilakalapudi, managing director, PMI Green Gold Animation. Another Pune-based company Phebus Creation is making an animation movie on Lord Vishnu which is slated to be released in April 2007. “We have made it in Hindi but we may dub ‘Dashavatar’ in other Indian languages,” says Rahul Bakshi, director, Phebus Creations.
In a bid to repeat the success of animated movie Hanuman, many animation companies, including Bollywood production houses, are getting bullish about the cartoon film format. Around eight animation movies are slated for release in the next fiscal and mythological characters seem to be the flavour of the season.
Toonz Animation is making a sequel of Hanuman with Percept Picture Company which is slated for a 2007-end release.
“For the domestic market, one has to make an animation movie in a cost-effective manner; yet, we believe the Indian market is now ready for animation content,” says P Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Animation. Hanuman II will be a Rs 13-crore movie and will leverage merchandising content. Besides Hanuman, Toonz Animation is also working on a Rs 10 crore movie based on the epic Mahabharata.
That’s not all. Two more films are expected on Lord Krishna. Hyderabad-based studio Colour Chips is making a movie on Lord Krishna which is slated to be released in early 2007, while Bangalore-based Anirights Infomedia is making one with Iskcon, also slated for release next year.
Secunderabad-based PMI Green Gold Animation is producing Lord Ganesha at a budget of $1.5 million. “The domestic audience will be able to relate to the movie and that is why we are making Ganesha; it is slated for release by the end of 2007,” says Rajiv Chilakalapudi, managing director, PMI Green Gold Animation. Another Pune-based company Phebus Creation is making an animation movie on Lord Vishnu which is slated to be released in April 2007. “We have made it in Hindi but we may dub ‘Dashavatar’ in other Indian languages,” says Rahul Bakshi, director, Phebus Creations.
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Bollywood studios have already announced plans for animation feature films. Adlabs’ animation division has already announced two movies-one on the south Indian actor Rajnikant, named “Superstar” and another with kidswear brand Gini & Jony. Sources believe the movies have budgets to the tune of Rs 20 crore and Rs 13 crore respectively. UTV recently announced investments of about Rs 135 crore for three animation movies in the next three years. Yash Raj Films is also reportedly looking at making an animation movie.Start a SIP with as low as ₹500 with ET Money App!
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