Indian Tales Going Places
Kahani was born when some Canadian Indians felt the need to globalise desi stories.
By Ishani Duttagupta, TNN |
This is quite literally about India’s wealth of stories—a venture that started in 2003 when a group of NRI professionals in Toronto felt their children were losing out on Indian stories that the earlier generation had grown up with. Today Kahani Inc, a Toronto based animation company, makes content with Indian themes for global audiences.
In 2005, for the first time, Kahani World began the process of engaging with professional partners to take these concepts to the global TV and animation markets. “Members of the Indian diaspora want to tell their stories to the next generation to perpetuate the homeland. However, what was available earlier was of poor production quality and turned off Indian kids here and overseas,” says Biren Ghosh, who became CEO & president of Kahani Inc when the company’s investment bankers wanted to infuse professional talent into the company.
Toronto-based R.K. Moorthy, director and secretary Kahani World Inc, an experienced HR executive who has worked with the Bank of Montreal and Ontario Hydro/Ontario Power Generation, came on board because he felt the need for quality Indian content for children. “I have seen in New York my grandchild growing up watching children’s entertainment DVDs and TV shows which have both an entertainment and educational focus. Along with some like-minded friends and individual investors, we co-founded Kahani Inc with the primary focus of developing, producing and distributing children’s entertainment products for India and the diaspora,” he says.
Kahani World is now co-producing ‘Secrets of the Seven Sounds’, a full-length animated feature for kids, inspired by the Ramayana with Richard Branson’s Virgin Comics which also has bestselling inspirational author Deepak Chopra as chairman. The animated feature will hit the market in the summer of 2008. Kahani also has a tie-up with Singapore-based ettaminA Studios to co-produce ‘Shati the Asian Princess’ – a new world movie with an Asian adventure theme.
The company is now planning to create global children’s brands and exploring different windows of monetisation such as books, games, iPod series, direct-to-DVD as well as movies. “The release of our big movie ‘Secrets of the Seven Sounds’ next year will be a big coming out party for us. With such big names as Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapoor associated with us, we’re sure the project will be a success,” Mr Ghose says. Happy beginnings!
In 2005, for the first time, Kahani World began the process of engaging with professional partners to take these concepts to the global TV and animation markets. “Members of the Indian diaspora want to tell their stories to the next generation to perpetuate the homeland. However, what was available earlier was of poor production quality and turned off Indian kids here and overseas,” says Biren Ghosh, who became CEO & president of Kahani Inc when the company’s investment bankers wanted to infuse professional talent into the company.
Toronto-based R.K. Moorthy, director and secretary Kahani World Inc, an experienced HR executive who has worked with the Bank of Montreal and Ontario Hydro/Ontario Power Generation, came on board because he felt the need for quality Indian content for children. “I have seen in New York my grandchild growing up watching children’s entertainment DVDs and TV shows which have both an entertainment and educational focus. Along with some like-minded friends and individual investors, we co-founded Kahani Inc with the primary focus of developing, producing and distributing children’s entertainment products for India and the diaspora,” he says.
Kahani World is now co-producing ‘Secrets of the Seven Sounds’, a full-length animated feature for kids, inspired by the Ramayana with Richard Branson’s Virgin Comics which also has bestselling inspirational author Deepak Chopra as chairman. The animated feature will hit the market in the summer of 2008. Kahani also has a tie-up with Singapore-based ettaminA Studios to co-produce ‘Shati the Asian Princess’ – a new world movie with an Asian adventure theme.
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“We are trying to create stories that represent modern and contemporary Indian icons as well. That way we feel we can create a bigger global footprint and develop a bigger portfolio of brands,” says Mr Ghose who has visited various markets such as Cannes, New York and Los Angeles to promote the concept and products of Kahani Inc.The company is now planning to create global children’s brands and exploring different windows of monetisation such as books, games, iPod series, direct-to-DVD as well as movies. “The release of our big movie ‘Secrets of the Seven Sounds’ next year will be a big coming out party for us. With such big names as Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapoor associated with us, we’re sure the project will be a success,” Mr Ghose says. Happy beginnings!
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