 NOV
17: From ‘Superman’ to ‘Spiderman’ to ‘Batman’, Hollywood
has proved that films based on comic book characters were
good money. ‘Superman made $300 million worldwide,
‘Spiderman’ grossed $822 million and ‘Batman’ clinched
$413million.
Animated films sustained the trend with ‘Finding Nemo’
grossing $864 million, ‘Shrek’ earning $482 millionand ‘Lion
King’ doing brisk business with $768 million.
Box-office records continue to show an upward trend.
While
Disney’s ‘Chicken Little’ has pulled in $66 million
worldwide within a fortnight of its release, India-produced desi animation film ‘Hanuman’
has already grossed Rs 7 crores, including Rs 3.5 crores
from Mumbai alone, and becoming one of the best products to
hit the screen recently.
Although Hindustan's first animation film ‘Bhagmati – The
Queen of Fortunes’ starring Milind Soman and Tabu
elicited a good response at the Cannes International Film
Festival, Sahara One Motion Picture's indigenous animation
film ‘Hanuman’ starring a deity drawn from the Hindu
pantheon raised eyebrows when it topped box-office charts.
‘How did audiences embrace a cartoon adaptation of a
mythological classic,’ was on everybody’s mind. “Indians
have always viewed animation films as kid stuff but ‘Hanuman’
has the complete package of songs, storyline and excellent
animation that makes it engrossing and inspirational
entertainment for both kids and grown-ups alike,” explained
Sahara One CEO Shantonu Aditya at a press conference,
adding, “The English version will be released
internationally later in the year, particularly in countries
that have large South Asian communities.”
Hopefully, Indians in USA, UK and elsewhere will be able to
make it a meaningful part of their living room fanfares.
“See, the way the west have subtly created religious icons
through comic books, fables and Disneyland features, ‘Hanuman’
for the first time will bring an eastern religious icon at
par with the west's old practice and will go a long way in
indoctrinating a Hindu kid subtly. This is the film’s
intrinsic value. ‘Hanuman’ is an overwhelming
contribution to Indian society.
But more than India, it is a great service for the Indian
Diaspora parents; now they have an equivalent tool, packaged
properly, to enable their kids to connect with their
heritage and religion. I will not be surprised now if a
similar animation film is produced by the Muslim world too
or one on Buddha. ‘Hanuman’ has opened a vast
market,” observes a US-based Pakistani-American
entrepreneur.
 “The
film is a tribute to our own culture as it's not about a
‘Spiderman’ or a ‘Batman’ but our very own Hanuman
whose tales we have been listening to all our childhood,”
reiterated US-based doctor Madhu Anand. “It is a fantastic
way to acquaint Indian children – who have been born and
raised on foreign soils – with their roots.”
“Indian children who have been reared in the US are so tuned
in to Superman and Spiderman, they have no clue about the
superheroes in their own backyard! Hanuman’s tale is
one of the oldest in Indian mythology and now our children
will be acquainted with it since the story is being retold
in an idiom that he or she comprehends best; the animation
film cleverly portrays Hanuman as a superhero who can
leap and touch the sun or move mountains with one hand,”
said US-based entrepreneur Harish Sehgal.
The success story of ‘Hanuman’ should set a precedent
for many more animation films to follow. When International
Animation Day was celebrated by ASIFA India at the Ramada
Plaza Palmgrove 2005, adman Prahlad Kakkar emphasized on the
emergence of the animation industry. “Growing at a rate of
30 per cent per annum and expected to reach a figure of $15
billion by 2010, the Animation Industry is expected to be
the 'next big thing' after Information Technology (IT).
‘Hanuman’ gaining mainstream acceptance is a positive
sign for the Indian animation industry,” was his take.
(With input from DesPardes.com Delhi Correspondent,
Jasmeen Dugal) |
