When Desi Tradition Meets Animation
In the realm of Indian art and culture, animation is becoming a powerful tool for self-expression and storytelling
By : Roseina Coutinho
Update: 2024-08-09 18:30 GMT
India is recognised as the ‘animation hub’ in the world today. Many leading animators and digital creators are drawing inspiration from India’s rich cultural heritage inclusive of folklore, mythology, art, and craft forms. For those who think animated movies were just ‘imports’ from the outside world, The Banyan Deer (1957) was India’s first animated film. Indians were quite innovatively and passionately making animated movies as early as 1934! “Despite the huge strides in Indian animation, as a country, we are still a backend office to the rest of the world,” says Kireet Khurana, Indian filmmaker and animator, Winner of 6 National awards.
Despite several Oscar award-winning films like Life of Pi, Golden Compass, Dune, Pinocchio being animated in India, we are still a ‘service’ driven economy with only a handful of short films being produced by creators each year. “Indian art and culture remain separate from the world of animation for most of it,” says Kireet. However, the works of filmmakers like Nina Sabnani and Upamanyu Bhattarcharya have been exceptions here.
A Unique Medium
Animation serves as a unique medium that stretches the boundaries of visual imagination. Kireet says, “The best definition of animation to me is this, animation begins where live action gives up!” He opines that the world of animation and animated characters have a much longer shelf-life and become ‘evergreen’ properties. For example, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry, and many others.
Prateek Sethi, Founder & Creative Director, Trip Creative services, a multi-award-winning communication design house says, “Your imagination is the only limiting factor when it comes to animations.” Anima-tion can bring to life thoughts and communicate ideas in ways that conventional storytelling cannot. “Animation has taken longer to evolve and be recognized as a medium not just as cartoons for kids but as an art form,” says Rituparna Sarkar, an alumna of the National Institute of Design in Visual Communica-tion, specializing in Animation Film Design. She adds that once animation managed to secure itself as an art form, there was no stopping bringing Indian stories, nuances, and so many other craft styles into it.
Cultural Blend
A decade ago, animation and its very understanding were limited to cartoons. Today, it has integrated itself as a part of filmmaking, content creation, and other industries. Hariom Verma, a visual artist from Delhi says, “Animation effectively bridges traditional art styles with modern techniques, making it a dynamic medium for expressing and celebrating India’s diverse cultural legacy.” He cites a few examples that have left an impact on him as a visual artist. These being the Indian Spider-Man by Pavitra Prabhakar, the Bahubali series influenced by mythological art styles or even Mighty Little Bheem on Netflix. He opines that creations like The Legend of Hanuman or The Warli Revolt (a music video) bring Indian legends, culture and folklore to life!
“There are also films like Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, Arjun: The Warrior Prince and Bombay Rose that highlight Indian stories with unique art styles” says Hariom. He believes that these add to the rich blend of tradition made accessible to the Indian population through animation. He points out the significant contributions made by Ram Mohan, Suresh Eriyat, Suddhasattwa Basu, Vaibhav Studios, and many others to Indian animation.
Riveting Stories
Snigdha Rao, an alumnus of NID and an educator adds, “Look at our traditional art forms, be it Warli, Pattachitra, Tadapatra or even Madhubani. They are all deeply rooted in storytelling.” In animation, the very context of storytelling becomes the key. However, it depends on who is telling the story and the target audience. Rituparna Sarkar says that Indian mythology has always been a ‘winning’ pool for Indian culture and animation to draw from. The indie animation universe serves as a bouquet of short films that explore various art styles, regional tales, and folktales from India. Kids as well as adults like to watch it.
Coming Attraction
While the animation industry may seem to be growing, there are concerns about it being curbed due to limitations inherent to its very nature. Kireet points out that it is an expensive art. “It may take a year or two to make a short 5–10-minute animated movie,” he says. There is no real funding or markets available for short films in India. “The irony that still lingers is that we are producing but not enough negligible content on our culture, tradition, folklore or art forms,” Kireet says. The Indian animation industry is undergoing a sea change. Perhaps the blend of culture with animation is just the beginning!
Despite several Oscar award-winning films like Life of Pi, Golden Compass, Dune, Pinocchio being animated in India, we are still a ‘service’ driven economy with only a handful of short films being produced by creators each year. “Indian art and culture remain separate from the world of animation for most of it,” says Kireet. However, the works of filmmakers like Nina Sabnani and Upamanyu Bhattarcharya have been exceptions here.
A Unique Medium
Animation serves as a unique medium that stretches the boundaries of visual imagination. Kireet says, “The best definition of animation to me is this, animation begins where live action gives up!” He opines that the world of animation and animated characters have a much longer shelf-life and become ‘evergreen’ properties. For example, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry, and many others.
Prateek Sethi, Founder & Creative Director, Trip Creative services, a multi-award-winning communication design house says, “Your imagination is the only limiting factor when it comes to animations.” Anima-tion can bring to life thoughts and communicate ideas in ways that conventional storytelling cannot. “Animation has taken longer to evolve and be recognized as a medium not just as cartoons for kids but as an art form,” says Rituparna Sarkar, an alumna of the National Institute of Design in Visual Communica-tion, specializing in Animation Film Design. She adds that once animation managed to secure itself as an art form, there was no stopping bringing Indian stories, nuances, and so many other craft styles into it.
Cultural Blend
A decade ago, animation and its very understanding were limited to cartoons. Today, it has integrated itself as a part of filmmaking, content creation, and other industries. Hariom Verma, a visual artist from Delhi says, “Animation effectively bridges traditional art styles with modern techniques, making it a dynamic medium for expressing and celebrating India’s diverse cultural legacy.” He cites a few examples that have left an impact on him as a visual artist. These being the Indian Spider-Man by Pavitra Prabhakar, the Bahubali series influenced by mythological art styles or even Mighty Little Bheem on Netflix. He opines that creations like The Legend of Hanuman or The Warli Revolt (a music video) bring Indian legends, culture and folklore to life!
“There are also films like Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, Arjun: The Warrior Prince and Bombay Rose that highlight Indian stories with unique art styles” says Hariom. He believes that these add to the rich blend of tradition made accessible to the Indian population through animation. He points out the significant contributions made by Ram Mohan, Suresh Eriyat, Suddhasattwa Basu, Vaibhav Studios, and many others to Indian animation.
Riveting Stories
Snigdha Rao, an alumnus of NID and an educator adds, “Look at our traditional art forms, be it Warli, Pattachitra, Tadapatra or even Madhubani. They are all deeply rooted in storytelling.” In animation, the very context of storytelling becomes the key. However, it depends on who is telling the story and the target audience. Rituparna Sarkar says that Indian mythology has always been a ‘winning’ pool for Indian culture and animation to draw from. The indie animation universe serves as a bouquet of short films that explore various art styles, regional tales, and folktales from India. Kids as well as adults like to watch it.
Coming Attraction
While the animation industry may seem to be growing, there are concerns about it being curbed due to limitations inherent to its very nature. Kireet points out that it is an expensive art. “It may take a year or two to make a short 5–10-minute animated movie,” he says. There is no real funding or markets available for short films in India. “The irony that still lingers is that we are producing but not enough negligible content on our culture, tradition, folklore or art forms,” Kireet says. The Indian animation industry is undergoing a sea change. Perhaps the blend of culture with animation is just the beginning!
Unforgettable Desi Characters
Animation creations like The Legend of Hanuman, The Warli Revolt, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, Arjun: The Warrior Prince and Bombay Rose bring Indian legends, culture, and folklore to life .
Your imagination is the only limiting factor when it comes to animations” — Prateek Sethi, Founder & Creative director, Trip Creative Services Animation creations like The Legend of Hanuman, The Warli Revolt, Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, Arjun: The Warrior Prince and Bombay Rose bring Indian legends, culture, and folklore to life .
Animation has taken longer to evolve and be recognized as a medium not just as cartoons for kids but as an art form.” — Rituparna Sarkar, alumna, National Institute of Design in Visual Communication, specializing in Animation Film Design
The best definition of animation to me is this, animation begins where live action gives up!” — Kireet Khurana, filmmaker & animator (Winner of 6 National awards)
The best definition of animation to me is this, animation begins where live action gives up!” — Kireet Khurana, filmmaker & animator (Winner of 6 National awards)