CHAPTER 03 RAMAYANA: THE LEGEND OF PRINCE RAMA AND THE BATTLE TO RELEASE IT

Ram

“Anyone can tell a story because Ramayana is a plot-oriented tale, but the key to Sako is that he finds humanity in his characters.” ― Krishna Shah, Co-Director, Ramayana

Anybody who grew up in the ’90s will recognize the animated film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, which was made as a part of the 40th anniversary of the India-Japan diplomatic relationship. This mythological tale was recreated and Directed by Yugo Sako along with legendary Indian Animator Ram Mohan.

The Hindi version featured dubbing voices of many big stars, including Arun Govil as the voice of Rama, Legendary Amris Puri as the voice Ravana and powerfully narrated by Shatrughan Sinha, added the interest in the audiences.

And after its release, it left a tremendous impact on a generation who already had a set perception about this sacred text through one of the most popular television shows in the history of the Indian entertainment industry that aired on Doordarshan.

And miraculously, the anime managed to create its own identity with its fusion of U.S., Indian, and Japanese style animation, brilliant screenplay, impeccable characterization, design, camera angles, and, more importantly, by staying respectful towards its cultural significance in the Indian civilization that managed to capture the attention of both kids and the adults.

Hanuman

But just like the actual tale of Ramayana, the movie also fought an epic battle for its existence and survival to reach its viewers. Yes, the creator of the film has to overcome various forces, to turn this religious work of stunning antiquity into an animated movie. So let’s have a brief look at Yugo Sako’s journey into the sacred world of Indian mythicism and his sincere efforts to make this animated retelling of an iconic story.

It all began when Yugo Sako was working on “The Ramayana Relics,” a documentary in 1983; he was so highly enticed into its spiritual theme that he researched more in-depth into the subject and went on to study 10 versions of Ramayana in Japanese. After extensively researching the epic mythology, he aspired to adapt it into animation. Because he didn’t think a live-action movie could depict the true essence of Ramayana, “Because Ram is God, I felt it was best to depict him in animation, rather than by an actor.” Said Yugo in an interview.

And that’s when the struggle began.

Ravan

A leading newspaper misunderstood Yugo Sako’s documentary and wrote that he was altering the Ramayana. Soon after that, a protest letter based on the misinterpretation from the Vishva Hindu Parishad was received by the Japanese Embassy in India’s capital. Which said that no foreigners could arbitrarily cinematize Ramayana because it was the great national heritage of India.

After the misconceptions were clarified, Yugo Sako suggested the idea of an animated Ramayana to the VHP and the Government. He told them that animation was an earnest art form in Japan, and it would help bring the Ramayana to a broader global audience.

The Government agreed initially but later declined his proposal for a bi-nation collaboration, saying the Ramayana is a very sensitive subject and cannot be portrayed as a cartoon. Also, the fact that the movie was being made at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement added to the controversy and axed the prospects of producing it in India.

With no choice and support left, The movie was ultimately produced in Japan, with nearly 450 artists from both the nation contributing to its creation. Indian animators guided their Japanese teammates with Indian customs and traditions depicted in the film, like how dhotis are worn and how the children receive blessings from their elders.

Now when the production process was sorted, the quest was to take it to a global audience. After eight months of negotiation, Yugo finally convinced a big Hollywood studio to release it to U.S. audiences.

Rama SitaBut next came the tricky part: The studio wanted to alter the storyline, sending Ram and Sita into the forest for their honeymoon and substituting the entire myth of fourteen-year exile or Sita’s abduction. They wanted to turn it into a straight adventure concept despite it being a perfect plot in all sense. The producers and Yugo disagreed with it and parted away with the studio as it was clearly against their sensitivity, which eventually prevented it from gaining a wider release.

This whole saga is such a great example of choosing art over commerce. Sako precisely understood the sentiments attached to it and devoted a decade of his life to bringing this eternal mythology on the big screen. Sako believes his exposure to India has taught him to see the larger picture rather than worry about short-term goals. In an interview, he said, “If  I pass away, then this work can be done by others, and if  I die, I can be reborn and continue the work.”

So the current generation of artists needs to learn from Yugo Sako’s work ethics and should not easily bow down to the demands of commercialism. The passion portrayed by him is something that needs to be embraced by each one of us that will eventually reflect into our movies and shows and will assist us in doing better artistic work.

The biggest lesson for Indian animators here is to learn the importance of patience to do justice with our art, especially when dealing with such divine subjects. In India, we often see that we really underestimate the importance of detailed research and are more focused on delivering the half-hearted output that eventually gets the half-hearted response from the audiences.  This approach of quantity over quality has been a big hurdle on the path of our animation that needs to address as soon as possible.

Happy hanuman

Sako taught us that in our pursuit of purpose and goals, just like Prince Rama and Mighty Hanuman, we will face the demons, but it’s essential not to compromise with our morals and ethics and continue to walk towards the bigger vision we have. Indeed, it is such a kind of dedication from an artist that influences a generation to come. It is such a kind of commitment that helps to overcome obstacles and hurdles in the creation process, and it is such kind of devotion that makes the art and the artist immortal, just like the real “Ramayana.”

Do make sure to read other articles in this series by clicking on the link: The Faults in our Arts!

How Do We Make The Dr. Binocs Show?

STEP BY STEP PROCESS.

 

Hey guys!

Welcome to The Animad World, your one-stop destination for Indian Animation.  Myself Nitin Navale and I work as Creative -Head for your beloved educational series “Dr. Binocs Show.” Yes, it’s my job to ensure that the workflow is smooth and our lovely audiences get the weekly dose of their favorite show.  

Every day we receive so many emails from you all, thanking us for bringing this show and how it has helped you all in your studies. But another commonality we have witnessed in your emails is that you want to know “HOW WE CREATE IT?”

So I thought, let me take you into this fantastic world of Dr.Binocs and reveal to you the mechanism behind it. Hopefully, it will inspire many of you to become an animator or content creators. 

 But, before we move forward, let me inform you that this is just a basic summary. In the upcoming articles, I’ll give you the detailed groundwork behind it. If possible, I will also introduce the artists working behind it.

Yes, so do make sure to subscribe by filling the form below,  if you don’t want to miss the creative process of your beloved show and learn about the Art of Animation.  

Now, let’s ZOOM IN! and look at the first step, and that is: 

 

1) IDEA:

 Yes, the first important step in making a Dr.Binocs episode is to develop an idea for the topic. And the inspiration could come from anywhere, by observing things around us, knowing what’s trending, and taking your suggestions through emails. 

For example, during such a brainstorming session, one of our co-workers farted. Sure, we laughed our guts out, but it did inspire us to make a video on “Why do we Fart?” You can check the same by clicking on the link.  

So basically, the trick is to observe keenly, learn from others, read a lot, and who knows, you might end up creating the next viral video. And once we decide on the topic, we move to the next crucial step. 

 

2) THE RESEARCH: 

 In this process, we go ahead and do tons of research on the selected topic to write the episode’s script. Research is a critical aspect of the whole process because we have to ensure that the information is correct and according to academic standards. 

And once it’s done, we move to our next stage of laying this accumulated information on paper or Ms. Word to write the script.

 

3) THE SCRIPT AND VISUALIZATION: 

As they say, ideas are worthless unless you execute them. And here starts the execution process of the production. A typical Dr.binocs script looks way different than the standard industry format. 

The image below is an example of how our scripts look.

We divide it into two sections: In the first section, we write the narration and explain the subject. And in the other section, we write the visuals and action needed for that particular line or sequence.  

This is where your imagination skills come in handy. You need to take an ordinary line and convert it into an appealing scene that is easy to understand and entertaining to watch. This is where all the fun elements are planned and added to the script, right from your starting intro to your “Nevermind” gags. 

And most importantly, it also serves as guidelines for our next step. 

 

4) THE STORYBOARDING:

And what is it? It is a sequence of sketches that map out the scenes planned for the video. In simple words, it is a blueprint for animators to understand how the Animation will come across and the path they need to follow. Whatever plan was laid on the script, the Story boarding artist goes ahead and makes a step-by-step layout of the visuals. 

For example, if the script says that Dr. Binocs and Kitty are flying in the shuttle towards the moon. The SB artist will make few frames of this scene that look like this. 

Story Boarding

Just like that, we create the key drawings of the entire episode while, on the other hand, the artists start to work on the other elements needed for the episode. 

 

5) CHARACTER AND BACKGROUND DESIGN: 

In this process, our gifted designers illustrate the puppets, props, and environments needed for the particular episode. Even for this, the artist needs to have excellent visual skills to execute the designs. 

background design

We have to make sure that the characters are appealing and aligned with the theme of the show. By theme, what we mean is the style and look and feel of the show. If you go and see some of the random episodes of Dr. Binocs show. You will notice that in every season, the secondary characters look different. 

 

And while they are busy creating those assets, we, on the other hand, are busy recording the vital step, that is…

 

6)THE VOICE OVER: 

Yes, the soul of Dr.Binocs is in his voice. Here, the Voice Over artist comes to our studio and reads the script. Which is recorded by our sound engineer, who later trims it down and polishes it in editing software.  

 And once the V.O and asset designs are ready, we send them to the most crucial step, i.e., 

 

7) THE ANIMATION:

Yes, here, our skilled team of animators put life on those inanimate puppets in software called Adobe Flash, now knows as Animate. 

And how do they do it? Well, I’ll try to cover it in detail in the upcoming articles. The animation is a time-consuming process that takes lots of effort, and patience is one crucial factor all artists need to have. So make sure to subscribe by filling the form below. 

Once we are done with the Animation, we send those files to our editors for the following process. 

 

8) THE COMPILATION

In this step, our Editor put all those scenes together and add text to them to send it forward in the pipeline for adding music. 

 

9) THE MUSIC: 

Here, our sound engineers and composers add those background music and effect and remove any unwanted noises in the video before sending us back for…

 

10) THE FINAL EDITING: 

In this final step, our VFX artists and Editors give the final touch to the video. So that it is ready to be uploaded on YouTube to be seen by millions of Dr.Binocs cutsie wootise family members like you, who adore the show so much, which motivates us to keep making the videos. 

 So here we go, my friends, that’s how we make the Dr.binocs show, wait, are we missing something, oh yes.

 

TRIVIA TIME!

 “Did you know, the voice behind Dr.Binocs also gives voice to Mr.Bean’s Indian version?”

 So, hope you enjoyed reading the blog, guys, and remember a lot of great new information on your favorite shows and Indian Animation is coming soon. 

And this blog is for animation fans just like you, so make sure to subscribe by filling the form below, write your opinion in the comment section below, and share it with as many people as you can. 

Until next time, it’s me, Nitin Navale, Zooming Out,

“STAY ANIMATED, STAY MOTIVATED!”  

 

Why Is Indian Animation Bad?

Why did I start this blog?

Some time ago, I felt the urge to expand my knowledge about Indian Animation and was shocked to see that there is no single book available so far on this topic. So, I decided to write one, titled “Indian Animation and The Faults In Our Art.” But unfortunately, it didn’t get any publishing deal due to the nature of the subject. So instead of going to a self-publishing route, I thought of converting the content into this blog so that it can reach the maximum number of people for free, and I can always keep on updating it with changing times. 

Now the vital question? Why did I write my unpublished book in the first place? Well, that’s because, over the years, I have witnessed that Indian Animation has not made enough progress to make a mark in this world. 

You see, the animation is undoubtedly the most flexible form of film-making with the ability to go beyond the expected. But when it comes to India, we are still struggling to get the basics right, we are still struggling to understand the true potential of this medium, and most importantly, we are still struggling to embrace the art of animation.

And the most crucial question is, “Why?” 

Why countries like the USA, Japan embraced this art and have managed to turn this medium into full-fledged family entertainment. Whereas in India, it is still looked down on as purely a children’s genre and is ignored by almost all adults. But more importantly, why don’t we shy away from investing our time and money into watching International films like Kung-fu Panda, The Incredibles, but won’t even think of walking into the theater to watch domestic Animated movies?. What makes Disney, Pixar, and Ghibli so successful. And what is that we need to adopt from them to grow and prosper in terms of art, style, commerce, and entertainment.

Through this series of articles, we will explore answers to all these questions and debunk the mysteries behind the success of western and Japanese animated films and the struggle behind our industry. With each chapter or article, we will look at some fundamental and deeply rooted faults in Indian content, things that have worked for us, and things that have led to the downward slope of the art of animation. 

As an animator, as a writer, and more importantly, as an audience, my intention behind writing this book or blog is to help the budding generation of artists, industry professionals, and everyone interested in the medium to learn from our past, fix our present, and take a leap into the future. And hopefully, together, we can support our beloved art to earn a respectable place in the business of family entertainment.

When you read these articles, read them as if you are reading a book. I have divided the section into three major parts:

-The Past:

Here, we will witness the journey of Indian animation and what worked and did not work for us.   

-The Present: 

Here, we will analyze the current state of our art and the reasons for its downward curve.

-The Future:  

Here, we will discuss the destiny of our art, and I will share some vital bits of advice for budding artists that will help them to thrive in this industry. 

Each section has some interesting chapters mentioned below. 

THE PAST: And the Story of our Art!

 

-Chapter One: The Brief History: And the rise and fall of Indian Animation.

In this chapter, we will shed some light on the journey of Indian animation, right from its inception in shadow forms to the silver screen, and learn about the people who contributed towards making this industry what it is today. 

-Chapter Two: The Jungle Book: And what makes it the best show ever?

The Jungle Book is undoubtedly the most popular show in the history of Indian Animation. In this chapter, we will learn about its impact on our generation and what made it so successful. 

-Chapter Three: Ramayana: And the struggle to release it. 

Like the hugely popular Tv show Ramayana, the animated movie brought a revolution in Indian Animation. In this chapter, we will learn about the struggle behind making this movie and the sacrifices the creators of this movie made to release it. 

-Chapter Four: Chhota Bheem: And what makes it so big?

Chhota Bheem is another household name, but have you ever wondered what makes it so big? In this chapter, Let’s look into the psychology of Chhota Bheem and reveal the secrets behinds its fame. 

-Chapter Five: Hanuman: And the art of the appeal. Part 1.

This movie instantly made an impact on our viewers, and in these chapters, we are going to decode some of the secrets behind its success with the help of animation principles. 

-Chapter Six: Hanuman: And the art of the appeal. Part 2. 

This chapter will continue to explore fundamental animation principles that will help our readers to know the groundwork it takes to create these beautiful illusions of lives. 

-Chapter Seven: Roadside Romeo: And what went wrong?

The stage was set for Roadside Romeo, and it was released with huge expectations, but unfortunately, everything went downhill. So in this chapter, we will explain what the makers of this should have learned from their famous movie DDLJ. 

 

The Present: And the Faults in our Art!

-Chapter Eight: The Audience: What is an art without its audience?

And this chapter will focus on the roles our viewers can play to bring the change we want to see. 

-Chapter Nine: The Story.

In the end, it all comes down to a story that can make or break the art. So in this chapter, we will learn about the fundamental issues with our storytelling and what we can do to improve it. 

-Chapter Ten: The Sense of humor:

Animation and comedy go hand in hand, but for some reason, our shows seem to be deprived of humor. So let us learn some tricks and tips that could put a smile on our kid’s faces and know the secrets behind the funny business of western animation. 

-Chapter Eleven: The Missing Link:

This mysterious ingredient is one major reason our animation lags in many aspects. If we can manage to implement it soon, we will have Indian animation spreading on the global stage. 

-Chapter Twelve: The Copy of a Copy:

Another factor why Indian animation doesn’t hold high standards in the eyes of our adult audiences. So in the chapter, let us learn the art of stealing and implementing it wisely without getting caught. 

-Chapter Thirteen: The Women Power:

When the whole world is advocating for equal opportunities. But animation still seems to catch up in this department despite the need for women’s participation has been more than ever before. So in this chapter, let us reflect on women’s working conditions in the animation industry and the need for their empowerment. 

-Chapter Fourteen: The Budget:

This is one major hurdle keeping our art behind. So let’s have a look at some of the examples and see how much we really spend on animation as compared to Hollywood. 

-Chapter Fifteen: The Right Education.

This is where the problems begin. So let us analyze the issue behind it. 

The Future: And The Destiny of our Art

 

-Chapter Sixteen: STAY ANIMATED STAY MOTIVATED. 

  • The Passion.
  • The Inspiration.

So here we go.

I will update this blog as and when possible, and soon, I will convert it into a free ebook. So do make sure to subscribe by filling the form below for tons of free content and, more importantly, helping our art leave a mark in the world of family entertainment. 

CHP ONE: THE HISTORY OF INDIAN ANIMATION

cave painting in India

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

 ― WALT DISNEY.

Before we witnessed the spectacular visual effects of  Bahubali before children got hooked on tv sets to watch Chhota Bheem, and even centuries before the dawn of animated films and motion cinema came into existence. Indians have figured out to enjoy the art of storytelling through an ingenious technology of projecting animated pictures on the silver screen called Tholu bommalata.

shadow puppetry

It is the traditional art of shadow puppetry that originated in the state of Andra Pradesh that enabled people to bring a hundred or more colorful mythological characters to life in the most remote village, all accompanied by virtuoso singing, engaging rhythms, and enchanting sound effects.

Then around the 19th century, during the British era, a Mumbai-based engineer Maadanrao Madhavrao Chitale, painted some events from the life of Srikrishna on slides and showed them to audiences for fun with the help of an invention called Magic Lantern that gave the impression of moving pictures. Fascinated by this new form of illusion, the father and son duo of Mahadev Patwardhan and Vinayak Mahadev Patwardhan saw a business opportunity in it. And took their show to the live audiences with the name Shambarik Kharolika. 

And as time progressed, we saw the birth of technological marvels that revolutionized the art of storytelling, the motion picture camera invented by the Lumiere Brothers. This wonder machine opened the floodgates to many storytellers, and we were submerged into the depth of its potentialities.

And soon, the world witnessed its first-ever animated film created by  Émile Cohl, who shot thousands of his own drawings. The film mainly consists of a stick man moving about and encountering all manner of morphing objects, such as a wine bottle that transforms into a flower that becomes an elephant.

And later on this side of the world, the pioneer of Indian cinema, Dada Saheb Phalke, created a stop motion movie using matchsticks called ‘Agkadyanchi Mouj’- ‘The Game of Match Sticks’, which is hailed as the beginning of Indian animation.

And since then, we saw the rise of many skilled and enthusiastic filmmakers and animators trying their hands in this art form. Amongst them was ‘The Pea Brothers’ made by Gunamoy Banerjee in 1934, which was the first animated film in India to get a theatrical release. Using the classical hand-drawn animation style, this movie featured the story of five peas popping out and transforming into toys that motivated many aspiring artists to pursue this form of animation.

And later in the same year, Kolkatta-based director Birendranath Sircar pulled out a film called “On a moon night” in just a month. The fascinated thing about this movie was that it was the first time that soundtrack was added into an Animated film that amused the audiences like never before.

Then on the 15th of November 1934, Animator Raghunath K. Kelkar, along with Pune-based Prabhat Film company founded by V. Shantaram, released an animated shot called Jambu kaka at Majestic Cinema in Mumbai.

Jambu kaka

Jambu Kaka

This shot featured a humanized Jackal that gained immense popularity amongst its viewers and helped Indian animation-grow further. This eventually led to a decade full of innovative and imaginative movies, right from Lafanga Langoor in 1935 by Mohan Bhavani, “Superman Myth” in 1939 by G.K Gokhale, Bakam Bhatt by Kolapur Cinetoons, “Akash Pataal’ by Mandar Malik, and IFI’s “The War that never ends.” And with it ended the long-fought war against the colonial rule, and most of the works were lost somewhere in the pages of history.

But, not all hopes were lost, as the whole country was engulfed in the celebration of newly found independence and a sense of nationality. Gemini Studios of Chennai released a wholly Indian animation film called “Cinema Kadambam,” a series of animated caricatures of famous film stars of the ’40s made by N. Thanu.

And meanwhile, in Mumbai, Animators Gupte and Ghokle were planning to revolutionize the advertising sector and created an animated series called Rangeen Chutkiya, which held its position till 1955.

And next year, in 1956, Indian animation regained its spirit with the arrival of Disney’s Animator Claire Weeks under the Indo-American technical co-operation program. His mission was to expose Indian artists to advanced technological and creative equipment and helped to set-up India’s first-ever animation studio.

And with it, began the production of the first independent animation film called “The Banyan Deer” in the year 1957, inspired by the Jataka tales. Staying true to the intention of the Indo-US relationship, the film also resembled the mixture of Indian and American art styles. The human characters were inspired by the artistic style of Ajanta caves, while the Deer had a close resemblance to Disney’s Bambi.

First Indian Animated Film

This film was widely appreciated and tasted great success that helped to launch the careers of some of the best-known artists in the history of Indian Animation.

And with the success of The Banyan deer and many other short-films and shows, the next decade brought the era of experiments, trials, and errors as many bold artists tried various techniques such as time-lapse, cut-out animation, stop-motion, claymation, etc.

Many of these were used as propaganda films to promote the government’s ideology and influence the citizens to adopt a better standard of living. Soon animation began to transform from merely an art to a full-fledged career.

And with it, we saw the rise of great artists like Madhava Kunte, Ramesh Potnis, Bhimsain Khurana, who is best known for his short film Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiya, V.G Sawant, and none other the legendary Ram Mohan hailed as the father of Indian Animation and only Indian animator to receive the prestigious Padma Shri Award by the Government of India.

Ram Mohan- Father of Indian Animation

Ram Mohan, Legendary Animator.

And as these artists were pushing the boundaries of this art form, the technology was also evolving rapidly, and soon, we witness the arrival of computers that quickly became part of the animation industry. This new-found tool helped save a lot of valuable time, sweat, and efforts that go into making a traditionally animated film.

Yes, something as simple as a walk cycle could take as much as eighteen hand-drawn images drawn in a sequence that loop to create an animation of a walking character. The number of drawings can increase or decrease depending upon the character’s personality, timing, phase, and many, along with essential animation principles without which the animation won’t look as good as it seems that we will learn in the upcoming chapters.

But the arrival of new technology like 2D animation and especially 3D animation cut short the output time to half, and our highly skilled and talented artists were quick to adopt this new form of working style.

And with it began a new era and came to the much-needed boom in the market of the Indian animation industry. Soon we saw the rise in demand for our domestic services in the international arena due to our quality work at a much lower price.

And since then, Indian animators have continued to showcase their capabilities around the globe that can be reflected by the number of awards we have won until this time. But sadly, we found ourselves stuck under the influence of Disney style for a longer period and have been on a roller-coaster ride in its history of over a hundred years.

Even though with the rise of many great artists like Ram Mohan, V.G Samant, and the extreme popularity of shows like Chhota Bheem, Little Singham, and movies like Hanuman, Bal Ganesha, Indian animation is still struggling to earn the respect of our local audiences.

But why is that why other countries like Us, Japan, embraced this art and have managed to turn this medium into full-fledged family entertainment, whereas, in India, it is still looked down on as purely children’s genre and is ignored by almost all adults?

But more importantly, why don’t we shy away from investing our time and money into watching International films like Kung-fu Panda, The Incredibles, but won’t even think of walking into the theater to watch domestic Animated movies?. What makes Disney, Pixar, and Ghibli so successful, and what is that we need to adopt from them to grow and prosper in terms of art, style, commerce, and entertainment.

In the upcoming articles, we will explore answers to all these and many more questions and debunk the mysteries behind the success of western and Japanese animated films and the struggle behind our industry. With each article, we will look at some fundamental and deeply rooted faults in it, things that have worked for us, and things that have led to the downward slope of the art of animation.

As an animator, as a writer, and more importantly, as an audience, my intention behind writing this book is to help the new and younger generation of artists and everyone interested in the medium to take learn from our past, fix our present, and take a leap into the future. And hopefully, together, we can support our beloved art to earn a place in the hugely profitable business of family entertainment.