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A N I M A T I O N!

The top honchos of the Indian animation industry love the term "tip of the iceberg". It's a phrase they use quite often when talking about the scope of animation in India and how it is the next big thing on the Indian entertainment horizon. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," they'll tell you excitedly. "The best is yet to come." That may well be true. For, as far as Indian animation is concerned, the fun, it seems, is just beginning. Consider the figures, for instance. According to a recent NASSCOM report, the global animation market is estimated to touch a whopping US $ 80 billion by 2010. Much of this growth is expected to be fed by work outsourced to countries like India. Consequently, the Indian animation industry is expected to grow at a frantic pace to reach US$ 1 billion by 2010 from its current size of approximately US$ 300 million. Already, the demand for trained professionals in the field has skyrocketed. An estimated 2 to 3 lakh animation professional would be required in India alone by 2009, leading to inevitable comparisons with the software boom that happened almost 10 years ago.

Even Bollywood is waking up to the potential of animation, with filmmakers like Yash Chopra and Karan Johar, jumping onto the animation bandwagon. Last year, Chopra's Yash Raj Films tied up with Walt Disney Studios. Their first offering, Roadside Romeo featuring the voices of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor is slated for an October release. Johar’s Dharma Productions is making Koochie Koochie Hota Hai, a take-off on his hit film, Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai. Apart from this, a host of films based on popular mythological themes are gearing up for release. The trend which started with the success of Hanuman has already seen the release of films like Bal Ganesh, Krishna, Ghatothkach, Dashavatar and so on. Although none of these, including Hanuman's sequel Return of Hanuman failed to garner much response, mythological themes still continue to be popular with animation film makers. An industry observer likens this to the early days of the Hindi film industry, when mythological films like Raja Harischandra, Sikandar etc were being made. "The whole gamut of subjects that the Hindi film industry has covered, from the time that it started with mythologicals to the present times, is an indication of the range of subjects that are still waiting to be explored in animation,' he says. Agrees Sanjiv Waeerkar of UTV Toonz, “This is the natural progression of content. As the medium matures, good original content will be developed."

In any case, it's only been a few years since the animation industry in the country has got a kick-start, although animation has been around for a long time. Even the father of Indian cinema — Dadasaheb Phalke is believed to have dabbled in animation, when import of raw film stock was hit during the First World War. The story goes that Phalke didn't have much film stock left to shoot live action. So, he decided to use whatever little stock was left with him to shoot a few animated sequences using simple, everyday things like match sticks and coins. Phalke also used animation to create the special effects for Raja Harischandra and the other mythologicals that he produced.

Despite those early attempts, animation films in India never did take off, like they did in the West, where animators like Walt Disney, Hanna Barbera etc became household names. In India, animation was by and large restricted to advertising campaigns or the occasional government short film, which had a social message. However, in the 1990s, a breakthrough for the Indian animation industry came about when veteran Indian animator Rammohan collaborated with Japanese filmmaker Yugo Sako to make the animated version of Ramayana. The film was a reasonable success, but more than anything, it helped infuse fresh interest in Indian animation. By the late 1990s, the animation industry in the country had begun to take shape, as International studios began outsourcing work to Indian animation companies. "Overseas clients brought in an understanding of international sensibilities and expectations to Indian shores," says Ranjit ‘Tony' Singh, Honorary Secretary of The Animation Society of India (TASI). "Clients that came in with co-production deals and projects helped raise the quality bar for studios that were willing to learn. This outsource model helped in the initial growth of the industry and is even now contributing to the bulk of the revenue of the industry."

However, over a period of time, Indian studios have also realised the potential of owning content, adds Singh. Because of this, there is a scramble to develop locally identifiable characters — that can help tap the vast domestic audience. This might just explain the long line-up of Indian animation movies featuring mythological heroes. Many studios are even shifting focus from overseas projects to actively pursue the domestic market. "By conservative standards, there are over a dozen animation feature productions underway currently," says Singh. "All we need is one genuine hit and the domestic animation market will explode," he adds.

However, there are a number of challenges that the industry currently faces— the biggest being lack of trained manpower (see box). Moreover, in an animation film, a fine balance has to be struck between technical craftsmanship and the art of telling a good story. This can be quite difficult to achieve, especially when trying to woo Indian audiences, who have been exposed to high quality animation productions from Hollywood like Shrek, Toy Story etc.

But then, these are early days yet and the Indian animation industry has a long way to go still. As they say, "This is just the tip of the iceberg. The best is yet to come." So, get ready, fasten your seatbelt and wait for the animation explosion to begin.