MahaShivaratri 2012

Om Namah Shivay!!

Just back from the 2nd annual Comic Con in Delhi... very exhausted, but very excited too. The response to the preview pages of the TRIPURA graphic novel was tremendous! Thanks to our friend Lalit in New Delhi we were able to publish somethings just in time for the comic con.. 
This poster above sold a lot! Someone brought to my notice it was just as well because it was timely for MahaShivaratri (the great night of Shiva!! read more about this here & here)! Once the penny dropped, it became even more exciting to see the people that would be drawn to the poster and want to buy it... These were people who didnt need any selling (not that I can get myself to... sheesh!!!..erase, erase..negative affirmation!) but their eyes would twinkle in awe and admiration for the Great God! 
Some were struck by the inner strength of the scene, some by the serenity, some by the fact that it was how they saw HIM in their head. Some felt the black'n' white nature of the image was correct for the mood. those who noticed the awestruck Indra looking up understood the moment of majesty... some asked for the artist... soon it came to pass that the artist signed all the posters with a reminder and wish of the "love & Grace" for all who bought it!

  Bam Bam Bhole!!

Jai Bholenath!

TRIPURA at IAD celebrations in Pune! Indore! & Hyderabad!

Sunday was a day of great happiness!! Apart from just the joy of sharing the process behind TRIPURA, we made many new friends, met many souls who got goose pimples seeing the great Lord Shiva transform into Pashupati!!!, met great artists from around the world, WON the ASIFA India Award of Excellence "Special Jury Mention" and had a great dinner with friends at Leopolds after a very very long time!!!
Thanks Vani, Prasad, Amit & all at ASIFA India! They are really gracious and kind and so sincere its almost unbelievable!
Cheers!!

Now on to an exciting adventure to Pune, Indore & Hyderabad!! Really looking forward to conveying the grace and energy behind a project which was born from our roots, heritage & pop culture and within the conditions of Indian animation.
 It really fills us up with that energy! even as I write this! Its all grace!

TRIPURA: Character Designs 2: SHIVA & PASHUPATI

OM NAMAHA SHIVAYA!!

On the auspicious occasion of Mahashivaratri... want to put down my thoughts about the character design process relating to the great God. Actually the post has been in the works since the last one on Maya's design, but somehow it just hasn't got completed till now!

Designing Shiva was most of the most important things personally and we went thru Shiva as he had been depicted by practically everybody! We looked at everything we could find, from the bronze sculptures of South India, the reliefs at Ellora and Elephanta, to the comic book depictions of Waeerkar, Mulick and Kavadi and drew till what felt like Shiva to me, was on paper. Everybody responded to it favourably enough (above).
Getting the design correctly onto screen was the most unfortunate part of Tripura tho. For some reason the studio was not able to match design at all and even corrections sent didn't somehow get implemented. One of the mysteries of production dynamics to which I haven't received any answer yet.

Some of the rough sketches leading to the development of the final design

When Shiva went into destruction mode he would become Pashupati the primeval hunter.. the lord of destruction! In his terrifying aspect Shiva is often depicted as Gajantaka in the Ellora panels and elsewhere.
Since we felt there should be definite climb into the climax.. the buildup of the moment of Shiva becoming Pahupati would be fascinating to watch.. Even Vishnu and Brahma  contribute to the formation. (In the puranas, the gods are described as contributing to the process by providing various accessories)

Color key from the final storyboards:
Shiva turning in Pashupati!

Shiva in his violent aspect was to still be graceful, elegant.. when Shiva does it.. it is dance of destruction!! Maybe in  a future post,I will talk about this sequence in detail as many have expressed their satisfaction with this depiction of Shiva as the Destroyer!!

TRIPURA: Character Designs 1: Maya

the many moods of Maya- the Architect of Tripura

One of the most amazing stages of animation film making is character development!!

where personalities emerge where there were just names or concepts earlier... what does Maya look like..how old does he look.. his three wards.. what are they like...what is the appearance of Vishnu, Brahma and most importantly Shiva himself?

What about the world of the story..other supporting cast who will interact with these main characters and make the story real for the viewing audience? the refugee asura people who become prosperous only to become refugees again.. the deva council with Agni, Vayu the sages...the deva and the asura warriors who would fight the big battle..

Tripura was a truly ambitious film to design. Its scale and proportions were epic in the true sense of the world. We always designed acc to the needs of the story and characters and then if needed tailored them for the production format. Really no reason to think we couldn't have an epic for the small screen!...sigh..

Maya's design seemed to appear complete from the ether!! On left are the first scribbles, and then the third.. the final Design..

A turnaround of the character's final design is provided to the production company.

After Maya got designed, I finally realised who he reminded me of!!! I seemed to have subconsciously cast a dear friend's brother in the starring role!! Murli Menon (who has since become a dear friend himself!) was of course overjoyed!! And as we came to know him better, he turned out to be a major entertainer!! quite unlike our too serious Maya in the film.. He's too talented!! and great presence too! He should be in show business!!!

BTW his sister, our dear friend, her name... Maya!!!!!! Go figure!!

TRIPURA on Cartoon Network: 12 pm, 30th Jan 2011!!

Lord Vishnu presides over the PR activity of the film on Shiva

So it is upon us.. beloved Tripura releases on the above mentioned date..ie tommorrow!!

30th jan 2011!! 12 noon.. please watch it and send in your comments/ observations/ appreciation/ criticism.. I shall save my apologies for later ...or not!! ;)

Images from the pre-production/design of the film, done at the studio. The excellent colorwork is by two very talented artists, Sachin Kondhalkar and Vinod Sawant. Layouts by your truly... These appeared with an animation Xpress release.

Maya escapes with the three princes from the burning asura kingdom..

he watches the asura refugees make their way into the wilderness.

The magnificient temple of Shiva constructed by Maya

Indra comes to entreat Shiva to aid his cause.. will he?

Shiva's peak where the brothers practice austerites to please Brahma

rough layout + storyboard images: Maya raises the princes in the desolate mountains

A long and turbulent journey has ended.. a chapter closes in our eventful history. and it already feels like such a long time back. The last few months have seen a gradual return to form after the fairly life-draining exercise. Animagic resurrects itself slowly but surely.

The world of Tripura and its characters is everpresent in my blood stream..

The First Animated Feature from Animagic!!!

Now it can be finally told!! (and thanks to my schedule, this is not the first place where you heard it..)

The fruit of the last year's labour .. the first animated feature from Animagic!!!

TRIPURA- The three cities of Maya.

A co-production with ACK Media, the company that owns the most popular comics from India, Amar Chitra Katha (yes, for entire generations of Indians, their source to their roots), the film is a direct to TV special to be broadcast on Cartoon Network later this year!!

The Amar Chitra Katha based on this legend of Shiva was one of my favourite comics.. illustrated by the great Ram Waeerkar, one of my earliest gurus. In a way this is my guru dakshina, not just to him but to the other greats who illustrated ACKs through three decades; by way of making something that has stemmed from them but goes further in all directions.. into the roots of the original myth, in the high drama of narrative, in the imagination and dynamics of animation!!

read the report on Animation Xpress & Variety.com. Dont miss the exclusive slide show of the visual development and color script!!