TRIPURA: Some Early Concept Art

Many more thanks to all the people that are continuing to express their satisfaction over Tripura!

As a response to requests to share some more artwork from behind the scenes at Animagic, I present with great relish some of the earliest concept art that was presented to ACK and CN to give them an idea of the direction we wanted to take. In all modesty we can say these generated much excitement at that very initial stage!!

An important image which presented the concept of Vimanas or 'flying machines' which emerged during visual development.

The above image set the tone for the color script of the flashback sequences.

Wanted to see realm of Vishnu as a space without boundaries or an empty, endless vastness ..Ananta..

All the above images by your friendly neighbourhood, C

Tripura premiered!!

Shiva's watching...

A still from a pre-production promotional trailer animated by Animagic

So it is has happened..

Tripura was finally premiered with no fanfare on CN on sunday at 12 pm and then re-screened at 6 pm..off sync as well! sorry for all the hardwork put in by Eli, Aldrick n co to perfect the track! :(

Thanks to everybody that watched it and gave your much valued appreciation. From all your feedback, We can modestly say, we have succeeded in pushing the quality of Indian Television animation... towards sophisticated characterization and mature storytelling or maybe just telling mature stories! Glory to Shiva!!!

Major peeve: the films last shot of Mohin in the distance screaming Dharma!Dharma! faded to black and immediately without even pausing for a fullstop, let alone any credit roll, the next program started!! It was simply unbelievable, if not for the credits on that prog, people thought the film was still not over! perhaps that was the idea..not to lose viewers in transit from one show to the next! And this happened both times! In the evening the film was stuck to Tom n Jerry. While ordinarily I would have been honored with being on the same platform as those legends.. the overlap was just hideous.. Is the viewer a robot whose hypnotic trance must not break ??!! Sheers insecurity which betrays the low confidence in your product.

Most regrettable is that none of the artists, from Animagic or Inspidea, or the voice talents, or musicians, technicians got any credit.. very sad.

This just presumes that people don't care for their work or .. that they just work for money and are not interested in their association with a project.. Certainly the avoidance of their credit seems like they are all nothing but a inconvenience for the network.. why! nobody is interested in who made the film, right!? who stands for the credit roll at the end of a film in theaters?

The corporate honchos got themselves up in the beginning of the film..but they green-lit it.. that is more important than actually making it..(?!!) mercifully the writing/directing credits were included upfront!

Well everyone tells me thats life/corporate behavior/business/show business etc etc.. I dont agree with it.

This attitude hurts the many people who put in their sincere efforts to make a special project, working far beyond convenience and monetary benefits! Now I am not going to break any glass partitions in corporate offices, but unless there is respect for the artists there is never going to be a rise out of mediocrity for this industry or this country.

I would like to take this unfortunate moment to thank all the folks involved in the film right from inception, research, development, thru design, production and sound work..

So a special mention of Harshad Marathe, Vajra Pancharia, Romel, Suraj Pandit for their work in the initial research and development.

Sachin Kondhalkar, Vinod Sawant, Prajakta Sansare, Jude pires, Hrishikesh Deshpande, Shaunak Samvatsar, Laxman Khandekar for thier efforts during the design and entire pre-production. Ably supported by Anil Salvi and Shakuntala Agre, without them we couldnt have created anything in peace.

Artists at Inspidea for all that they translated onto screen. We appreciate their efforts, this production was not their average TV assignment.

Eliza n Greta Lewis, Atul and Alric of Oringsham for their work n understanding in creating the voice tracks. All the talented actors who put in their best for the characters personalities.

+ all the musicans and technicians who I have not had the pleasure of knowing personally but have added to the film. Also Kushal Ruia who had to guide the film thru post production.. a job I envy him for. You tried your best. Of this I am sure.

here are two trailers I found on youtube:

The 15 sec is the promotion done by CN.. and the longer one seems to be ACK's offering on the www. The promo just about made it to the screens in the last week and the trailer went online.... 3 days before release!!

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..

"A ghost who draws..."

Below is an illustration for ASIFA India's International Animation Day (IAD) celebrations.. featuring the mascots we designed, in a special tribute to the legendary 'Phantom' comics we grew up with!!! One of my more fruitful preoccupations these last few months.. more to come soon!!

The Phantom rocks!!!

....and so does the jungle tom-tom insta-messaging service!!!!

For the proper context and its details (lovingly put in a comic cover format by the gang at ASIFA) : http://www.asifaindia.com/

While I have often felt like sharing a lot thru these last many months as work on Tripura gradually wound up, I found myself (uncharacteristically) at a loss for words..

This may have been due to several reasons: the befuddling amount of work itself... the nature of that enterprise which is still a continuing struggle to realise the project's full potential..( all brethren that strongly experience 'art vs commerce' conflicts will understand)... the madness of overcommitment of both self and studio towards an ideal.. the resultant financial catastrophes..

the consequent dance for survival... the rabid debates and moral conflicts.. loss of family (team) members.. grim determinations... solemn oaths.. and more work!!

I wonder if the above is a description of the past or the present..?

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!!

Hathman sketches & Layouts

Just sharing some sketches & roughs from the Super Hathman, launched last saturday by Karadi Tales..

These are almost a year old.. The retelling by Kaushik Vishwanath is quite fun and the reading by Jaaved Jaaferi entertaining.. tho we hadn't heard the audio till the book was ready, infact didn't even know who was doing the voice! Given that, I feel that there is quite a Jaaved'ness to the character, dont you think?

Hathman trying to meditate.. what do you think he is bothered by?

The story, an old tale about spiritual aspirants hankering after super-powers without having the necessary self-control and humility, is a cool one.. When asked to focus on a simple prayer with a warning not to think about monkeys, the aspirant finds that monkeys start to dominate his thoughts.. he is unable to get a single line of the prayer thru without thinking about monkeys...A hard lesson for a mind that wants to 'own' superpowers! It doesn't even own itself!! Try it yourself!!

Hathman surveys the monastry..

Below kids final sketch for the same layout..

Hathman harassed by the monkeys in his monkey mind

Super Hathman learns his lesson! We may or may not be able to calm our minds from the endless chattering we are so used to now.. We do however have a choice to be humble and thankful about the gifts we do possess.

Just as we may not be able to trace the roots of 'God-given' talent (it is obviously not just dna or nurturing...), we will do well to remember, that's exactly what it is.. a gift from the supreme creative energy.. it is grace and we are instruments of expression for that creative source.

Karadi Tales: Super Hathman Launch!!

So its finally going to be out.. On the 9th of Jan, SUPER HATHMAN, narrated by the inimitable Jaaved Jaaferi ( thats how he spells it) and illustrated by us, releases at an event at Landmark book store at Andheri. Jaaved himself will be there to read from the book apart from the karadi gang, and yours truly, of course.. See ya there! Buy the book, its great entertainment..meanwhile here are a few images from the book.. and a few roughs..

Do check out the recently set up Karadi Tales blog as well..

Hathman meets the Lama in this beautifully colored page by Deepa Chordia.

Munna & Circuit!

After going thru all sorts of guilty feelings about not being able to find the space to sit and put down these random (and sometimes, not so random) thoughts.. I have reached the conclusion that my personal redemption lies in resuming this archaeological and anthropological investigation into ones artistic and personal journey. As such everybody indulges in it verbatim, but to carve it on the immense wall of introspective babble, art and myriad graffiti that is the blog world is an act requiring more than a touch of humility and love ( for oneself, and others-- now why don't I take that more seriously and spare them the verbiage above?)

SO I AM BACK!

More about the manifold experiences and adventures in the 'meanwhile' of my blog-absence, as usual, later..

For now, a cartoon of Munna & Circuit that graces the back cover of the screenplay of "Lage Raho Munnabhai!!" published and released this month..Should be available at most major bookstores.

We were very privileged to be a part of the production of this film by virtue of doing some of the effects and corrections thereby taking the load off the assigned post house..we had just come out of Eklavya then..seems like a very long time back now..(archaeology..)

This caricature of Sanjay Dutt & Arshad Warsi in the roles that have now become synonymous with them was presented to Sanjubaba on his birthday, I believe.. also it hangs proudly in the offices of VCF & Raju Hirani!!

Wish them all the best for many more such successes.. ALL IZZ WELL.. I suppose:)

(read about the book here: Scripted! Munna bhai on bookshelves.. alsohere, and here a video of the event, you can see the display..)

In Memoriam: Great masters: Habib Tanvir 1

This post is so overdue... I am ashamed that it couldn't have been done earlier.. and it is still incomplete so it will be in parts..

Last month was Guru Purnima (learn more here); when we acknowledge, respect and honour the contributions of our teachers in our life..spiritual or otherwise..( but then, shouldn't all learning be considered spiritual? maybe not... a lot of nonsense out there as well).

Guru= teacher-preceptor.. or in my opinion anybody who has made a difference in my journey by inspiring and teaching me to achieve greater heights than I would have otherwise.

So firstly with adoration and obeisance at the feet of my Guru, I proceed to remember some masters who recently passed on, who made a profound contribution to the fields they were associated with and to my life and journey in particular.

The first and foremost is a theatre Legend whom I had the privilege of a brief but lovely interaction and of all the masters who have influenced me so far, the only one I have actually met.

HABIB TANVIR (1st sept 1923-8th jun 2009) was no ordinary man. Acclaimed theatre director& playwright, poet, lyricist, actor, singer and teacher to many while running a professional troupe, Naya theatre for half a century!!

You can read about his life and work on the net.. There is the website habibtanvir.org ..one good article is this: Habib Tanvir: The making of a Legend by Javed Malik another here by Nilanjana Roy, The BS column: Habib Tanvir

A beautiful tribute ' A farewell to the bard of Bhopal ' by Sudhanva Deshpande who made two documentaries on him and Naya Theatre.

Another interesting item is an interview from 2004, "Art is always anti-establishment"