Merchandise got a quirky and desi makeover at the Comic Con India
What’s common among pyjamas, cushions, cups and tees at the Comic Con IndiaIJ It is witty one-liners and quirky quotes. Sample this. Stable relationships are for horses. I use the neighbour’s WiFi. I admire gay men, they leave more women for me. Pawanjot Singh from Kreative Bug Sticker Company has many such stickers for those who do not want to spend big bucks on clothes or other merchandise. “Since we have stickers ranging from price as low as `150, depending on the size, we have a huge rush of youngsters. They do not want clichéd lines, those have been doing rounds since some years, they want something funky and different,” said Pawanjot.
Not just that, a touch of desi is also a hit at the convention. Italian painter leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona lisa wears a Punjabi salwaar kameez and dashing superhero Wolverine has become Wolver Anna, with an obvious resemblance to southern superstar Rajinikanth! Thinking global and going local is the mantra of entrepreneurs. Uday Vir Singh from Jalandhar in Punjab had quirky posters and t-shirts on sale. One poster was that of Mona lisa in Indian attire and another one was of three superheroes — Batman, Superman and Hulk — paying tribute to Indian martyr Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Comic Con India store has fridge magnets, coasters, posters and cushion covers of the comic strip series Widhwaa Maa aur Andhi Behen. The series has borrowed its story line from popular Bollywood movies like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Aandhi, and its title from the most clichéd Bollywood characters — a widhwaa maa (widowed mother) and andhi behen (blind sister).
“It is a spoof on popular Bollywood movies with these female characters playing the lead. Comics have to be fun and the idea was to create something that will make people laugh,” said a graphic designer from the team of the comic series.
Apart from this, the desi version of Wolver Anna is the true representation of Indian cinema meeting the superhero. “look what they have done to Wolverine,” said an onlooker who spotted the irrepressible Rajinikanth in the superhero attire.
Vatsal Panchal from Gujarat used popular attractions like the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal motifs in his silk scarves. “It leads to instant connection,” said Panchal, founder of Fashion Flirt. “If you take something that is already popular and use it in your designs, it gets instant attention. All you need to do is find right things to meet the need of target audience,” he added.
(inputs IANS)