Rajiv Chilaka
The creator of Chhota Bheem, animation director and founder of Green Gold Animations Pvt ltd, Chilaka is super excited about the release of his third film Mighty Raju, Rio Calling in theatres. He talks to SANGEETA YADAV about the creation of Mighty Raju and the status of animation industry in India
‘Flux in animation industry is sad’
What is the story of your upcoming animation film Mighty Raju Rio CallingIJ
Mighty Raju’s father is a scientist who works for the Government of India. He is commissioned to help the Brazil Government out of a crisis. In Brazil, Raju is teased by his schoolmates because he doesn’t know how to play football. One day, he wants to learn the art of kicking the ball and scoring a goal just to prove a point to his peers. He takes it as a challenge and becomes the best football player in the school. With his superpowers, he fights the goons too. Since the FIFA World Cup is round the corner, we’ve developed the story with the tagline Soccer, Samba and Samosa. We are also promoting football among children which is the largest sport in the world but comes after cricket in India.
This is the first theatre release for Mighty Raju. How is it different from a TV releaseIJ
When we make a movie for the theatres, it has to have Hollywood standards. A lot of good experienced animators are required. After making 15 animation films for TV, we made our debut on the big screen with Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan (2012). It recorded the highest box office collection of Rs 50 million. Since then, there has been no looking back. Our second movie Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali (2013) made Rs 46.5 million at the box office. We are hoping that Mighty Raju will create a space for himself in the animation industry. We have not held ourselves back in any way. Mighty Raju has been made on a robust budget of Rs 6crore.
How did Mighty Raju become a realityIJ
He is an inspiration from Chhota Bheem. People who have seen CB will remember a young character who aspired to be as powerful as him. Mighty Raju is that character from CB. We were planning a special series for CB when we suddenly thought of experimenting with Raju and his superpowers. Slowly, we developed him as an entirely different franchise. When our contract with the channel was renewed, we started with Mighty Raju which became an instant hit.
So, how is Mighty Raju different from Chhota BheemIJ
Chhota Bheem is based in the past whereas Mighty Raju is very much today’s superhero. Through him, we address the present situation and he deals with today’s problems. Mighty Raju is a youngest (four-year-old) superhero and has a special pet dog called Moby. The storyline and the concept is completely different from CB.
What is the status of the animation industry in IndiaIJ
These last 10 years have been miserable for the industry. Many big companies have shut down. Unlike Hollywood, where we have movies like Rio, Ice Age etc, there is hardly any director who makes animation films for children in India. Also, animation films require huge budgets which is not possible. We have to fill this gap and bring out more films in the animation genre. There is a huge demand for this segment. We also need to change the perception that animation films are only for children. American and Chinese viewers give animation a superior status because they don’t see it as children’s stories.
How are Indian animation films received globallyIJ
We get good responses at film festivals but at international releases, success depends on marketing which requires high budget.