Dates have become terrors mnemonics 9 Numbers separated by a slash take you to a ground zero where the smell of blood and cordite remains,where memories cannot be easily washed away like blood nor life rebuilt like a banquet hall. A year after the Mumbai nightmare,Delhi-based Anil Goyal (inset) tries to explain terror to children through a two-hour,3-D animation film called Crackers (right,a still from the film). I thought animation was the best way to approach such an emotional subject. We have developed most of the software, says the 38-year-old,who has an animation studio at Paschim Vihar. Animation films in India have largely been confined to mythological stories. No one has made one on a contemporary topic, he claims. His earlier attempt at animation film was disastrous a childrens film called Icy and Spicy released and sank last year. The new movie has terrorists,coming from the sea,attacking a school in Mumbai. A trio of Class XI students Gopu,Roxter and Kate are attending a school camp when terrorists strike and take them hostages. However,they turn out to be super kids,fighting terrorists and saving the school. I am not encouraging children to take matters into their hands,but everyone should realise that schools are soft targets, says Goyal. He conceived the film as an entertainer two years ago,but after 26/11 decided to incorporate a variant of it. The film has budget of over Rs 15 crore and will have six songs by Shaan,Hariharan,Alka Yagnik and Shreya Ghoshal. The film releases next year.
