Superboy

Ashoka the Hero,which is India’s first animated superhero film,is set to release next Friday and Jain is optimistic about the film’s chances at the box office. “We’ve tried to break away from the cliches that hobble other animated movies made in India. Most of them are based on mythological stories or characters,whether it is Hanuman,Chhota Bheem or Ramayana. We created a story from scratch about a young boy in contemporary times who ends up having an extraordinary adventure.”

The plot revolves around little Ashoka,who finds a medallion that belonged to the Emperor Ashoka. It was created by the wisest men in the world at that time and contains untold power. The medallion enables the boy Ashoka to realise his dream of helping others by endowing him with superpowers like the ability to fly and super strength.

Unlike most other animated films produced in India,Ashoka the Hero stands out for having used the more traditional animation as opposed to computer-generated animation. Animator Deepak Kale,who worked on the project,explains,“When you hand draw a person,it’s easier to get the nuances of their facial expressions,than if you use a computer programme. Then you’re limited by the commands set for the programme.” It takes twice as long as computer-generated animation and if there’s a mistake,there’s a lot more to undo. But Jain feels it is worth it. “Hand-drawn animation has a timeless appeal — take the case of Tom and Jerry,” he says.

The film is already generating a buzz online,given its interesting premise. Its music,especially,is getting good reviews on social networking sites. The music composers Justin-Uday,who have also created music for movies like Hijack and Sikandar,worked with Jain to create a special music video for the film,featuring singer Shibani Kashyap. “It is an unusual move in India for an animated feature to have a special promotional music video,but it’s in keeping with what studios abroad do,” says Justin Yesudas.