Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Maharaja, on his routine ‘walk’ through the jungle, is mesmerised by a parrot chirping “The Freedom Songâ€. Selfish bynature, and keen to possess all things beautiful, the bird is heldcaptive. Temptation fails to lure the parrot into singing for his Highness. But, a tear and a day later, the sun stretched its arms out and the parrot gains freedom. In gratitude, he returns to the palace to sing for the king.
This is The Freedom Song for you. Our very own animation film that won Los Charles Award at the Ajijic Film Festival 2000, Mexico. Rooted in India but spiced with enough exoticism and romance to titillate an international audience, Famous Studio took cue from the Kalighat paintings to ready this year-long project scripted by Narayan Shi this month. Of course, the returns came only with the team walking off with the award.
Now the film: It’s a folktale, with colourful three-dimensional intricate background, coupled with two-dimensional characters, and music that makes one feel the changing emotions from happiness to catharsis to happiness once again. From the shades of green (of leaves) falling from the trees, the sense of detail from the etching on the walls to the intricate work on a sensuous woman’s saree, it is obvious that artists have painstakingly invested a lot into the film. Says Vaibhav Kumaresh, the film’s animation supervisor: “In this one year, we have been involved in commercials and other projects to recur the costs incurred on the animation. Moreover, since it was purely an in-house project, it was sidelined most of the time.†And what of the international market? Well, Famous Studio has encashed on the new policy of a ‘tale with a cause’. “There’s a burgeoning demand for films with a moral,†informs Kumaresh. So, while their sights are set on a British company at the moment, the team is also working on a seriesof films with a historical twist to its tales. “There are 23 episodes which lend an insight into the lives of Indian heroes Shivaji, Rani Ki Jhansi, Rana Pratap,†says an excited Kumaresh. And all this in English for nickelodeons abroad.
“It’s fascinating to have such an excited team of artists, but it’s a pity that there is no market for animation in the country,†regrets Arun Rooneda, MD of Famous Studios. “The award winning film was presented to Indian channels but there was no guarantee that we would get back what we have invested,†informs a very serious Kumaresh. And it’s a well-known fact that every minute of an animated film runs into lakhs of rupees.
Now, regarding other projects, they have many a promo for music channels, commercials (with the animators playing with clay models), 3-D animations, puppets and paint brushes. Kumaresh has even immortalised his tenth grade math teacher, a naive-yet-famous Singhpu, on Channel V. Looking towards the future is a task to reckon with as Kumaresh rightly puts it: “There are so many films based on the Jataka and the Panchatantra tales that could be made, with stories within stories.†At the moment, however, there are plans to revive The Freedom Song with a spate of several episodes.
The tabla’s on to the final sequence, the aahs and oohs of the tune have started to roll, as the parrot soars up into the sky.
Freedom at last, freedom that’ll open doors, freedom that’ll enable these animation artists to explore new heights. For now, at least.
