New Delhi, July 28 : The Indian animation
industry is on a growth trajectory given not just the talent pool and
lower costs but also the treasure trove of
Indian mythology and folklore
that can be retold through a new age medium, says filmmaker Ketan
Mehta, who believes that "own content" is the way forward.
"We
also have to graduate from providing slave labour for international
animation product to producing our own content and that would drive the
future of the animation industry," Mehta, who has narrated the
"Ramayana" in 3D, told IANS on phone from Mumbai.
He is now ready
with his next animation project titled "
Sons Of Ram: Heroes Will Rise",
which draws the viewer to a tale of the Hindu god's two sons, Luv and
Kush. Such mythological tales and many more will help in pushing the
country's "nascent" animation industry forward, Mehta said.
"Animation in India is still at the nascent stages, but it is picking up rather well."
"Earlier,
unfortunately, low quality animation was made, which actually hurt the
prospects of animation in India as a whole. But now the quality is
improving and I think it is going to take off in a big way," he added.
The
Indian animation industry is expected to touch $470 million by 2015,
according to the FICCI-KPMG Report 2011. In Mehta's view, the figures
are achievable, given that filmmakers can cash in on the classic tales
of Indian tradition and all the available manpower.
"India has a
treasure house of stories that can be told in animation and I don't find
any reason why the
Indian animation industry wouldn't grow. Last year,
we released a film called 'Ramayana: The Epic' in 3D, which was praised
as one of the best animation films. I think on the whole the quality of
animation in India is improving."
If used judiciously, the country's filmmakers will soon produce films of international quality, he said.
Mehta,
who is in his late 50s, is chairman and managing director of Maya
Digital Studios, which has pioneered the art and technology of
animation and visual effects in India since 1990s.
"It
(animation) is a huge industry worldwide and India is taking time to
take off. But I think in the next couple of years, animation of
international quality will emerge out of the country," said Mehta, who
feels making animation films is a cheaper proposition than investing in
commercial entertainers.
"Compared to commercial cinema,
animation would still be cheaper (in India). It is also cheaper than the
international cost of creating animation and I think that advantage
would come to play in the growth of our animation industry," said Mehta,
who has made critically acclaimed Bollywood films like "Mirch Masala",
"Maya Memsaab" and "Mangal Pandey",
The filmmaker also feels that
since "a whole generation of youngsters are growing up on animation
now, that also is likely to change the entire scenario".
His
studio is also a leading 2D to stereoscopic 3D conversion studio and is
also involved in converting Ramesh Sippy's 1975 classic "Sholay" into
3D.
Mehta feels 3D is the future of the country's entertainment
industry, and that's the reason behind bringing "Sons of Ram" to the
audience in that format.
"3D is gaining ground and it is the
future of entertainment as far as I am concerned, whereas animation
films provide a special viewing experience. That's why we decided that
it would be worth it to convert 'Sons of Ram' into 3D. Earlier Hollywood
films like 'Beauty And The Beast' have been converted into 3D; so we
thought this would be the right platform for Indian animation as well,"
he added.
© IANS 
