Delhi animators shed light on poverty, child labour through their film Modak

A Delhi-based start-up group, Sleipnir Studios, has created a movie, titled Modak, with the hope to tackle social issues and bagging an Oscar while they’re at it.

An Indian animation project — about a young boy, Chotu, who’s forced to work in a rich household — seems to have struck a chord with Indian viewers and international players in the field alike. Ever since the promo of the short film, Modak, was released on social media on Thursday, it has been shared extensively, also by International CGI forums. The team of 25-year-olds at Delhi-based start-up group, Sleipnir Studios — writer-animators Prateek Pandey and Akash Chopra, and director Chaitanya Hiremath — seek to draw parallels between poverty, child labour, and casteism in India through their maiden project.

A still from Modak’s promo that was shared on social media.

“We’re trying to create awareness about social issues that plague the Indian society. This is our light-hearted way of getting the point across,” says Prateek Pandey, a self-taught artist.

However, the film isn’t complete as yet, as the team wants to take the crowd- funding route to also get the project more visibility. “We aim to match the standards of international animation studios, and get a shot at the Oscars,” says Akash Chopra.

The film is also Chaitanya Hiremath’s debut directorial and the response to the promo fills him with pride. “We started working on the film about two years ago without any backing from big banners or studios. We’re a group of budding artists who had a dream and invested our all into the project, emotionally and financially,” he says.

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