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'Even Disney has all Indian animators': Mahavatar Narsimha producer says Indian animation can rival Hollywood's best
Mahavatar Narsimha has beaten Disney and Marvel films to become the highest-grossing animated film in India. Its producer Chaluve Gowda talks to HT.
To call Mahavatar Narsimha the most successful Indian animated film does not do justice to just how big a hit it is. The Ashwin Kumar film is all set to cross ₹200 crore at the worldwide box office. The next highest collection for an Indian animation is a mere ₹30 crore (by Rajinikanth's Kochadaiiyaan). Only two other films have ever crossed ₹10 crore. That puts into perspective the achievement of the film.
Mahavatar Narsimha's producer speaks out
The makers of Mahavatar Narsimha recently held a grand success meet for the film in Mumbai, where the film's producer and Hombale Films co-founder Chaluve Gowda spoke to HT about the success and the road ahead. Gowda says he was always confident the film would do well. “When we saw the footage for the first time, we knew it was not a cartoon for kids. It's made for grown-ups, too. We wanted to change the perception in India that animated movies are meant for kids. We wanted to take a risk in that aspect. And of course, we believed in the soul, because this is originally an epic Kannada movie that was made 30 years ago. The story was sound, and there was no doubt about the animation, since it was not typical,” he tells us.
Prior to Mahavatar Narsimha, the highest-grossing animated film in India had always been one from Hollywood. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse held the record with its ₹56 crore gross in India, and two Disney/Pixar films followed - Incredibles 2 and Frozen 2. Gowda says their film has proven it can 'compete against the best'. He explains, “When we get this kind of a reception, it proves that Indian films have an audience. And even for Disney movies, the artists are all Indians. Yes, we had the resources. The technology was there, but someone just had to take that risk and prove that in India, Indian animation movies will also work.”
A word of advice
Mahavatar Narsimha's success will likely push others to follow suit. Gowda agrees, “It will open up a lot of avenues for others to make movies. Earlier, only foreign movies were doing business in India, but when we do this, obviously, the Indian makers will feel confident.” But he does have a word of caution for those makers. “A lot of animated movies will come after this, and my only word of advice is that everyone shouldn't just follow the trend. They have to do it sincerely.”
Mahavatar Narsimha is the first instalment in Hombale's planned animated seven-part Mahavatar Cinematic Universe. It is currently running in theatres.
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