CANNES:Two youngsters from Hyderabad, India have a dream: create animation from within the country’s shores which gains acceptance internationally. So what do they do?
Well, they quit their respective jobs as animators with a Hyderabad based animation company Dataquest in February 2003 to set up Parijat Studio Dataquest. They invested their own capital to produce two pilots. And now they have taken the big leap by showcasing their creation at MipCom Junior in Cannes against the global heavyweights of animation.
Meet Nalin Thakur and Atish Tripathi, both under 30-ers who are living out the dream they had.
Says the boyish looking 25 year old Tripathi, “The response to our two shows has been good. Both Bob & the Machine Show and Boris, Desmond and Hubert have had 30 screenings each. The topmost show screened at Mipcom Junior last year had 54 screenings.”
Tripathi reveals that the duo created the characters and scripted the two shows themselves in their own apartment. “We also contracted artists to do the drawings. And then animated them ourselves.”
The Mipcom Junior site describes The Bob & The Machine show, as where "The Road runner show" meets "Terminator 2". The machine’s only goal is to destroy Bob and Bob matches his wit against the might of the machine. The scenario is very futuristic and sci-fi.
The second show has the following characters Boris (a pig), Desmond (a bull), and Hubert (A donkey). Boris is a cleanliness junkie and runs a fast food joint, while Desmond is in a rock and roll band. Ironically, Hubert is an intellectual donkey who loves to read. The story charts their experiences and adventures together as they cohabitate under one roof.
Tripathi says that he believes in his creation. “We are looking for a broadcaster to buy into our pet project or even a distributor. Following which we hope to bring in a co-producer. I am quite excited about the prospects and MipCom Junior has been very encouraging for me,” he says. “I am confident that we will have something going in the not so distant future. Fox Kids, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon have all watched my show.”
