When Sudhir Mishra’s seminal film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005) released to universal acclaim, its writer, Ruchi Narain, was told by the film’s producer that she would be given a free rein to make any film she wanted to. Her response was anticlimactic. Instead of conceiving another hard-hitting social drama, Narain said she wanted to make an animated film.
Years have passed since Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi released. Her next feature, which she wrote and directed – KAL: Yesterday and Tomorrow – released the same year, but sank into anonymity. The heady anticipation of watching the next Hazaaron has faded in the silence of the intervening years. What hasn’t faded is Narain’s zeal to make an animated film.
Back on track
Narain has been quietly at work for the past few years, helming her next feature. Hanuman Da’ Damdaar , an animated film that follows the journey of Hanuman – a beloved mythological character – from innocent beginnings to finally finding the immense strength he has been blessed with. The film is slated for release on May 19.
Narain says the ad world has kept her busy in these years. It has also helped her build a production company from scratch – a backing vehicle to support the kind of films she wants to make. Hanuman Da’ Damdaar is the first feature film release for R.A.T. Films – Narain’s company in partnership with filmmakers Taher Shabbir and Ashutosh Shah. Three more films are in the pipeline. “Whenever something is not the norm, it takes much longer to create”, she says. “After all, accolades cannot sort you out financially. And my parents don’t belong to the industry, so there wasn’t a ready office for me to walk into. You have to stick to what you believe in.”
Sticking to what she believes in has also resulted in the serendipitous coming together of an immensely attractive star cast for this film. Salman Khan has voiced the grown-up Hanuman; Raveena Tandon has voiced his mother, Anjani. In addition, Javed Akhtar, Vinay Pathak, Chunky Pandey, Saurabh Shukla, and Makrand Deshpande enjoy prominent roles. Unusually for an animated children’s feature, this film appears to be primed for success. Narain says Salman Khan was her initial, obvious choice for the role: “Can you even imagine anyone else as Hanuman?”, she exclaims.
An evolving world
Interestingly, the route to success has changed since the time Hazaaron released. It’s a different world now. Multiplexes abound. The Internet is crucial for reaching target audiences. Social media is ubiquitous. But Narain is unfazed by these alterations to the landscape. “I’m glad we can now directly connect with our audience. It has re-affirmed my faith in the consumer. I believe it will keep changing cinema for the better”, she says. “Filmmakers usually think audiences don’t know anything, and are hence hesitant to push the envelope. But audiences are constantly looking for the next great thing to fascinate them.”
Narain is constantly keen to emphasise the importance of keeping up with the changing times. “Da’ Damdaar” in the title (instead of “the”) is a hat-tip to a generation that has grown up with instant messaging. The trailer, which came out recently, also demonstrates a similar, breezy approach to the spoken word. She says, “I feel very strongly about language. It changes with time. And we should embrace that. Even the dialogues should reflect these changes in the society we live in. For instance, despite its title, Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi is actually in English. It reflects how educated folks like you and I speak. Even though we can, we aren’t speaking in Hindi right now, are we?”
Breaking it down
Despite the lightness of its title and its dialogues, the film itself was far from a breeze to make. For one, everything has to be created from scratch in an animated film. Unlike live action films that use real actors and locations, and work with processes such as look tests and art design and camera angles, animated films offer no shortcuts. The process is tedious and requires careful attention to detail. It extends right from designing each character to dubbing, body performances, facial performances, storyboarding, colour storyboarding, animation, and location design. After all of these are completed, animation can begin.
“This film has literally been made on an Excel sheet, with a second-by-second breakdown of the action”, says Narain. “Moreover, we disavowed the usual process of animation in India. I refused to do the animation before the dubbing and smacking [recording body language into animation].” The filmmaker shares that starting the process by recording performances, has allowed the animation to realistically record the physical characteristics of the voice actors.
The leap from Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi to Hanuman Da’ Damdaar is, literally, Hanuman-like in its ambition and scope. That said, the landing ground is rather overcrowded. Two animated films on Hanuman have been released previously, one of them directed by Anurag Kashyap. In recent years, the number of books and animated features (especially on television) based on Indian mythology has exploded.
Narain says this did not deter her because most of these have barely brushed the surface of the stories we have. “Our mythology is really trippy. It’s inclusive, it’s not judgemental, and offers a wealth of material to anyone interested in exploring it. Pixar and Disney produce good films but they’re so simple and formulaic that I could write it down for you. Till now, we’ve neither made entertaining animated films, nor have we done justice to the content we already have,” she asserts.
As for Hanuman, Narain was drawn to the character because of his strength, fearless, and, most of all, his innocence. “A pure heart is something so rare in today’s world where people can be so calculating and devious. I find that quality immensely endearing,” she says. “And, eventually, this film, while being dhamaal is about finding one’s true strength, something that would resonate with children and adults alike.”
Narain remembers growing up loving animated films, especially The Jungle Book (1967). What irked her over the years was the creeping realisation that something had been stolen from her. In an eery echo to colonialism, a story from India, about Indian characters – Bagheera, Bhaloo and their ilk – was appropriated by Hollywood and sold back to India. “I was like screw you. Now, we’ll manufacture our own materials. You’ll consume it.”