Given
the exisiting market conditions and lack of government or industry
support, developing original Indian animated IP and a business model
around it is an uphill task and requires a fair amount of guts,
foresight and conviction.
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Pack
shot of the Vikram Betaal VCD (English)
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Hyderabad
based Greengold animation has been constantly developing its own
IP since the past 2 years, and has managed to get its shows on air
like Bongo (DD), and Vikram Betaal (Cartoon Network),
besides being in advanced telecasting negotiations for Chota
Bhim and a few other IPs which are under development at the
studio currently.
Though
the monies realised from Indian broadcasters do not even cover a
small cost of the total animation production, the number of animated
hours in Greengold's library is increasing and it is interesting
to watch how the studio will now tap revenue streams in the Indian
market and abroad.
In
what is a recent development, Mumbai based Excel has got into an
agreement with Green Gold and is all set to debut Vikram Betaal
on home video next month.
Speaking
to Animation 'xpress, Excel Home Videos Managing Director
M N Kapasi commented,"Being the market leader in home videos
for animation movies in India, it was more of a logical step to
initiate the first indigenous feature length animation product of
our country. The tie-up with Green Gold also highlights our endeavor
to promote Indian based content. Vikram Betaal is a stepping
stone to this direction, especially since quality Indian based animation
content is rare to come by. Moreover, the recent success of Animation
titles on DVD charts showcases the increasing appetite for animation
content of the market"
Vikram
Betaal will be launched in 3 SKUS, Hindi VCD, English VCD (both
priced at Rs 199/-) and DVD with 4 languages Hindi, English, Telugu,
Tamil combined (priced at Rs 499/-). The initial consignment will
be 25,000 units across all SKUs. The DVD is packed with add-ons
like a short film named 'Mike and his dream'. It also includes a
12- minute capsule of 'Behind the Scene' footage, in addition to
an Art gallery that showcases the story board, background, characters,
poses etc. The highlight of the bonus features is an innovative
quizzing game to enrich the DVD experience.
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The
inlay design for the Vikram Betaal VCD (Hindi)
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Greengold
Animation Studios director Rajiv Chilakalapudi told Animation
'xpress, "We are ecstatic and thrilled to have tied
up with Excel Home Video on Vikram Betal. They have done
a lot of value addition to our movie, and we anticipate a fruitful
relationship with them over the next decade"
Excel
and Green Gold have entered into a minimum guarantee + royalties
agreement for this deal. "As of now we have signed an 8 year
contract for India, srilanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal only. We are
pitching to sell world Home Video rights of Vikram Betal
at MIPCOM in Cannes this October" informed Rajiv.
Come
October and it would be interesting to track the initial response
to the home video launch of this animated IP.
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