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Mumbai-based Celluloid Dreams'
live action/CG animation film budget Friends Forever
is ready for release. The film’s post production and DI was
recently completed at Q Labs and Prasad Film Laboratories,
respectively.
The company is currently in
advanced stage of talks with a major film distributor and
plans to release the movie around the last week of January
next year. The marketing campaign was launched on October
20, 2008 under which 15-second promos are being screened on
channels, Etc and Pogo. Further decisions on the marketing
spend will be made once the distribution deal is closed.
The
110-minute film, made at a budget of Rs7.5 crore, has been directed by Soumitra
Ranade of Jajantaram Mamantaram fame, and stars Ashmit Patel, Hrishitaa
Bhatt, Tinu Anand and 3D animated character Zampano. Zampano’s voice over
has been done by Ankur Javeri, a professional voice artist. Celluloid
Dreams Executive Producer and animation director for the film Kanad Kashyap told
AnimationXpress.com, “The story is about how a toy gifted to a daughter
by the father, becomes a friend. The film will specially attract kids as the characters
are endearing.” Zampano, the central
character in the movie, was created by a combination of motion capture and keyframe
animation done by a Malaysian studio and various Indian studios, including Accel
Animation Studios. Kashyap added, “We
looked at different toys for the character of Zampano, trying out various looks.
It took us about 6 months to finalise the sketches with the look and feel, his
denim, the special engraved belt buckle, etc.” The animated character shares the
screen with his live action counterparts for about 40 minutes. The company is
currently exploring merchandising options for the same. Credits
for the film include producers Rashmee Seengal and Divya Seengal; animation director
Kanad Kashyap; director of photography Setu; editor Avinash Walzade and art director
Gappa Chakraborthy. The film has been written by Manoj Lalwani; music by Anand
Raj Anand and lyrics by Dev Kohli. Incorporated
in 2005, Celluloid Dreams is currently working on two other live action/animation
projects: Raju-the Joker and Mermaid-a love story and is doing pre
production for Eternal Love, a co-production between Compact Disc India
and UK-based Intandem Films. The company
is also working on two full-length, live-action Punjabi features, Ek Onkar
and Truck Driver. mrigank.dhaniwala@animationxpress.com | 
