An animation film is larger than life, but the elements and creativity that go into the making of it is bigger than you can ever imagine. Arnab Chaudhuri, with 20 years experience in the animation industry, is awaiting the release of his film “Arjun the Warrior Prince”on May 25. “The wait is like how a bungee jumper would feel just before the jump. It is like standing on the edge,” says Arnab over the phone.
An animation film entails meticulous planning and attention to detail. There are several misconceptions regarding this art form. “Animation is not a genre, but a medium. This is a perception that needs to change. Also, unlike films shot in real time, every element in an animation film has to be created. There is no readymade sky or tree at our disposal, we have to design it. Every leaf, blade of grass and strand of hair is a conscious decision. Inserting 15,000 people in a scene requires management. Directing an animation film takes a lot of time,” clarifies Arnab.
Arnab, a graduate from the National Institute of Design, designed the animation of Channel V in its early years. Thereafter, he worked with Cartoon Network for five years and directed promo shorts for classic characters, including Tom and Jerry and Dexter and was instrumental in launching Pogo.
Ready for battle
He is aware that his film is likely to be compared with other animation films, but he is unperturbed by it. “I am glad for the battle. ‘Arjun…' will confound everyone's expectations of what an animation film is.” “Arjun…” has been shot in 2D and despite 3D being a rage, Arnab contends that will hardly make a difference. “It is not that one medium is better than the other. It is like comparing a felt pen to a colour pencil,” says the creative director of Walt Disney International India.
The subject matter of “Arjun…” required a mature approach.
“The design is classical. The making of the film was a collaborative effort among the artists and production designers. Each one in the production team brought in their distinct styles.” Animation goes beyond the realm of the imagination. Arnab endeavoured to make it as close to reality as possible.
“We studied real life to render an outrageous scale to the film, which is critical for any animation film. We worked with Ila Arun's and K.K. Raina's theatre group Surnai. ‘Arjun…' was enacted on stage with music and dialogue. It panned out, as it were, like a theatrical performance. We recorded the music and dialogue of the performance and used that in the film.”
Next, the team worked with Kalaripayattu and Thang ta troupes from Kerala and Manipur, respectively. “We did so to create a hybrid fighting style,” Arnab explains.
To design the horses, the team visited a stud farm in Rajasthan where they closely observed the horses and interacted with horse trainers.
Talking about the plot, Arnab says: “The story traces Arjun's transformation from a talented marksman to a warrior. A marksman can grow to become one who never misses a target, but not all marksmen can become great warriors; Arjun, however, manages to achieve the latter. It is this aspect of his life that the film explores.”
“Vishal-Shekhar composed the music combining funky rhythms with traditional instruments. The sounds are drum and bass but done with dhols. Dhruv Ghanekar has composed the background score, while the script is by Rajesh Devraj and the dialogue by Ardeep Tailang,” says Arnab about his team.
“Just as films like ‘Akira' had generated a distinct Japanese anime, I hope that ‘Arjun…' will help evolve an Indian anime,” Arnab concludes.
