Comic-book lovers across the country have a new hero waiting for them right next to the indefatigable Chacha Chaudhary. Launched in the last week of February, Sunny Gill & the Agents of Sniff follows the adventures of the eight-year-old “spy-superhero”, Sunny Gill, and his two friends. This is the first in a series of three planned comic books, of which the final one, due to be published in April, will see Sunny paired with the legendary Chacha Chaudhary himself.
The comic-book series is actually based on an upcoming Amole Gupte film, Sniff , which is being billed as “India’s first kids’ action adventure franchise film”. While the film will unveil the origin story for Sunny Gill, each comic book is a self-contained adventure in the Sunny Gill universe — introducing and building interest in the characters in the build-up to the film’s release.
Sunny’s superpower is an enhanced sense of smell that helps him detect danger, and also find trouble. The superpower is also the obvious inspiration for the title of the film and the comic books. The other “agents”, referred to in the comic book title, are Sunny’s two friends, Jiya and Jaanu Shroff (the comic informs us that they aren’t related to Tiger or Jackie), who follow Sunny into thrilling adventures.
In an industry that rarely troubles itself to create quality entertainment for children, painstakingly creating an entire universe around a child-superhero is remarkable. The idea is a brainchild of Trinity Pictures, Eros International’s feature film studio, which has been tasked with creating films that focus solely on a franchise model. Sniff is its first production — and grand plans are afoot.
Ajit Thakur, CEO of Trinity Pictures, says Sniff is Eros’s first step towards creating films in-house. “Previously we were only in the business of acquisition and distribution”, he says.
“Now, we’re working on a unique model that ensures that the original content we produce will outlast its theatrical release, and not remain restricted to just the film,” shares Thakur.
He is effusive in his advocacy of the franchise model, “Except for notable exceptions such as Dhoom or Krrish , franchises don’t exist in India. It’s different and exciting — both creatively and commercially. For instance, the process of creation is different for our writers because we imagine the universe and the characters first. The story comes later. Commercially too, we don’t have to stop with just the film,” Thakur says.
Apart from a comic-book series (in addition to the feature film that is being readied for release) the characters from Sniff will also feature in an arcade game being developed by Viaan Industries Ltd., a gaming company started by Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty Kundra. Further, at Adlabs Imagica, a theme park, exclusive Sniff merchandise will be sold. The first is a toy — a bobbing head based on Sunny Gill. An animated television series is also in the works and will be developed in-house.
Why don’t we produce more, better animated films in India? “It takes a lot of time and patience, it’s expensive, and the current box office doesn’t allow it”, says Thakur. “The animation we produce in India pales in comparison with international standards. It’s a matter of time, I think, before we’ll be able to afford and produce quality animated films.”
Interestingly, Trinity has an in-house Writers’ Room responsible for developing franchise concepts. Sniff is its first production that is finally seeing the light of day. Once the universe has been developed, directors and other creative folks are roped in to work on the final product which may be a film, comic book, TV series or a game. For instance, while the film is directed and written with large inputs from Amole Gupte, the comic-books are written by Yogesh Chandekar and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Saumin Patel, freelancers hired to helm the series.
Thakur is full of praise for Gupte, “Nobody understands kids better than him”, he says. “Once the concept was developed, he gave the screenplay so much. It was fantastic to watch him work with the children”. Remarkably, Thakur says, Gupte ensured that no child ever missed school in order to shoot for the film.
“It took six months”, he says, “but Amole ensured that we only shot on holidays, weekends, and Diwali breaks.” The next Sniff film is already in the works with Gupte once again at the helm.
Thakur says the franchise model has also helped writers think beyond the regular comedy, love, and action genres. “We actually started with a spy film as the concept; later, we added a superpower”, he says. “We don’t really make films for kids in India, especially not as a franchise”, says Thakur. “Which is why Sniff is exciting”. Enid Blyton’s stories, such as The Famous Five book series, serve as inspirations for Sunny Gill and his friends.
Sniff is essentially a feel-good, underdog story and the comic books offer a glimpse into Sunny’s universe. The first book, for instance, sees Sunny use his sense of smell to overcome a gang of dangerous criminals — while also learning a bittersweet lesson. Some readers, though, are likely to be dismayed by a disparaging portrayal of women (one is, perhaps inadvertently, referred to as being “very problematic”), and one case of racist stereotyping where a Nepali watchman refers to our hero as “Shunny Shabji”.
Is there a reason why the protagonist is Sikh? “It’s not random. We wanted to show a family where food is a big thing, where there’s an entire sensory experience associated with food. There’s a big twist in the story too, but that can’t be revealed right now,” says Thakur.
India’s largest comic book publisher, Diamond Toons, will print and publish the comic series — which also explains the upcoming Chacha Chaudhary-Sunny Gill crossover.
Originally in English, Sunny Gill & the Agents of Sniff , will also be translated into four languages — Hindi, Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati.
Book One of the Sunny Gill series: Pickle Pandemonium is now available on stands and free of cost with the purchase of a Chacha Chaudhary comic book
