Graphic realities

Actor-director Jugal Hansraj has been invited to the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne to be held between June 11 and June 22 to give a talk on the animation industry in India. “Animation is an emerging market in Australia and they are looking at outsourcing technical expertise from India and at collaborative associations with our country. I was picked for this lecture as I have not just directed but also written “Roadside Romeo” and was closely involved in producing it. It was the first mainstream computer graphics film made in collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures,” says Jugal, before leaving for the festival.

“Roadside Romeo” was jointly produced by Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Studios in 2008 and actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor lent their voices to the lead characters. It was the first mainstream CGI feature film to come out of India and only the second Bollywood movie to receive a North American release by a Hollywood studio. In this master class, Jugal will share his knowledge and understanding of the resources available to Australian animators in India and what is required to make an Australian/Indian animation collaboration happen. The master class will be attended mainly by industry brass and cinema aficionados.

Talking about the animation industry in India, Jugal says, “It's amazing the kind of work we are churning out because unlike the West with its 100 years of rich live action as well as animation experience, the industry is pretty nascent around here.” Jugal, who was last seen in Madhuri Dixit's comeback movie “Aaja Nachle”, was recently spotted in a commercial. Asked whether he would consider acting once more, he says, “Definitely. It's just that I haven't remained in the loop as I was busy scripting a few films,” says the actor, who is still remembered for his role as a child in the 1983 film “Masoom”. As a director, Jugal has two films to his credit — “Pyar Impossible” besides “Roadside Romeo”.