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Reviving the magic of desi rhymes

April 13, 2015 07:23 pm | Updated 07:23 pm IST

The Pasanga actor is busy with a new project – creating a series of Indian nursery rhymes

13MP_vega

Vega Tamotia, the chirpy actress from kids’ flick Pasanga, is all set to entertain children once again. She’s producing Ghotu Motu Ki Toli, a series of Indian nursery rhymes, to be showcased on YouTube ( >www.youtube.com/ghotumotu ) and as an Android/IOS app ( >http://onelink.to/gqmw2q ).

“We released the pilot video in December 2014, and it will go mainstream in the next couple of months,” says Vega, who routinely shuttles between the U.S. and India. “For long, I’ve wanted to create Indian content for Indian children.

It’s sad that our children sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ but are not aware of ‘Machli Jal Ki Rani Hai’ or ‘Baarish Aayi Cham Cham Cham’. Our rhymes are so cool, and I was looking for a way to make them accessible to children and parents alike.”

So, what Vega and her team at Ghotu Motu Productions did was create a live action series based on rhymes. “Indian rhymes are essentially poems; we’ve converted them into colourful ‘song-and-dance’ affairs. And, they lend themselves well to such a version,” says the actress, who is collaborating with pre-schools to popularise the concept.

Currently, the YouTube channel has about nine two-minute videos. Over the next two years, the plan is to create over a 100 such videos. “India has a rich heritage of folklore and children’s literature. But, over generations, we have neglected and lost them. It is time to ensure they live on.”

The first set of videos is in Hindi. Next up, Vega is planning a series in Tamil (“a language close to my heart”), followed by other regional languages.

Vega’s three-year-old nephew, whom she calls Ghotu, has inspired the series. “I remember growing up on a diet of desi rhymes. My grandparents and parents would sing them to me. Sadly, when I wanted to sing some Indian rhymes for my nephew, there were not too many new ones to choose from.”

The series brings together talent from India and the U.S; while the creative team works out of the U.S., the music, art and characters are designed in India. “That gives the series a global feel,” she says.

On the films front, she plays the lead in Love Comes Later, an English film shot in New York. Directed by Sonejuhi, it deals with labour trafficking. “It is will be an eye-opener. It has a lovely cast, including Sarita Choudhury.”

Vega, last seen in Amit Sahni Ki List, is all set to star in a Hindi film, “a relatively big film in an important role”.

The actress has been selective about work all this while, just to escape being straight-jacketed.

“I think I was born to be an actor, but I want to do more than that. I am a creative person who is interested in business and economics. And so, when I got a chance to produce content, I grabbed it,” she says.

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