Time now for Birbal and company
SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY
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Cartoon Network begins 2006 with local stories on its programming list and the channel's Senior Programming Manager Vishnu Athreya says it is just the beginning.
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GOING LOCAL Vishnu Athreya, Senior Programming Manager, Cartoon Network.
If going local is the newest mantra to sustain success in an increasingly competitive podium, Cartoon Network is already on the ball then. Having shown the Pandavas, Tenali Rama, Vikram Betal, Lord Ram and Chota Birbal etc along side the successful animation characters like Beyblade, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo et al to Indian kids, year 2006, says the channel's Senior Programming Manager, Vishnu Athreya, will see a special thrust on local animation productions. In fact, last Sunday saw the first instalment of the year in "Akbar & Birbal". Aired every Sunday at 10.30 a.m., "Akbar & Birbal" is a 13-part animated rendition produced by Pune-based animation firm Pheobus Creations.
Buddha and Alladin too
Athreya says two more local productions are in the pipeline. "We shall also show two theatricals - `The Legend of Buddha' and `Son of Alladin'. Both are produced by Chennai-based well-known animation firm Pentamedia Graphics and will be aired sometimes later this year," he informs.
A scene from the show "Akbar & Birbal".
Pentamedia has earlier produced "Pandavas" and "Sinbad" for Cartoon Network.
Not willing to disclose more about them in this age of high competition, Athreya says, "We are also working on three more local properties. They are in pre-production stage and are owned by the firm Green Gold Animation." Though all of these properties are to be shown only in the Indian sub-continent for now, he hopes they would find place beyond it too.
"Indian animation is increasingly being noticed all over the world for their quality and let's hope, one day, they become a rage all over the world. All we are doing now is providing them a platform to promote their quality work," he states.
To provide that "platform", the channel has already beamed "The Legend of Lord Ram", "Jungle Tales", "Tenali Rama", "Chota Birbal" and "Vikram Betal".
Now that the kids' channels are more and more becoming a family-viewing medium, he feels these local animations would attract adults' eyeballs too.
And having opened gates for local productions to find space on Cartoon Network, Athreya says, its other channel, Pogo will also have a lot of original productions, though not locally made, this year.
"Unlike in Cartoon Network, Pogo will have lot of live action stuff this 2006," he promises.
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