Can Mahavatar Ignite a New Era for Animation in Indian Cinema?

The mythological animated feature Mahavatar Narasimha has emerged as a surprise hit at the box office. Made on a budget of Rs. 6 crore, this movie went on to collect more than Rs. 30 crores at the box office in just five days. With growing positive word of mouth and increasing footfalls from families and children, it is expected to do well in the coming days.

The filmmakers in India never fully explored the market of animation features in the country. Although we had a few notable animated features, we couldn’t deliver them consistently, like those made in Hollywood or Japan. Producers and directors also believe that there is no market for animated films in India. But the success of Mahavatar Narasimha shattered all those misconceptions and may begin a new chapter for animated films in Indian cinema.

Most of the highest Hollywood grossers are animated features from Disney and Pixar. In fact, the top two highest-grossing English films of this year are animated films, “A Minecraft Movie” and “Lilo & Stitch”. Mandarin animated feature Ne Zha 2, which was released earlier this year, became the highest-grossing film of all time in China. Most of the top 10 highest-grossing Japanese films of all time are anime features. Notably, all these films also have a big fan base in India.

So, saying that animation films don’t have a market in India is not correct. The thing is, we haven’t explored it systematically. Mahavatar Narasimha’s production house, Hombale Films, announced projects for the next 10 years under this franchise.

All these films will tell the stories of Vishnu’s Dasavataras. In the same way, if filmmakers start coming up with animated films based on our mythology, folklore and culture, we may become the biggest animation film industry in the future. All we needed was one big step, and Mahavatar Narasimha succeeded in taking it. So, it remains to be seen how the Indian animation film industry evolves from here.