Gone are the days when a select few would gatekeep their profound love for Japanese anime to save themselves from unwarranted spiteful little jokes of those uninterested. Even the Indian leg of Comic Con fan-expos stand testament to the fact that anime is no longer niche but yet another booming branch of pop culture. Just months ago, the country witnessed legendary Japanese voice actors of ONE PIECE fame, Kappei Yamaguchi (Usopp) and Hiroaki Hirata (Sanji), strolling down the Mumbai Comic Con in April.
The growing demand for titles like Solo Leveling, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, ONE PIECE, Kaiju No 8, My Hero Academia and many more is undeniable. This stands true not just in the United States and their source-countries, but even in India, as also confirmed by Crunchyroll’s senior marketing director (APAC) Akshat Sahu in an exclusive chat with FinancialExpress.com.
Keeping in mind the skyrocketing popularity of these animated adventures originating in Japan (or Korea), an Indian fan can’t help but wonder how well our own country’s animations are faring in this headstrong marathon of winning over global fame.
In yet another exclusive FE.com interview, Sharad Devarajan, Graphic India’s co-founder and CEO, opened up about where Indian animation stands currently and its road ahead. The veteran creative is best known as a co-creator of iconic projects like Marvel’s “Spider-Man: India,” aka Pavitr Prabhakar (as also seen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in 2023), and JioHotstar mega-hit originals like The Legend of Hanuman and Amazon Prime Video’s Baahubali: The Lost Legends.
Interview with Spider-Man India co-creator Sharad Devarajan
Competing with Japanese anime?
Instead of envisioning the rise of Japanese anime in India as competition, the Graphic India CEO sees it as an opportunity to attract a greater audience’s interest in older skewing animation. “We should not be trying to fight over crumbs at the table but rather find a way to expand the pie bigger for everyone and shape a new ecosystem that redefines the content experience for the 700 million youth audience under the age of 25,” he explained.
Further detailing why Japan’s sound example should be viewed as an inspiration, he said that their animation projects had become “a powerful medium for cultural expression that resonates globally” while retaining its distinct Japanese identity in storytelling and aesthetics. “This is a roadmap we can emulate to build a multi-billion dollar original character entertainment industry form India for the world,” he continued.
By “emulating” this framework, Devarajan sought to emphasise that India, too, should build its rich storytelling tradition, visual aesthetic and cultural worldviews. The same is foregrounded in the company’s mission statement, which basically distances itself from competing with Japanese anime, and doubles down on creating authentic Indian content, which simultaneously remains accessible to global audiences.
Taking up Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki‘s example, Mr Sharad said, “The key is not to simply imitate what works elsewhere but to really tap into what makes Indian storytelling special – our mythologies, our philosophies, our aesthetics – and present them through the medium of animation” in ways that speak to universal human experiences.
Why Indian animation is not in global mainstream focus
Mr Devarajan insisted on there being several factors that have historically held India back in the animation race. First of these pointed towards the prolonged perception that animation exclusively caters to the children domain. He noted that the stereotype ultimately cost major investments in sophisticated content that could have targetted older audiences “where the bigger ratings and subsequently higher budgets for programming are allocated.”
The decades-long journey tied to animation in India has seen projects being focussed on pandering to kids under 11 years of age. And then, Graphic India’s very own The Legend of Hanuman (2021) and Baahubali: The Lost Legends (2024) entered the debate to make a case for Indian animation by harnessing the strength to resonate with audiences across ages.
The Graphic India boss attributed Indian animation’s aversion from global mainstream fame to the challenging economics. He noted that – only recently – the industry found a clearer “path to returns on investment in the Indian market” — all thanks to new revenue models and distribution channels in place.
Possibly, the biggest setback has been a grave reliance on a robust outsourcing animation industry instead of creating original Indian IP and stories. As long as our nation shifts from the “outsourcer” identity to “the source” – like globally admired companies Marvel, Pixar, Studio Ghibli – even if it comes with its own share of risks, the ‘mission impossible’ is achievable.
“The talent, expertise and technology is all here in India. The rest of the world turns to India when it needs VFX and animation for international projects. So from a technical and infrastructure perspective, we have all the key ingredients,” Sharad Devarajan added. “What we need now is continued investment in the ‘creative spark’ of original IP development, nurturing disruptive talent with unique voices, while building an ecosystem that rewards creative risk-taking in animation and comics.
Future of Indian Animation
With firm belief in the future of animation of India, Sharad Devarajan’s Graphic India has already mapped out plans to be at the forefront of the new creative renaissance. He highlighted that multiple new animated shows in development would be announced soon. “In addition to series formats we also have a few big plans for redefining the theatrical animation experience as well which we will be announcing later this year,” he went on.
“We’re also expanding beyond animation into live-action films and series. Beyond our mythologies, we’re developing a range of original live-action superhero and sci-fi projects. We believe India has the power to dominate the global $200 billion character entertainment market with our unique creativity, worldview and storytelling.”
As a pioneer in the Indian animation industry, Devarajan’s hopes tied to its evolution and progress are tied to a convergence of several factors. These are: “increasing investment in original content, growing technical capabilities, rising global interest in Indian stories, and most importantly, a new generation of Indian creators who are pushing boundaries and taking creative risks – exposed and inspired by the best content of the world and of India.”
He concluded, “In the same way the West has created superheroes or Japan and Korea have exported their anime, manga, manhwa and original styles of storytelling to the world, India has the potential to become one of the biggest creative exporters in the years ahead. There is no doubt that this is our time for original animation from India! The rise of the Indian superhero has just begun.”`