Animators eye Kolkata market

Indian animation industry is rapidly growing as a major animation outsourcing hub with a growth rate of 30 per cent.

The present industry now has over 5,000 professional animators in India although Indian animation industry kick started only in mid-90s, said Kireet Khurana, creative head, Metaphor Studios.

About 95-98 per cent of contracts that India receives are for international firms.

Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai led the industry in that order.

"Calcutta, so far, has not been able to attract many investors, reason why we are planning to tap the eastern India market as well. We have already chalked out close to Rs 2.5 crore (Rs 25 million) investment in eastern India," said Khurana.

"Animators are made, not born. They need to have a creative bent of mind and a good aesthetics sense, and of course, the ability to licence and merchandise characters," added Khurana.

"One positive thing about Indian animation industry is that a lot remains to be explored. So there is a lot of scope for growth in India," Khurana said.

For example, Disney created Mickey Mouse and is still cashing in on this character. But in India, there is hardly an animated character as popular as Mickey Mouse.

"Just that, good animators have the expertise in licensing and merchandising characters, like Disney did with Mickey Mouse. Unless India has such animators, animation industry in India may lag behind," explained Khurana.

According to a Nasscom report, the size of the Indian animation market, from the developers' perspective, was estimated at $28 million in 2005.

It is expected to witness a CAGR of 35 per cent from 2005 to 2009 and increase to $950 million by 2009.

Any reputed Indian animation industry receives 3-4 big contracts per year, each worth $3-5 million, informed Khurana.

Typical animation courses range from 6 months to 1 year and would cost anything between Rs 95,000 and Rs 50,000.

Starting salary in this industry is usually Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 per month. After a year, salary usually goes up to Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month.