|
Oscar hopes for India's Alibaba And 40 Thieves
Chennai-based Pentamedia Studios is keeping its fingers crossed for their animation film
|
Shobha Warrier in Chennai
In all probability, the name of the Indian film that will be read out at the Oscars will be Alibaba And 40 Thieves. A 90-minute animated film made at $15 million, it was made in just nine months from concept to completion by Chennai's Pentamedia Studios.
The script of Alibaba And 40 Thieves is written by the noted Tamil writer Sujata Rangarajan, and is made using 3-D motion picture technology. The songs and background music for the film are composed by Canada-based composer Praveen Mani, and the audio of the film has already been sold to Universal Studios worldwide. The post-production work of the film was done in Canada mainly because Praveen Mani was based there.
Based on the script, profile of the studio, directors and producers, the panel of judges selects a film for screening at the Oscars. "The pre-observation judges go through the script and the information that we provide, and then decide whether the film can be qualified for a screening. This is the first hurdle a film has to pass through to get nominated for the Oscars," explains N S Riyaz Babu, Unit Business Manager, Pentamedia, and one of the Creative Directors of Alibaba And 40 Thieves.
The Oscar committee has started an award for animated feature films since last year. The film has gone through the second level of activity --- the several screening processes --- successfully along with six other animated films from the world over. Now, all those connected with the film at Pentamedia are waiting for the decision from the Committee.
"We were very happy when we came to know that Alibaba was accepted for screening. Now that the screening is over, they have asked for clarifications on the profiles of all those involved in the film, after which the next level of activities will take place. We are quite hopeful," says Riyaz Babu.
Established in 1993, the Pentamedia Digital Studio in Chennai became one among three studios in the world (the others are in the USA and the UK) with the Silicon Studio status.
Seventy-five per cent of the $35 billion industry of animated feature films is in Hollywood, and when Pentamedia decided to enter it, they knew with whom they had to compete with: Walt Disney and many other well-known Hollywood productions. But they were confident about their creative ability, and the capacity to make low-cost productions without compromising on quality. "If we could capture at least 2 per cent of the animated feature film market, it is huge! The world knows about our software abilities. Now, they will know where we stand as far as animation films are concerned," states Babu.
If the cost of production of a Hollywood animation film is $60 to $80 million, a Pentamedia production costs only $9 to $12 million for a Pentamedia production. By next year, Pentamedia plans to make animated feature films at $6 to $8 million. If it takes five years for an animated feature film to come out from Hollywood, it takes only nine to 12 months at the Pentamedia studios. "We know our strengths and weaknesses, and we wanted to capitalise on our strengths," explains Babu.
The first film from the Pentamedia Studios was Sinbad The Sailor; the second, The Pandavas, The Five Warriors, which Indian kids would have watched on Cartoon Network. If Sinbad had an American voice over, Pandavas (made at $15 million) was purely Indian.
But for Alibaba, Pentamedia asked the Indian dubbing artistes to imitate the American accent. For their next production, Son Of Allaudin, Pentamedia has decided to use the American voice alone as the studio considers Hollywood as their primary market.
Pandavas, the second film from the Studio, went on to win the National Award for Best Animated Film and the second Best Animation Feature Film Award at the prestigious Vancouver Animated Film Festival in 2001.
According to Babu, "Somehow, we Indians have the feeling that we cannot compete with Hollywood. The Vancouver award not only surprised us but boosted our confidence. We were not expecting an international award for our second production. This award has given us enough confidence to send our film to the Oscars. And so far, Alibaba has been successful in its cruise. We are keeping our fingers crossed!"