Aditya Birla Group’s Applause Entertainment has announced an exclusive partnership with Indian comics powerhouse Amar Chitra Katha, to develop and produce animated adaptations pulled from its 400-plus-title catalog. The alliance marks the first major step into the animation sphere for Applause, which is known for its premium digital drama series such as Scam 1992, Avrodh – The Siege Within and Bhaukaal, as well as localizations of Hostages, Criminal Justice and The Office.
Founded in 1967 by Anant Pai, Mumbai-based ACK’s print and digital comics are largely inspired by the stories of religious legends, classical epics, folklore and historical figures. Its titles have been adapted to animated specials, series and shorts including Suppandi Suppandi!, Sons of Ram and Amar Chitra Katha (all aired on Cartoon Network India) and Tripura – The Three Cities of Maya (with Animagic).
“At Amar Chitra Katha, we have been custodians of India’s stories for over 54 years. We are thrilled to partner with Applause Entertainment to take our storytelling heritage to Indian and global audiences through animation. While we continue to keep our founder, Mr Anant Pai’s dream alive by telling new stories in print and digital formats, we are also keen on presenting our iconic stories in an animated format,” said Preeti Vyas, President & CEO, ACK.
Applause Ent.’s CEO Sameer Nair commented, “Like millions of other people, I have grown up reading these comics and as a child, imagined them with dynamic visuals and dramatic sound and action. This is our opportunity to realize that dream. This partnership is also a small step towards helping export Indian culture by taking a unique cultural brand like Amar Chitra Katha to screens across the globe.”
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