MxMIndia

Tag: Amar Chitra Katha

  • To adapt 400+ iconic comics into animation content

    Applause partner Amar Chitra Katha

    By Our Staff

     

    Applause Entertainment, the content studio from the Aditya Birla Group led by media veteran Sameer Nair, has announced a landmark partnership with Amar Chitra Katha.  As a part of this collaboration, Applause Entertainment has acquired the license to the Amar Chitra Katha catalogue, comprising 400+ titles which will be developed and produced into animated content.

     

    Speaking on the announcement, Nair said: “At Applause, we only strive to deliver the best in storytelling. Over the last four years, we have significantly pushed the envelope in curating and creating the most disruptive stories for Indian audiences that cut across genres and geographies. Amar Chitra Katha is a household name in India with a diverse and celebrated library which deserves to be retold. Like millions of other people, I have grown up reading these iconic 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 and deep rooted cultural brand like Amar Chitra Katha to screens across the globe.”

     

    Added Preeti Vyas, President & CEO, Amar Chitra Katha: “At Amar Chitra Katha, we have been custodians of India’s stories for over 54 years, and we are thrilled to partner with Applause Entertainment to take our rich storytelling heritage to Indian and global audiences through animation. As the nation’s favourite storyteller, our mission has always been to provide Indian children a route to their roots and inspire in them a great sense of pride about India and being Indian. While we continue to keep our founder, Mr Anant Pai’s dream alive by telling new stories and creating fresh content in print and digital formats, we are also keen on presenting our iconic stories in an animated avatar. For this, we could not have hoped for a better partner than Applause. We are confident that Sameer Nair and his team, with their passion and superlative track record will do an amazing job adapting our stories to animation and providing the new and future generations of Indians a crucial link to our past.”

     

  • The merchandise features some of Tinkle’s iconic comic characters Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri etc

    Tinkle celebrates its 37th anniversary with a new line of retail merchandise

    By A Correspondent

     

    Popular comic brand Tinkle published by Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Media) and now run by the Future Group celebrates 37 years of imparting knowledge with fun. Making the anniversary memorable for generations who have grown reading the comics and solving the puzzles, ACK Media has launched a special line of Tinkle merchandise in association with Planet Superheros and Eco Corner.

     

    Speaking about the anniversary and expansion in Tinkle merchandise Shriya Ghate, Business Head, Tinkle said: “We are extremely thankful to all our readers for supporting us for more than 3 decades. Most importantly, we’d like to thank parents for inculcating a good habit of reading and making learning an enriching experience filled with fun. As a brand, Tinkle has been lucky to have a diverse audience of not only children but also the youth and those young at heart. Merchandise helps a brand get closer to its consumer and establish a stronger connect. The new Tinkle merchandise is sure to create a nostalgic moment for all our fans, with something in-store for everyone.”

     

     

  • Amar Chitra Katha has announced the Tinkle range of back-to-school and stationery products, and is in talks with business partners, distributors and manufacturers for the Tinkle franchise

    Suppandi on your lunchbox soon?

    By A Correspondent

     

    Illustrated book specialist Amar Chitra Katha has announced the entry of its brand Tinkle into the back-to-school and stationery product categories.

     

    Tinkle’s popular characters Shikari Shambhu, Kalia the Crow and especially Suppandi are popular with children, teenagers and adults. Announcing the initiative, ACK CEO Vijay Sampath, “With Tinkle expanding its presence in television, feature films and digital products, the clamour for Tinkle products is growing. We are also flooded with requests from consumers during exhibitions and fairs for such products. We want children to experience the magic of Tinkle in a wholesome way. Through the Tinkle back-to-school programme, we will provide high-quality, competitively priced and child-friendly products, which are true to our values and extend the imaginations of children.”

     

    ACK Media Business Head Prakash Batna said, “The Tinkle franchise is a rare opportunity to participate in one of India’s most popular and fast growing consumer franchises. Leading distributors, business partners and manufacturers have evinced interest in the Tinkle franchise. We want to associate ourselves with the best partners in India and adjoining markets, to make Tinkle a market leader in this category.”

     

    The franchise is slated to hit the market in mid-2013.

     

  • ZeeQ has given fresh lease of life to the children's entertainment genre by capturing immortal characters such as Birbal the wise, Ashoka, Prithviraj Chavhan, Chanakya, Vivekanand, Bhagat Singh, Mother Teresa and many more from Amar Chitra Katha

    ZeeQ brings Amar Chitra Katha universe to TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    ZeeQ, the children’s edutainment channel launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, has acquired 26 episodes of Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) from Ideas Box Entertainment Pvt Ltd. Ideas Box is an independent subsidiary of Amar Chitra Katha Pvt. Ltd.

     

    ZeeQ has plans to beam the 26 episodes of ACK, over 26 weeks, till April 2013.

     

    Subhdarshi Tripathy, Business Head of ZeeQ says, “ZeeQ has acquired this property of ACK from Ideas Box for three years.” Ideas Box is a content, activation, education and television company which has conceptualized and produced the 26 episode series. He adds, “ZeeQ had planned to bring the class room lessons of history in engaging animated format on small screen and ACK is the first step in that direction.”

     

    ACKs episodes capture the Indian heroes of Amar Chitra Katha from the comics and create a first of its kind comic format which is fresh and interesting. This program will help children develop values and harbor integrity in edutainment way.

     

    To name a few, the bouquet of 26 episodes on ZeeQ will consist of Birbal the wise, Ashoka, Prithviraj Chavhan, Chanakya, Shivaji, Vivekanand, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh and Mother Teresa, to name a few.

     

    Every episode will explore two heroes and Itihaas, the voice of History, will tell the tale.

     

    ZeeQ, the 32nd channel from Zee was launched in early November and now is available to the Indian kids’ audience on the platforms of Dish TV (channel no.510) and Videocon d2h (channel no. 525).

     

  • Comics are an essential part of growing up and for millions they continue to be an essential part of their lives, says Jatin Varma

    The Anchor: 6 reasons why comics are useful, essential and appeal to various age groups

    By Jatin Varma

     

    1. Everyone loves comics

    Everyone has read comics as they grew up and many continue to read them. From reading Chacha Choudhary to the Spider-man, they bring alive amazing characters and worlds. You can be of any age and you’ll have comics that will cater to your taste.

     

    2. Prolific, powerful & great literary works

    The world of comics has given us writers, editors and artists such as Neil Gaiman, Stan Lee, Warren Ellis, Harvey Pekar, Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb, Jack Kirby…the list goes on and on. So many of their creations are considered literary masterpieces, and some of the most prolific sequential art in the world. In India, we have people such as Anant Pai, Pran, Ram Wareekar, RK Laxman, to name a few, whose work has touched many people and continues to inspire so many readers and creators in the medium.

     

    3. Socially and politically relevant

    Comics are a very powerful visual medium. They put faces and images to various issues and topics facing our society, I can cite Joe Sacco’s Palestine & Amir-Khalil’s Zahra’s Paradise as examples of two really powerful graphic novels that highlight conflicts and injustices in different parts of the world, helping us understand them in much more personal way.

     

    4. Great tool for inculcating reading habits at an early age

    Comics are a great way of introducing children to the world of books. It’s the perfect tool for engaging children.

     

    5. Fun & Educational

    Some of the most popular comic books in India are based around our History and Mythology. Both Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle are proof of that. Lastly, I feel everyone who reads comics develops a strong personal and emotional bond with them. Comics are an essential part of growing up and for millions they continue to be an essential part of their lives.

     

    Jatin Varma is the founder, Twenty Onwards Media and Comic Con India