Animation. Then, Now And Tomorrow

The animation industry in India has come a long way, and still has a longer way to go. Renowned animation film maker, Suresh Eriyat, gives us the ground reality of the industry today, and where the future lies.

- Suresh Eriyat

The Indian Animation Legend, E Suresh, has been a pioneer in storytelling and animation through films. He heads his animation studio Studio Eeksaurus and he was the first to launch clay animation commercials in India. Also, his short films, Fisherwoman and Tuk Tuk, and Tokri, both won National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Animation Film, apart from winning almost 60 national and International awards at various festivals with over 150 official selections globally

CG. Where does animation stand today in India? Is there a gap in the understanding of what the animation industry encompasses?

Suresh. There are several gaps in the way animation is understood in India. Internationally ‘animation film maker’ and an ‘animator’ are similar. There the animator is synonymous to a film maker who uses animation to make his/ her films bringing in a holistic process to the film making. In India that is not necessarily the case. Firstly, animation is associated with just cartoons in India. Beyond that it is widely believed to simply be a technique. And this is used in the Indian animation industry mainly to provide a service, as a BPO format. Unfortunately here animation is seen as a skill set equivalent to learning a software or a tool, and not as a conceptual ability of a person creating ideas to tell a story. It is not seen as the overall process.

Another misconception is that animation films don’t require direction/a director. These are all misnomers because it is not yet a popular medium here. The way it is taught or talked about by some of the academies in India, also adds to the confusion and misleading terms.

CG. What do you think it would take to change this perception in India?