| Admirers of 'Professor Shonku', the eccentric scientist, a creation of the late Satyajit ray, might be in for a treat as Kolkata-based animation firm, Elecom Toons, might be embarking on a mission of making a feature-length animated film on the character, if its first feature venture goes down well with audiences in India and abroad.
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| Elecom's 'Lal-Kalo', based on a story of two warring ant communities by GirindraSekhar Basu, will be the first feature length Bengali animated film.
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| The film has a budget of Rs 1.30 crore and is expected to be ready for release by February next year. The script is nearing completion and a team of 80 animators from Kolkata and elsewhere are working on the project.
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| "Post-production work will be done by Fiesta studios in Mumbai, which has a 50 per cent stake in the project," said R D Mallik, chief executive officer, at an exclusive preview of the film.
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| The brief demonstration of the film has elicited a good response from producers in Mumbai and Kolkata.
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| The studio had approached R D Bansal in Kolkata and actor Anupam Kher in Mumbai and reportedly, both parties are interested in part-funding the project.
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| The studio has also roped in actor Sabyasachi Chakraborty for voice-over. Music for three songs has been composed by Srikumar Chatterjee and the company is in talks with Mumbai-based music directors Pritam and Shantanu Moitra for the rest of the numbers.
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| "We decided to base the film on this particular book because the graphic description provided scope for animation and the book had the lyrics that would give us a chance to make this into a possible musical", said Mallik.
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| "We are looking at having at least nine to ten songs in Bhojpuri and Bengali as this is a bilingual film. The musical concept is like a safety net as music has repeat value, and if we can make it well, it will ensure permanent revenue and add value to the film," Mallik added. The film will be released in India and will be shown at film festivals abroad.
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| Elecom Toons has enjoyed an annual growth of 80 per cent in production in 2004-05 and a profit of Rs 20 lakh, catering to clients in the United States of America, Germany, Italy, Australia, France and Bangladesh.
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| The company has identified a 5,000 squarefeet floor area in a building adjacent to its animation studio in Budge Budge for the development of an animation academy in partnership with Hyderabad based animation company, Green Gold.
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| "We will be taking in batches of 40 animators through a rigorous screening process and endeavour to make animators suited for international-standard work. We will also provide job guarantees at either studios to the student. The minimum degree required would be that of a Bachelor's in Visual Arts", said Mallik.
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| The animation industry in India is expected to get outsourced work to the tune of Rs 700 crore in the next two years.
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| The average monthly wage in Kolkata is currently Rs 20,000 but is expected to grow manifold within the next one year as more and more animation studios and post-production units open up in the city, Mallik felt. |
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