Rudra Matsa plans Rs 15-cr animation series on Pandavas

Rudra Matsa Entertainment (RME), a Hyderabad-based animation startup, is planning to develop an animated television series – Chhota Pandavas – with a budget of around Rs 15 crore.

“Work on the 22-minute each, 52-episode series, targeted at children in the age group of 4-15, will commence sometime next year. The storyline will be extended beyond mythology and the series will be delivered in 2013,” Rudra Matsa, chief executive of RME, told Business Standard.

The project would partly be funded through internal resources while the remaining would be raised from a venture capital firm in 6-7 months.

As part of a five-year deal signed with Disney, Matsa said Pandavas-5 (P5), a 90-minute animated television specially developed by RME, would be telecast on Disney XD, a multi-platform brand from the Disney stable showcasing a mix of live-action and animated programming for kids aged 6-14, on Diwali.

“The TV special was developed with an investment of Rs 80 lakh, and through a combination of computer generated imagery (CGI) and 2D. RME will hold the intellectual property of P5. Besides, a home video deal with Disney is already in place,” Matsa said.

The story of P5 revolves around the adventures of the five Pandavas and their journey from rigorous training at Dronacharya’s hermitage to winning at a competition held in the city of Panchal.

Matsa said the company was currently working on yet another animated series on Garuda, a mythical bird originated from the Hindu mythology. “The story will deviate from mythology and bring Garuda to today's world with Mumbai in the backdrop,” he added.