Making animation film 20 times tougher, says Ruchi Narain

Film director and screenplay writer Ruchi Narain, who has forayed into the animation space with "Hanuman Da Damdaar", says making a movie in this genre is tougher as compared to a live action entertainer. She also feels children's films are not getting the attention they deserve in India.

Being a creative person who penned an acclaimed film like "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi", while asked about how different an experience it is to make an animation film, Narain told IANS here: "It is so much of a hard work. I must say that making an animation film is 20 times tougher than making a live action film.

"When I started working, my instant realization was, 'I'm gone!' For me, it was not just about telling a good story, the whole execution was quite tough."

When it comes to watching films, the Indian audience still prefer to watch big stars on screen. Though children enjoy watching Hollywood animation films, it has been observed when it comes to Hindi animation films, the box office result is not the same.

Asked about her opinion on whether the Indian audience is interested to invest in animation films, as kids are getting it on television all the time, Narain said: "Yes, you are right... That happens. But it happens because of the lack of content. The whole genre of children entertainment has not been explored properly.

"Since technology is in our hand, we are making visually fancy films, but where is the good story? Children are not interested to know which latest software has been used to make the film, they love stories."

She added: "One of the reasons why parents do not take their kids to the theatre to watch a Hindi animation film is that they also have to sit through it. If we are making a multi-layered story where the kids and their parents both can enjoy the film on their level, our films can work well."

Apart from the upcoming film "Hanuman Da Damdaar", which is releasing on May 19, Narain is currently working on a romantic comedy and a love story.

" I enjoy trying different genre of films. That gives me a creative high," said the director, who has roped in Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Vinay Pathak and Javed Akhtar for voiceovers in her animation project.

--IANS

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