இந்திய அனிமேஷனின் சுருக்கமான வரலாறு

Indian animation is older than people realise. The country's first animated film, "The Pea Brothers" by Dadasaheb Phalke, was made in 1915 — making India one of the earliest adopters of animation outside Europe and America. The industry has had ups and downs over a century but is now in a strong growth phase.

இந்திய அனிமேஷன் மக்கள் நினைப்பதை விட பழமையானது. நாட்டின் முதல் அனிமேஷன் படம், தாதாசாகேப் பால்கேயின் "The Pea Brothers" 1915-இல் தயாரிக்கப்பட்டது — ஐரோப்பா மற்றும் அமெரிக்காவுக்கு வெளியே அனிமேஷனை ஏற்றுக்கொண்ட ஆரம்ப நாடுகளில் இந்தியா ஒன்றாக ஆனது. ஒரு நூற்றாண்டில் தொழில் ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள் கொண்டிருந்தாலும், இப்போது வலுவான வளர்ச்சிக் கட்டத்தில் உள்ளது.

Timeline of Indian animation

Films Division — the unsung pioneer

From the 1950s through the 1980s, the government's Films Division produced hundreds of animated shorts — many of which are considered classics today. "Ek Anek Aur Ekta" (1974), with its message of unity in diversity, is one of the most-watched Indian animated shorts ever made. Its catchy song "Ek titli, anek titliyaan" is recognisable to most Indian adults today.

The outsourcing era — and what it enabled

In the 1990s and 2000s, Indian studios — Toonz, Crest, DQ Entertainment, Maya Digital, UTV Toons — became major outsource partners for foreign animation. Indian artists worked on shows like Aladdin, The Lion King 2, He-Man, Bratz. While some criticised this as creative dependence, it built up an enormous skilled workforce. Today many of those animators run their own studios producing original Indian content.

Chhota Bheem — children's TV champion

Launched on Pogo TV in 2008 by Green Gold Animation (Hyderabad), Chhota Bheem became the most-watched Indian children's show. By the 2010s, it was airing in 11 languages in 76 countries. Spinoff feature films, video games, theme parks, and merchandise grew the franchise into India's most successful homegrown animated brand.

Tamil animation — niche but growing

Bombay Rose — Indian animation finds its art-house voice

Director Gitanjali Rao's Bombay Rose (2019) — entirely hand-painted, frame-by-frame — premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It's a stylised love letter to Mumbai, told without dialogue. Critics worldwide praised it as proof that Indian animation could compete artistically with anything Studio Ghibli or Cartoon Saloon was making.

Where the industry is going

Career paths in animation

Modern Indian animation employs over 30,000 people across studios in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru. Roles include character designer, storyboard artist, 2D animator, 3D animator, rigger, lighting artist, compositor, FX artist, motion graphics designer. Training is available at NID (Ahmedabad), MAAC, Arena Animation (chains), and many private institutes. Entry-level salaries start around ₹3-5 lakh; senior animators at top studios earn ₹15-25 lakh.

After a long gestation, Indian animation is finally producing original work the world is paying attention to. The next decade may see Indian animated films competing for the same global audiences that currently flock to Pixar and Studio Ghibli.