A Singapore-based desi art studio is launching four new Indian comic books in India and Southeast Asia (thanks, Rage). The four titles are Bollywood, Mythology, Santa Banta & Trendy and Hawk.
“Focusing on the 25 million strong Indian diaspora, Illustrated Orchids started developing the comics based on Indian characters. Of course there is a huge market at home, but the Indian staying overseas always want to have something which can keep their kids attached to our culture.” [Link]
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p>While the Mythology title looks like a higher-quality, manga-style competitor to Amar Chitra Katha, the Bollycomic looks like Archie come to life. Shah Rukh Khan would be Archie (but not Panjabi), Rani Mukherjee is Betty, Aishwarya Rai is Veronica, Aamir Khan is Jughead and plug-haired Salman Khan is definitely Reggie.
A lot of lame Sikh jokes revolve around Santa and Banta Singh, so it’s a bit surprising to see a sardar involved with that title.
More art after the jump.
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Santa Banta storyboard [via Ash Singh] |
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Santa Banta character [via Ash Singh] |
The most popular Indian girlie site on the Interweb is Santa Banta, which is run by an Indian. Okay it’s more than just girlies, but I’ve never visited the other pages.
Aren’t there any legal implications when it comes to using real people as characters? SRK, Ash and Rani may have something to say – or their lawyers.
The Jackie Chan cartoons are executive produced by Jackie Chan. Can’t tell if the stars have been contacted for permission to use their visages…
No trademark clearance yet:
Cheers Manish, missed that line. PS dude you forgot to put the http:// in Rage’s link up top.
you can call me, anything you like but my name is Veronica…
it’s an understatement to call the santa/banta jokes lame. degrading desi caricature a la the tradition of the “black minstrel” in my books…
Has anyone else read the Vimanarama comics by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond? I just did, and really liked.
No, but here’s a post on Vimanarama.
If that is AmarChitraKatha-esque Ravana in the background of the Mythology cover art, that is exactly what Yama would look like in my illustrated version of Roger Zelazny’s Lord Of Light.
Veronica is such a sad song.
Rama and Sita look puny and tame. Rama was supposed to have arms almost reaching down to his knees – and is considered the best archer in the puranas. Sita doesn’t look like anything from Valmiki. No robustness, no sensuality or vigor whatsoever. And for Shiva’s sake stop painting Rama and Krishna a deathly blue. They were both dark and Krishna is actually black as you can see him in Puri and as Srinathji and as Panduranaga Vithala. Sita was brown. Shiva is white and pale (not me!) partly because as bhootnath he is smeared with ashes from the pyres with a blue throat where the deadly poison Haala’hala rests. Draupadi is also dark (in fact in much of the MB she is called to as Krishna). Karna was golden and must have been the Nordic type. Bhima as vrikodara is the uber WWF bada** with the lean belly of a wolf and strength of five elephants and brown. Arjuna is the ageless boywonder. And Abhimanyu is the handsomest of them all. Duryodhana and Dushasana are your typical TDH types; Latin lovers both of them. Why oh Why are these rich characters reduced to cardboard cutouts!
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica
On the “Empress of India” [Link]
Indian mythological characters as Anime? We get some of those books in Bombay and they just don’t cut it somehow. It’s the ageless childishness and sullen look of anime that doesn’t fit the Indian attitude, though there’s obviously targeting a specific audience. There’s a maturity and range of emotions in the faces of these characters in the old Indian comics and watercolour books. Notice how the good people look anime and the Ravana actually looks sorta Indian? The differentiation in characters really makes me angry because bad people don’t look different in real life!
aranyi,
you have a point – however, in all cultures, from eons ago – evil is shown in a grotseque ugliness that is not human-like, maybe, we are afraid of possibly darkness amongst us, and therefore, we make them distinctly unlike us.
also, i am a big fan of good anime.
Can someone explain to me the whole Veronica thing?
On the note of Veronica, there’s a singer on Alpha Etc Punjabi (Dish network Punjabi channel) named Veronica, she’s a great singer, and cute!
“Veronica” is my fave Elvis song…it’s a poignant work about a neglected woman in a nursing home.
:+:
Veronica – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Is it all in that pretty little head of yours? What goes on in that place in the dark? Well I used to know a girl and I would have sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her own And a delicate look in her eye These days I’m afraid she’s not even sure if her name is Veronica
CHORUS Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes Veronica has gone to hide And all the time she laughs at those who shout Her name and steal her clothes Veronica Veronica
Did the days drag by, did the favors wane Did he roam down the town all the time Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at the door, Reaching out for Veronica
Well it was all of sixty-five years ago When the world was the street where she lived And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea With a picture of Veronica
On the “Empress of India” and as she closed her eyes upon the world And picked upon the bones of last week’s news She spoke his name out loud again
CHORUS
Veronica sits in her favorite chair and she sits very quiet and still And they call her a name that they never get right And if they don’t then nobody else will
But she used to have a carefree mind of her own, With a devilish look in her eye Saying “You can call me anything you like, But my name is Veronica”
Also, there’s the stutter…
Kudos to the team! Especially love Little Trendy.. Feels good to know a few of the ‘insiders’ :o)