The second coming of Mythological animation in Indian Cinema

For decades, Indian animation has occupied an awkward space. On side we stuck to our mythology where we told stories from Ramayan and Mahabharat and on the other side were some risk takers who attempted modern stories but with animal characters playing the lead roles. But none were able to break into the mainstream like the way Hollywood films have made inroads with their films like The Toy Story, Inside Out, Kung Fu Panda and many more.

But in recent times, the release of Ashwin Kumar directed Mahavatar Narsimha has set the industry abuzz. The film which released a week after Mohit Suri, Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda’s Saiyaara has now gone on to mint more than Rs 248 crore at the box office making it the biggest animation film in the country and 50th biggest hit of Hindi cinema. At this point the film is the tipping point for the a lot of players to accept or take risk with animation films once again.


With Mahavatar Narimsha, director Ashwin Kumar told the story of Lord Vishu’s half lion-half man incarnation through the story of Prahlad and Hiranyakashyap. Combining rooted story with emotions and state of the art animation, the film managed to attract not only the kids and their parents but also young adults and old audiences who have pretty much been left behind from content curation.

Even before the release of the film, Ashwin Kumar along with Hombale Productions who have been behind films like Kantara and Salaar : Part 1- Ceasefire had already come together to put a Mahavatar Universe together. Here are the films that will be made under the universe

• Mahavatar Parshuram (2027)
• Mahavatar Raghunandan (2029)
• Mahavatar Dwarkadhish (2031)
• Mahavatar Gokulananda (2033)
• Mahavatar Kalki Part 1 (2035)
• Mahavatar Kalki Part 2 (2037)

The new innings for animation isn’t just limited to theatrical releases. On Wednesday morning Netflix in association with Alok Jain, Anu Sikka, and Ajit Andhare announced Kurukshetra. The animated series is set to reimagine the Mahabharata.

Creator Anu Sikka talking about the series said , “The battle of Kurukshetra is unforgettable and timeless , it is a collision of duty, destiny, and moral choices. Through this animated series, we explore the 18 days of Kurukshetra with its distinct perspectives blending eternally timeless wisdom with the power of visual storytelling. We're honoured to bring this layered narrative to life on Netflix, making this epic story accessible to Indian and global audiences in a visually stunning rich new format.”

If Netflix represents global interest, Telugu producer Naga Vamsi who recently released War 2 led by Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR in Telugu speaking states has now put his might behind animation film Vayuputra. The animated film based on the life of Lord Hanuman, slated for a grand Dussehra 2026 release.

Hanuman has been one of the most revered characters that has been created in Indian animation be it through Hanuman directed by V. G. Samant, Return of Hanuman directed by Anruag Kashyap or OTT show The Legend of Hanuman by Sharad Devarajan to name a few.

A Look Back

• Hanuman (2005,) directed by V.G. Samant was one of the first major successes, spawning a sequel and giving the new generation a news uperhero to look up to.
• Jayantilal Gada’s Mahabharat (2013), with voices from Ajay Devgn to Sunny Deol to Anil Kapoor to Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan.
• Chhota Bheem has been one of the most successful home grown characters spawning films and a lot of merchandise. Look at it’s success series around Ajay Devgn's Singham had also been greenlit but it received limited success.
• Outside mythology, efforts like Char Sahibzaade (Harry Baweja)experimented with Sikh history while Roadside Romeo (Jugal Hansraj) told a romantic story , and Delhi Safari (Nikkhil Advani) delivered a social message but none of them were able to sustain at the box office.

Now if even half the announced projects come to fruition Indian animation is poised to grow at an exponential rate.