Bangalore, July 17 (IANS) Author Anita Nair, who was fed on mythology with dinner from the age of one, will soon have her tales lighting up TV screens, thanks to a tie-up with Canadian animation firm Kahani World.
Kahani World has teamed up with Nair to co-produce an animated version of her recently released book for children “Magical Indian Myths”, which imbues the old legends with wit and fresh insight.
Kahani World CEO Biren Ghose said here Wednesday the animation process has begun and the stories will be aired in two years’ time.
“As an animation firm, we are always on the lookout for captivating stories. When I met Anita, the whole project just clicked into place in no time,” he said.
A bestselling writer with 11 books in 11 years, Nair is “very excited” at the prospect of her tales going toon. She told IANS: “The idea that my book, my characters will be animated is very exciting. What excites me most about this association is that if these stories were to go into film form, then animation is the best mode I would choose.”
However, she is realistic about the necessary changes that will be implemented to animate the series. “As a writer, I expect only creative control. I understand the demands of the medium.
“While writing this book, I was keen to humanise gods and demons, to make them less of gods and less of demons. I did not want to stay with only the classical rendering of mythology, where gods are white and demons black. I wanted to go into the lesser known grey areas that they inhabit.”
Nair, whose “Mistress” was long-listed for the Britain-based Orange Prize this year, said: “I deliberately opted for a simplistic form of story-telling in ‘Magical Indian Myths’. The usual retellings of the Puranas can be very boring and complicated… Animation will only make these tales more cool, more contemporary.”
The book, which boasts of mind-boggling illustrations by Atanu Roy, is a hand-picked collection of 50 stories from the vast pantheon of Indian mythology.
Nair, whose latest non-fiction book “Goodnight And God Bless” charmingly describes her corner of the world with its breeze fluctuations and a dog called Sugar in Bangalore’s outskirts, added: “The mythology book was thanks to my childhood habit of refusing to eat without a story. From the age of one, my grandmother and mother had no choice but to tell me one story after another if they wanted me fed!”
— By Shinie Antony
