‘Mahaprabhu Jagannath’, the first animated feature film from Odisha, is ready for release

The Indian animation industry will add a new chapter on July 17. Ele Animations Pvt Ltd, the Odisha-based animation company, is releasing the first animation film on Lord Jagannath, Mahaprabhu Jagannath, which is also the first animated feature film to be produced in Odisha. The Kerala connection for the film, which is being released in Hindi, Odia and Telugu in over 300 screens across India is that Thiruvananthapuram-based Toonz Media Group is the distribution partner.

Beaming with pride is Durga Prasad Dalai, the founder and CEO of Ele Animations, as the film marks a giant leap for the company, which has been regaling viewers with its television series, Jay Jagannath, on POGO since 2024.

“We had plans to produce movies once we had our IP (Intellectual Property, legally protected productions of studio or an artist), that is Jay Jagannath. But we didn’t expect that to happen so early. It is like some divine intervention. We wanted to bring stories of Lord Jagannath to every household through animation. Since we have been doing well on television, we felt that the story could be made for the theatres as well,” says Durga Prasad.

While the episodes in Jay Jagannath revolve around Jagan, the childhood incarnation of Lord Jagannath, and his friend, Balaram, in Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Jagan, along with Balram and Garud, is up against the evil force, Aham. Shripad Warkhedkar has directed the movie, which has story and screenplay by Pallavi Sharma.

The feature film is a huge step for Durga Prasad, who has been instrumental in setting up an animation ecosystem in Odisha. “I got into animation for two reasons: one, the fascination for it since childhood. Two, I have always been a storyteller; it came naturally to me. I felt that animation would be a more apt medium for me to venture into than filmmaking since the former seemed easier and interesting.”

He studied animation alongside attending college. There was a phase when he balanced it all with part-time jobs. Although he initially worked in the animation field in Hyderabad and Delhi, he chose to return to Odisha. “I was not satisfied working there and so came home. Since there weren’t enough opportunities in Odisha, I decided to create them. I imparted whatever knowledge I have to the people I hired and thus built the company from scratch.”

Ele Animations, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, started functioning in 2008. Initially, it created e-learning content and later moved to making content for YouTube channels. “There was a time when we had clients from 36 countries and 90% of the content was for kids.”

It was five years ago that the company decided to have its IP. “We joined hands with Toonz for our first IP since they are a big name in the animation industry. That work has not been released yet. Jay Jagannath is our second collaboration with them. And now they have joined hands to distribute Mahaprabhu Jagannath.” The release is in partnership with Cinepolis.

He recalls that the journey has not been easy, with limited resources available in Odisha for the animation ecosystem to grow. He points out that unlike cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad or Bengaluru, they didn’t have an animation talent pool, an advanced studio, or financial support for the projects. He trained local artistes who collaborated with talents from different cities and managed to bring out a popular show on television and now on the big screen.

“I knew we were taking a huge risk by bringing out an animated feature, that too based on Indian spirituality. In fact, the going has been tough for other productions as well. Like, Return of the Jungle, which has been in the making for a few years but didn’t do well in theatres. At the same time, Mahavatar Narasimha, which released last year, received tremendous reception and gave hope to the animation industry. In fact, when we negotiated with distributors and theatre owners about our movie, most of them were not enthused. But I am hopeful because of the reception for our IP and the devotion for Lord Jagannath,” he says.

Meanwhile, Durga Prasad has also planned something big – creating a Sanatan Universe. He is bringing out another movie on Lord Jagannath, “which will be about the origin story of the deity, the construction of the temple etc. Up next is the animated children’s series, Mere Bhole, inspired by Lord Siva, apart from stories about Lord Hanuman, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Kali and Goddess Durga. We also plan to introduce the Vedas and Upanishads in a modern format to the young generation.”

Durga Prasad stresses that they are tapping into narratives of Indian mythology and spiritual storytelling, and reinterpreting them in ways that appeal to the younger generation. “But we won’t be dispensing moral lectures. There will be a balance of faith and devotion with entertainment. I have a remarkable creative department, which has delivered a successful show. We have managed to win viewers without showing any form of violence, unlike the IPs that are about superheroes and fights and bloodsheds.”

Commenting on the shortcomings of the Indian animation industry, he observes, “Even though we have had works such as Chhota Bheem, Motu Patlu and Little Singham, I feel that somewhere along the line the storytellers became complacent. They are not experimenting. The trend keeps changing, and at a time when content-driven cinema, especially those from regional languages, is being applauded, that has to happen in animation as well. We need an ecosystem where original stories are valued. At the same time, we need support from broadcasters and streaming platforms as well.”