The Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) witnessed multiple panel discussions, one of which revolved around the evolution of animation films and their appeal across age groups. The panel comprised renowned filmmaker Ketan Mehta, actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Kheirandish and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Vaibhav Kumareshwar.

Mohammad Kheirandish, known for his animation film Dolphin Boy, spoke about his ambition to take his animation movies worldwide. “We prefer content that shows Iranian essence and the reality of Iran to the international market. It is not specifically made for Iranians. I would prefer if the audiences across the world could see it and like it,” he said.

Sharing his thoughts, Ketan Mehta, known for the popular cartoon Motu Patlu, spoke about India’s lack of global ambition when it comes to animation. “The problem we have been facing is that most channels and producers are international companies, who want to cater to the Indian market. However, when you are creating specifically for the domestic market, it has very little resonance outside the country, and that is the problem. We need to break out of this cycle. We need a more global mindset and ambition as we are all global citizens now,” he shared.

Vaibhav Kumareshwar, who won an Emmy for his acclaimed cartoon Lamput, has another perspective to offer. “Frankly, I am not thinking which market I am going to create for. We never planned that Lamput would be for a particular market. The only thing we kept in mind is that it won’t simply be Indian. It was not rooted in any particular culture,” he shared.

Actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani, who aspires to get into the world of animation, said, “We are working towards getting into the animation space. Chatting with different filmmakers here today, who’ve done such amazing work, was exciting. On the animation front, we are very new, but I believe we can push the envelope. The beauty of animation is that it is all about expression, and you are not limited to that area. In animation, you can imagine anything and create it.”