Indian Animation: “A Rebellion in Progress”

India is one of the fastest growing VFX and animation hubs in the world, and one of the largest anime markets, according to the ‘Visual Effects & Animation World Atlas 2025’.

With more than 37 VFX institutes, and the recently approved National Centre of Excellence for the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector in Mumbai, providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and specialised training, the creative economy is expected to continue to strengthen.

As it stands, the foundation of the industry is formed of international clients, with only 10%-15% of VFX and animation revenue coming from the monetisation of Indian-owned IP, the report states. But with the thirst for animated content growing among Indian audiences, can we expect an increase in original, Indian animation?

Over the past few years, animation has seen a “shift from niche towards a much larger cultural space,” says Akhauri P. Sinha, MD at Framestore Mumbai. “A combination of factors has driven this transformation, chief among them being unprecedented access enabled by some of the cheapest high-speed internet in the world. This soon led to localisation through dubbing, subtitles and regional language availability.”

Sahil Chauhan, national head of post production at Dentsu Creative Mumbai, credits the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and other OTT platforms for helping India discover their love for animation. “Once viewers anywhere in India could stream content in their language, at their time, on their mobile or living-room screen, animation became a powerful lens through which stories could move beyond the constraints of live-action: budgets, sets, logistics, even realism.”

For Indian filmmakers and video producers, this is inspiring, he says, “because we live in a land of thousands of cultures, dozens of languages, innumerable folk tales, regional aesthetics, and narrative rhythms. Animation gives you the creative freedom to express things exactly how you’d like: to show a Himalayan village in Sikkim, complete with its dialect and snow-covered peaks; to animate a Gujarati folk-story set in Himmatnagar with the colour palette of Idar; or to visualise a historic legend in a Mumbai flat, and still make it feel authentic.

“You realise why this is such a great medium for India at this moment, with India’s huge cultural diversity and the virtually boundless expressive possibilities of animation,” Sahil says. “Animation not only reflects what we want to say, but more importantly, it liberates us to say it how we want: with our voices, our visuals, our rhythms. And in the streaming era, where audiences are everywhere, that freedom becomes a strategic creative strength.”

Despite its possibilities, it’s only been in recent years that Indian audiences have begun to consider animation for adults. “For as long as I can remember, the biggest misconception about animation has been that it is ‘for children’,” shares Karthik Nambiar, creative at Talented. “The problem was never the medium itself. The problem was how the industry, in India and elsewhere, decided that because children were the audience, the content had to be simple, moralising, and stripped of complexity.”

In doing so, he says the industry not only underestimated children, but also alienated adults who might have engaged with animation as a serious art form.

Animation on India's Terms

“For years, the Indian industry has been defined by service work,” Karthik states. “Studios built reputations by animating other people’s characters for foreign projects, often under strict visual styles they did not own. This outsourcing era gave Indian talent jobs, but not a voice. What excites me now is seeing how a new generation of studios and collectives are starting to break from that mold.”

“Domestic production capabilities have rapidly matured,” agrees Akhauri. “Indian studios – including our Mumbai studio – are now operating with world-class talent, technology and pipelines. We’re seeing a structural shift in how stories are being told and consumed in India. It’s fascinating to see that transformation unfold.”

A combination of factors are driving this momentum, he says: “A talent pool that’s not just growing in numbers but also in skills, the ability and willingness to harness newer technology (including partnerships to get there) and a vision and ambition to take authentic Indian stories global.”

The most apparent strategy is the ambition to create cinematic universes, Akhauri notes, as well as willingness to look beyond the immediate project. “‘Baahubali: Crown of Blood’ and ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War’ are notable examples,” he says, “where an animated prequel or sequel both expand and deepen an existing live-action franchise. ‘The Eternal War’, whose teaser was very well-received and created a lot of buzz, also sees Indian IP being created through global collaboration and it will be very interesting to see that come to fruition.”

In terms of sheer box office numbers and success, he shares ‘Mahavatar Narsimha’ as another recent example – “It’s a project that blends mythological storytelling with large-scale cinematic ambition, with plans to have six more related films over the next few years” – and ‘Bujji & Bhairava’ – “the animated prelude to ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, which pushes into futuristic sci-fi world-building – a space that Indian animation hasn’t traditionally occupied, and a sign of growing genre diversity.”

Karthik mentions Studio Sideline in Bengaluru who worked on Netflix’s ‘Love, Death & Robots’. “The team has done striking 2D work and concept art of their own, proof that Indian studios can contribute creatively as well as technically.”

Then there is Ghost Animation, a Kolkata collective that has been pushing independent projects with bold, diverse visual languages he says. “Their ‘First Flight’ tour brought four original animated shorts to audiences across India, each with a distinct style and mood. This is animation made on their own terms, not waiting for international approval.”

Alongside these names, Karthik also notes Studio Moebius and Studio Zheng. “Together, all these names suggest that Indian animation is beginning to stretch beyond commercial safety nets and into true artistic risk. So how would I describe India’s animation scene right now? I would call it a rebellion in progress.

“On one side, you’ll find safe mythological retellings and brightly packaged shows made for children. On the other, you see artists testing boundaries, fusing anime influence with Indian sensibilities, and insisting that the medium deserves more than condescension. It is messy, uneven, sometimes half formed. But it is also alive, restless, and filled with possibility.”