Two seasons initially planned for animated adaption of Arbaaz Khan’s hit franchise chronicling the life of Police Officer Chulbul Pandey.
India and Singapore-based animation studio, Cosmos-Maya, has signed a deal with Arbaaz Khan Productions to adapt its Bollywood blockbuster Dabangg franchise into an animated series. Targeted at a kids and family audiences, Season 1 will be produced this year with Season 2 going into production in 2021.
In a first of its kind animation adaptation of a Bollywood franchise, the lead actor will play his adult character rather than being turned into a child avatar. The three films in the Dabangg franchise have grossed more than INR 7 Billion worldwide, making it one the most successful Bollywood franchises of all times. The movies feature the popular celebrity, Salman Khan.
The series chronicles the day to day life of Police Officer Chulbul Pandey (played by Salman Khan in the films), who stands in the face of evil to keep the city safe. Fighting evil is a tough job, but whatever the situation, Chulbul always has the time to lighten up the mood with his jokes, limericks, and one-liners. He is joined by his younger brother Makkhi (played by Arbaaz Khan in the films) who, new to the police force, keeps trying to emulate his older brother.
The show will feature animated avatars of all of the franchise’s characters, including the three antagonists Chhedi Singh, Bachcha Bhaiya and Baali, Rajjo (played by Sonakshi Sinha in the films), Prajapati Ji (played by the late Vinod Khanna in the films) and the ‘BhaiyaJi Ismile’ guy.
“Dabangg’s biggest USP is that it is complete family entertainment and so the next logical step to further grow the franchise was to enter the animation space,” noted Arbaaz Khan. “The medium offers unparalleled creative freedom with storytelling, and we can focus on shorter standalone stories in lieu of longer, linear narratives. Chulbul’s persona is larger than life and in animation his adventures will be showcased as never seen before. We are very happy to be working with Cosmos-Maya on this glorious franchise which has won the heart of millions. The union has been organic in the sense that the franchise and the studio have both captured the pulse of the Indian masses with entertaining grassroots level storytelling and relatable narratives. Exciting times lie ahead.”
“We are delighted to be partnering with Arbaaz Khan Productions in this historic merger of Bollywood and animation,” commented Cosmos-Maya CEO, Anish Mehta. “As a trendsetter in the industry, Cosmos-Maya is, for the first time ever, bringing a major Bollywood franchise to animation with the adult protagonist being portrayed as an adult. With more and more content viewing platforms shifting their onus to animation, a medium which can adapt itself beautifully to all narrative formats, people of all ages are becoming more accepting of the medium which has traditionally been associated with kids’ viewing. With never seen before animation quality and responsible, Bollywood inspired storytelling, it will be our endeavor to further extend the reach of this iconic brand so that more kids, teenagers and families are engaged and entertained.”
Source: Cosmos-Maya
