Indian animation market to reach $16.60 bn by FY31, fueled by demand for high-quality visuals

It was born out of a realisation that the Indian animation industry is poised for an exponential growth in the years to come. The mission has clearly been to provide a complete 360 degree solution to its clients and deliver highly creative, communicative & effective marketing and branding solutions, which, in turn, will help them to enhance their brand value and will help them to obtain measurable goals as well. The company specialises in corporate and ad film-making, animation, workshops, graphic designing, photography, brand marketing and also conducts events & seminars.

In today’s competitive environment all corporate entities and MNCs realize the importance of their brand value for capturing both local and global markets. They initiate curtailing their ad budget but in parallel, do not want to dilute their brand positioning. At this juncture, they need a reliable proper marketing communication agency. So keeping this in mind, the Kolkata-headquartered startup focuses on providing complete brand solutions for such enterprises, that will add value to their products and business, helping them to obtain measurable goals.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Ankush Nandi, Managing Director, ANP Pvt Ltd, narrates his entrepreneurial journey and delves at length on the future of Indian animation industry and its role in corporate brand building

Any idea how big would be the overall animation industry in India and at what rate it's growing?

The Indian Animation Market is projected to reach $16.60 billion by FY2031 from $1.37 billion in FY2023, growing at a CAGR of 37.76 per cent for the forecast period between FY2024 and FY2031 owing to increased internet usage and telecom revolution in the nation. This exponential growth underscores the increasing demand and substantial investment in the animation industry, driven by the rising consumption of animated content and advancement in animation technologies. The VFX and animation industry in India is experiencing remarkable growth, primarily due to the increasing demand for high-quality visuals in films, TV shows, and marketing campaigns. Moreover, the industry is being boosted by government initiatives and collaborations with educational institutions. Technological advancements are also allowing studios to develop more ambitious and innovative projects.

Where does the Indian animation industry stand vis-a-vis its global counterparts?

The Indian film industry is relying increasingly on VFX and animation to enhance the visual appeal of films, as demonstrated by blockbuster hits like RRR and Brahmastra etc. thanks to VFX, the entertainment industry can now collaborate globally, fostering new partnerships and collaborations, as well as providing international opportunities for industry professionals. Over the past few years, there has been a growing demand for VFX and animation services in the industry, providing Indian animation studios with an opportunity to create content for global audiences. These opportunities extend to various fields, such as advertising and marketing campaigns.

Animation as a career option or profession is also reasonably highly paying. Why did you choose the entrepreneurial journey?

Yes, ofcourse, animation as career option has great paying options, but for me it’s always creating something new for the audience, something original. When you are into entrepreneurship you get the freedom and opportunities to create your own show or animated movies and you are not bound to certain things. At the same time you also get the opportunity to work with different client of different sectors.

How has been the journey so far?

The journey has been great till now, obviously there are challenges but facing them and overcoming them gives a great satisfaction. From working with big production and corporate houses like Reliance Animation, Paperboat Studios, Maya entertainment, Coca Cola, Siemens etc to organizing one of the finest animation film festival IIACFF has been a great learning experience for me. It feels great representing the country and being honored as a jury member in two different International Animation Film Festival (Anima Latina Animation Festival, Argentina & Anima Sao Animation Festival, Brazil)

Could you mention some of the important/interesting projects, you worked with or were associated with?

The first project that I have worked for was Little Singham in the year 2017, thanks to Reliance Animation then BIG Animation for giving me rather giving us the opportunity to be a part of an iconic project. Pre to that I have assisted few directors in documentary and corporate films. From being the Production head of "The Last Goodbye to 22 yards" - a movie based on the last 3 innings of the legend Sachin Tendulkar to directing a documentary movie for an Indian news channel on Captain Saurabh Kalia (First Indian Soldier to inform about the Pakistan Army‘s intrusion at LOC in 1999) has been a great learning experience. I also got the opportunity to work in animated series like Pandeyji Pahelwan, Fukrey Boyz, Chhota Support etc. Being a part of different ad videos of renowned MNCs like L&T, Skipper, Siemens etc has given me an enormous learning experience.

You did not restrict yourself to animation only and ventured into other areas like short film making, other audio-visual productions and so on. What prompted you to foray into these new areas?

I guess since the time when I decided what my profession would be, it was always film-making and animation. It has always fascinated me. You get to work on something new and creative every day. It’s not monotonous. Filmmaking or audio visual production not only allow you to showcase your talent but it also gives an opportunity to connect with the audience and put your mind out or convey your message through this modes. Obviously, film-making or the film industry is an entertainment industry but it’s also very important to create great movies or visuals to create awareness among the audience. If it is created in a proper way with proper intentions, it does leave a great impact on people’s mind.

Has this strategy paid off?

Yes, certainly, I got the opportunity to work on certain projects with different news channels, corporate, NGOs and hopefully we have created some awareness in the mind of the people on different things. From bringing the story of Lt. Saurabh Kalia (unsung hero of Kargil war) to documenting Sachin’s last three innings on what people thinks from different genre and different places of the country has been a great experience. It has given be the opportunity to work and collaborate with different writers and creative persons from different field. All in all a great learning experience.

You have been focussing on pure creative works, or commercial works or both?

To be honest, it’s like showcasing the creative work commercially is the best thing. Both are necessary in different ways.

With how many people did you start your entrepreneurial journey and what is your organisation's current headcount?

We started with 7 people in 2014, but by God’s Grace, and hard work, I got the opportunity to create a great creative and passionate team of 37 artists for the time being. Obviously we are looking for more creative team members to join us.

How much of your business/revenue comes from overseas works? Going forward, what would be your thrust-- domestic or overseas works?

To be honest, we have more Indian clients than overseas. The ratio would be 70:30. So the maximum part of the revenue gets generated from Indian clients. Obviously, revenue (in value terms) plays a huge factor and overseas clients have an edge over Indian clients in that part but it’s more important to work with innovative and passionate clients, where you get the opportunity to learn something new every day in different aspects, rather than choosing between Indian and overseas clients.