KANDY FLOSS
Slowly but surely, animation is getting into Indian mainstream entertainment. High time it did too!
The Ekta Kapoor headed Balaji Telefilms is sporting a CG animated character Kandy in Kandy Floss, its latest entertainment gossip show which airs fridays 11.00 pm on Sony. Kandy plays host along with Archana Puran Singh.
The show features the latest news on the most happening parties, behind-the-scenes news and loads of the juiciest inside dope on some of the biggest stars from Bollywood and Television.
Commenting on what led to the use of an animated character in Kandy Floss, Balaji Telefilms Creative Head Sandiip Sikcand told Animation ‘xpress, “It was Ekta Kapoor’s idea to use an animated character. We wanted to build mystery around Kandy. Another reason we used animation was for novelty value”
Kandy hosts a segment of the show and the CG character will have close to 45 seconds to a minute of visible screen time in every episode.
Popular actor cum VJ Suchitra Pillai has lent her voice to Kandy. “Quite a few voices were tested for Kandy and ultimately I was selected. It is fun recording for a CG character. We will record every week for the following week’s episode as the show is topical” commented Pillai.
“Kandy is one of the most happening and rocking characters in recent times on Television. She is saucy, sexy, bitchy, funny, sweet and warm. She is someone you may love or hate but you can’t ignore” remarked Sikcand.
On being asked to comment on the kids only tag that animation generally is percieved as, Sikcand remarked “I dont think that animation is for kids only, the whole thing is that in the entertainment field we tag things very quickly. Depending on the story and content grown ups enjoy it as much. It is a whole new way of entertainment and I think that soon we will have completely animated saas bahus. Imagine no date problems, no ‘fainting on the sets’ kind of problems”
The CG animation has been done by Mumbai based Artery FX and Animation which had earlier worked on shows like Josh and Saara Akash.
Artery head Yunus Bukhari commented,”Balaji Telefilms is an Institution in itself. They are producing the best serials in the country and have numerous fans the world over. We are grateful to Balaji for making us a part of this project for the character animation job which is very unique”
“Character animation is one of the most difficult processes in animation as it involves creating the finer points like nuances, gestures, distinct movements, and patterns of speech that will make an audience believe that the character is actually alive. Now add to that the Indian saree and hair simulations and it becomes a real challenge both creatively as well as technically” he added.
“Kandy is elegant, stylish and dynamic; we are trying our best to incorporate these features in this character, it is just the beginning and I am sure that she will grow and become one of the best actresses on the Indian small screen” he concluded.
Over the past twelve months one has witnessed Indian animation take great leaps both on original content as well as offshored assignments. Hanuman’s success has led to many Indian mainstream producers announcing CG films. It would be interesting to watch if Kandy can cause the kind of ripples in original Indian long form like Hanuman has done in the Feature Film space.