Sangeeta Tanwar
Media

CN and Pogo's new shows revel in Indian mythology and folk tales

Kumb Karan, a home-grown Indian animation, will be aired on Pogo on June 06, at 10:30 AM

Turner International India, the broadcaster of kids' channels, Cartoon Network (CN) and Pogo, is all set to launch new programmes to entertain kids during the summer holidays.

Taking forward the theme of Indian animation, the network is rolling out a show titled Kumb Karan; and two movies, namely, Krish Trish and Baltiboy 1 and 2.

Kumb Karan is a home-grown Indian animation, which will air on Pogo on June 06, at 10:30 AM. The weekly show has been conceptualised and produced by Turner, and mounted by Cornerstone.

The 13-part series is a humour-laced tale of two twins and their adventures. Incidentally, the protagonist has been named after the legendary warrior, Karan in the Mahabharata.

CN and Pogo's new shows revel in Indian mythology and folk tales
Talking about the new shows and the appeal of Indian animation, Krishna Desai, director programming, South Asia, Turner International India, says, "Indian animation consists of content, whose storyline, characters or settings resonate with the Indian audience. One of our flagship properties, Chhota Bheem turned out to be a big hit with the audience. It encouraged us to further take forward the concept of 'Desi Toons', and create more intellectual properties (IP) for the network."

Desai terms Indian mythology as the "low-hanging fruit", which serves as a rich source of inspiration for crafting fresh stories and characters.

Krish Trish and Baltiboy 1 and 2 have been acquired by Turner International India from Children's Film Society of India. The movies have three 'sutradhars' (narrators), introducing kids to fables from regions such as Punjab and Rajasthan.

With the aim of reaching out to the maximum number of kids, the movies will be simulcast on CN and Pogo on June 06 at 11 AM. Later, the movies will be showcased on one of the two platforms.

As far as the promotion of the new shows is concerned, Turner International India is currently focussing on on-air promotions alone. The reasoning is that since it's summer holidays; the best place to find kids is at their homes. However, the broadcaster plans to launch show-specific merchandise and games to hook kids to the shows and the new characters.

Desai shares that over the last 10 years or so, Turner International India has been steadily increasing Indian animation content on its network. In 2001, it had only one Indian animation title. At present Turner International India claims to have a library consisting of 40 plus locally created animated titles.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com