After grabbing the ASSOCHAM INFOCOM EME AWARD this year in the Best Public Service Film Category for animation short ‘Like Sisters’, Mumbai Based Climb Media has now released a 10 minute animated social short ‘Komal’. Created for Childline India Foundation, this movie instills and boosts confidence in children by sending across a message that they can save themselves from being a victim of sexual abuse.
Animationxpress.com’s Zeenia Boatwala caught up with Nikhil Warwadekar; Line Producer at Climb Media to know more about how interesting and challenging was it to create ‘Komal’
Indeed a wonderful animation short that promises to strengthen a child’s mind, how did you come up with the concept and story line for ‘Komal’?
We took off with a detailed DISCUSSION NOTE on the sensitive subject of Child Sexual abuse (KOMAL), provided to us by Childline India Foundation (CIF). Since CIF deals with this issue on a daily basis, the Discussion Note listed out the prevalent Laws of our country against this crime, under what common circumstances do these crimes occur, how our society deals with & reacts to these issues and what is the desired outcome/impact that is required of the film. Similar discussion notes were provided for each of the films that we created for them- Child Labour (Education Counts), Corporal Punishment (The Rose) and Child Marriage (Like Sisters).
The diverse target audience for this movie are Children, Teachers, Parents and Schools from every corner of India, transcending cultural and regional boundaries; be it metro cities, small towns, villages, rich, poor, education, uneducated, just everybody, the film also had to communicate, build awareness and educate every child and family living in India.
Now came the challenging and the most crucial part of the process- STORIES. We had to develop stories that would communicate all the above expositions, speak to every child in India and not tread into the monotonous, verbose and boring zone. After several rounds of revisions, reviews and re-writing, the story of Komal was born.
It always is a challenge to bring out a story like this in animation format; did you have many story lines in your mind?
Yes, as always the case with all Climb’s productions, the story went through multiple iterations, till we finally had a version that would explicitly communicate the issue with the children, equip them with the right information, educate them so they are not left with a feeling of guilt and shame, but empowered enough to fight and prevent any harm coming to them. At the same time the film had to have a gripping story that was not preachy and verbose. It was a tall order, a challenging and tough task.
What was the vision and approach that you had in mind for creating the short film?
This film is tackling a very sensitive issue and taboo subject in our conservative society. We wanted to keep the style simple, colourful and essentially Indian in its style. Our target group, being Indian children, we had to create a story and design a style, they would relate to. We were very careful not to make it the regular cartoony style, which might take away the seriousness of the issue. The story too had to balance the entertainment value as well as emphatically convey the message of the film and educate the kids about safe and unsafe touch. Children from the remotest villages, as well as the children from the metro cities- the ones who’ve been exposed to the best Hollywood animations, should be able to relate to the characters and the story.
Were the any inspirations for creating this movie?
CIF Team’s passionate and selfless dedication towards the cause of child rights and child safety inspired and influenced Climb Media team
Can we have a credit run down?
The Script and Screenplay has been written by Kireet Khurana along with Prashant Shikare, the Director and Designer of the film. Raviraj Kumbhar as the Colour and Concept artist, Datatre Kumbhar- BG artist, Arvind Shirke- Compositor, Nikhil Warwadekar- Line Producer & Compositor, Vishnu Jhadhav- Animator, Anirudh – Animator, Raviraj Wade- Executive Producer, Akshaya Gangan- Associate Executive Producer and music given by Ashish Jha.
Pre- production is the life line of a short; could you elaborate more on the pre-production process?
Absolutely! After the script and screenplay, the second most important phase of any film-making process is the pre-production. We had to ensure that the basic style, look and feel of all the films in the series on child rights (Child Labour, Child Marriage, Child Education and Child Sexual Abuse) had to belong to the same family. The pre-production took two weeks to complete with carrying out immense research on character development and designing. Unlike most films, in this film our antagonist had to look appealing, kind, trust-worthy and good natured. Similarly, our central character Komal is an intelligent and smart girl. She is also adequately cautious of the new acquaintance. These things can happen to the best of us and this is what we had to emphatically communicate.
Please share more on the look and feel given?
All the films in the series had to look alike. Therefore for this film, we had to stick to the style of our previous three films. The characters and environments had to belong to the same cartoon universe.
Why 2D?
The budget constraints and the target audience of 6-14 years were the factors that made us choose the 2D technique for all the CIF films
Acting for animation must have been a vital aspect for creating the film- Your Views
As this is a performance oriented film, the story and screenplay of this film was performance driven. We have taken references for performance from real life and real people. Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate’s episode covering CIF’s initiatives was a benchmark and reference point for us.
Can you take us through the research carried out?
CIF provided us with firsthand accounts of the incidents they had encountered and dealt with. A specific team dedicated to the cause of Child Abuse, contributed immensely to the film’s communication and treatment. Videos and news articles (Indian and International), were also helpful in conceptualizing stories on each of the issues. Immense amount of research went into designing an appropriate look and feel for films so they can achieve the desired impact.
If you were to highlight the most challenging areas while making this short film, what all would it be?
The story and screenplay was the most crucial and also most challenging area of the film. The character development was the next challenge. Director Prashant Shikare took inspiration from his own daughter, who is initially reserved and cautious when she meets a new person but with little coaxing and time, she gets friendly and comfortable. He also observed his neighbors and environment. Little girls feeding pigeons and watering plants subtly convey how children are instinctively so sensitive and caring and it’s important to protect and preserve this innocence.
On the production front, what were the tweaks or reworking that had to be done?
We had already done our research on production during previous films so our pipeline was set, hence we were very clear about the output quality. However, heavy amount of time was spent on Music and Sound designing.
So did you face any challenges on the animation front?
Yes! To get the right poses, body language and performance that convey the soul of the character and mood of the situation was the most challenging part.
When did the movie release and at which places is it currently playing?
The films were submitted to Childline and they are currently using it during various programs including personal Counseling and events all over the country. This film is going to be one of the most vital pieces of communication for children in India.
We would like to know more about the voice artists for this short?
We hired professional VO artists who have given voice overs for various animated series of Cartoon Network, Pogo etc. To name a few, they were Neshma who lend her voice for the (Childline Didi), along with Prachi Sathi and Vinod Kulkarni.
How has the response for this movie been?
We are getting a great response for these films, with more NGOs approaching us for creating Public Service Films. We enjoyed this journey of learning, enlightenment and creativity and look forward to do more.
Would you like to reveal more on your upcoming releases?
Currently we are working on a few ad films. We are also working on an international project, making a series of 13 public service films. However we cannot reveal the details as of now.
Any Closing Comments
We are very proud of this film. The team themselves has learnt a lot in the entire procedure not only that we explored different styles and worked hard on production but also learnt about the issues children are facing and the realities of the society. We were amazed to see the CIF Team’s involvement and dedication for their work which inspired and influenced Climb Media team.
Nishit Kumar from CHILDLINE India Foundation also shares his views on the movie
How would you define ‘Komal’?
‘KOMAL’ is a film on the issue of Child Sexual Abuse- the first of its kind by CHILDLINE India Foundation. This animated film presents the story of a young girl who is a victim to sexual abuse, like many others in India. Her innocence, naivety and lack of understanding on the subject is a point of serious concern as is her male uncle who ‘grooms’ (to target a child and build a relationship) her into trusting him and keeping his ‘secret’.
What would you highlight as the most crucial aspects of this film?
Many underlying concepts related to the sexual abuse of a child are brought to light through this film. The film also focuses on the concepts of safe touch, unsafe touch and personal safety rules, making it easier for a child to understand and act in similar circumstances. The film also addresses the gap in parental articulation to their children about the issue and presents a simple communication technique to sensitize children. A lot of uncertainty, doubt and questions that arise in a child’s mind are addressed through this film too. In a nutshell, this film deals with the pertinent issue of CSA very delicately, yet acknowledging the need to speak to children about the risk at hand.
We would like to hear your comments on the work done by Climb Media?
While the CHILDLINE team developed the concept in consultation with psychologists and Counselors, the credit for this brilliantly and eloquently executed film goes entirely to the team of Climb Media. We’d like to whole heartedly thank Kireet Khurana and his team, who effortlessly simplified the nuanced subject of CSA, made the film an aesthetic delight and most importantly helped us in our efforts to empower millions of children across India.
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