Ashwin Kumar really knows what he is doing. Director back Mahavatar NarasimhaThe upcoming animated epic which kicks the most ambitious mythological film franchise in India till date is steering in an unknown field on technical, commercial and cultural fronts. “In any way it is not the best animation in the world,” he says. “But this is a step for India and we have to improve it.”
Ashwin and Claim Productions are laying groundwork for their team of animators Mahavatar Cinematic UniverseA seven-film saga connects the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. with Mahavatar Narasimha Dramatically releasing on 25 July – in 3D and five Indian languages – this is a statement of intentions and a litmus test for India’s dormant animation industry may increase if he learns to return his stories.
“There is a lot of anxiety, depression and conflict,” says Ashwin. “We need a spiritual anchor. And for him the right deity is Lord Narasimha.” Initially in 2008, a fleeing conversation between friends, his vision has been developed in a huge cinematic mission since then. But it was not until years later, equipped with strong belief and cooperation, that Ashwin began to build a pipeline from a team and scratch.
Instead of a standalone project, he chose the format of a cinematic universe to reflect large arcs in ten avatars of a decade, spreading into segments of a decade value – – – Mahavatar Narasimha (2025), Mahavatar Parashuram (2027), Mahavatar Raghunandan (2029), Mahavatar Dwarkadhish (2031), Mahavatar Gokulanand (2033), Mahavatar Kalki Part 1 (2035), and Mahavatar Kalki Part 2 (2037).
‘Mahavatar Narasimha’ Director Ashwin Kumar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Whereas Mahavatar Narasimha Essentially compared with the Western animation powerhouse, Ashwin focuses on taking out a specific Indian idiom. One like China T Jha 2 Or Pakistan GlassworkerYou can avoid mimicry and find its roots in indigenous story. “We should stick to our story, stick to our roots,” they say. “All fundamentalists are already present here, and they have been taken out of the world by us.”
Movies like Jiaozy T Jha 2 It has already proved that culturally anchor stories described through local aesthetics can not only be transferred to the audience, but can also kill at the global box office. Meanwhile, Usman Riyaz’s Glassworker It is displayed how intimate hand -prepared animation can become a cultural milestone. And so, the goal for Ashwin is not a technical equality with the West, but a sense of spiritual clarity. “We should inherit the standards of the west of quality, and perhaps even further,” he said.
The basic belief of his vision is that India deserves world -class animation and is fully capable of making it on its own terms. “We have a lot of talent,” they say. “But we do not have a principle animation industry like Japan, the United States, Korea or China. And this is the time when we move.”
But it is also cognitive about the boundaries of Indian animators. “They are very much served in an outsourced manner, and do not believe in their indigenous stories” they say. “Taking the plow into your own hands is what Indian animation really needs to do.” The effort of spiritual retailing spiritual retailing described through a blockbuster rapping is a counter -moment and a commercial gambling.
One of Ashwin’s boulder decisions was selecting a realistic 3D style for the franchise, which could cut age groups and geography in a niche 2D visuals. “It must be accepted to revive Indian animation and need to embrace N Masss. To do something, it requires love and verification at the country level,” they explain. “We had to break that stereotype because this industry and this land really need it now.” Realism, they believe, anchor the emotional and spiritual stakes of the story.
A poster for ‘Mahavatar Narasimha’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Technically, the film is placed together through a combination of industry standards and open-source simplicity. Ashwin initially used a blender-free-to-use software that was designed to produce last year’s Oscar winner Latvian Indi, Flow, but struggled to find trained artists. Eventually, animation was executed in Maya, effects in Hudini, and everything was presented back to the blender and composed in Newcomes. “We had to tailor the pipeline,” they say. “And by the next film, we will have more open-source software to reduce costs. Maybe also integrate AI tools for rapid production.”
This piece, problem-solution approach has become a defined characteristic Mahavatar NarasimhaProduction of Ashwin named some early colleagues – her producer Shilpa Dhawan, and the studio behind KGF, Salaar and KantaraHomebell Films – who helped preserve the project during two Kovid waves and beyond. “They believed that this could happen. It really means a lot to me.”
As someone came into animation through theater, choreography, music and story, Ashwin has credited his spiritual journey as a thread that combines it together. “I have been in art throughout life,” they say. “But I think it all came down for an Epipheni – my spiritual awakening. It appeared in what we are seeing today.”
So what does success look? Ashwin is more interested in how the film can echo culturally how it performs at the box office. “I want people to see Prahlada’s surprised faith,” they say. “To take a quota with them in his life.”
It is telling its taste. His favorite Indian animation? Repended 1993 Indo-Japanese Ramayana“This is an epic in my mind.” From the west, this is the original 1994 Lion king It left its mark. And beyond that, he makes the creed-classic of Kentaro Miyura. fearless“One of my favorite of all my time,” he says.
Despite the challenges of building a team, a pipeline, and a belief, Ashwin seems pleasant uncontrolled. Whatever it is, the back ambition Mahavatar The universe seems almost stimulating. Can Indian animation eventually tell its stories on its own scale, with their own myths grandeur?
“This has never been done before,” they say. “But Bharat is the place that does it.”
Mahavatar Narasimha hit theaters on 25 July
Published – July 17, 2025 03:35 pm IST
