This is a screenshot from a TV advertisement which won the ‘Holland Animation Film Festival Award in 2009’, directed by Suresh Eriyat. Not only did I enjoy the style of this advert, it showcased typical gestures from South Asian cultures. This advert is a taster of the output from modern South Asian animators who are consistently delving into their culture to bring new perspectives.
Chand, D., 1764. Ashraf ‘Ali Khan. [Watercolour on Paper]. Chand, D., 1764. Mutuby, mistress of Ashraf ‘Ali Khan. [Watercolour on Paper].
For instance, this animation displays similar attributes to Indian folk art and more specifically, Bihari paintings. My thoughts are that, Suresh Eriyat wanted to reference the origins of Indian art and culture through this animation. For me, the Sulekha advert embraced various features of Chand’s watercolour paintings, which are displayed above. Chand’s muted colour palette and use of continuous horizon is translated effortlessly in Eriyat’s animated advert.
Looking at Ranade’s work, gestures come into play. The use of leather puppetry pays homage to the traditional forms of Indian animation. Like most modern Indian animators, they bring an element of culture and strategic movement. From researching this, I would like to study how body language and gestures can be synonymous with culture.
‘It is a very powerful medium. It is a very unrestricted medium, it doesn’t have any particular format you need to follow. You can tell any story, you can tell it any which way. You can do abstract things, you can do realistic things you can do all kinds of take offs. For me, that power was very interesting.’
Ranade, 2015