Applause Entertainment, the content studio from the Aditya Birla Group, led by media veteran Sameer Nair has announced a landmark partnership with Amar Chitra Katha, the undisputed leader in the children’s publishing segment in India. As a part of this collaboration, Applause Entertainment has acquired the license to the Amar Chitra Katha catalogue, comprising 400+ titles which will be developed and produced into animated content. After disrupting the storytelling ecosystem with premium original series, popular book and international format adaptations, this partnership marks Applause Entertainment’s foray into animation taking the rich and varied content archive from Amar Chitra Katha to the global audiences, in a brand new avatar.
Spanning 20 languages, the Amar Chitra Katha library boasts titles across Epics & Mythology, History, Fables & Humor, Bravehearts, Visionaries and ACK Junior. Founded in 1967 by the legendary Anant Pai, Amar Chitra Katha is the pioneer in comic book storytelling for children in India, that has evolved into a cultural phenomenon today. With more than 1.5 million copies sold every year, their comics have secured a niche in the audience’s hearts and minds. In the recent past, Amar Chitra Katha has made great forays in the digital space with all their books having a vibrant global readership through the Amar Chitra Katha app, as well as presence on many other multiple digital platforms such as Alexa, Youtube etc. Furthermore, the company continues to add new titles to its catalogue, with new themes, topics and adapting its iconic art style to endear the brand to a new generation of young readers.
Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said, “At Applause, we only strive to deliver the best in storytelling. Over the last four years, we have significantly pushed the envelope in curating and creating the most disruptive stories for Indian audiences that cut across genres and geographies. Amar Chitra Katha is a household name in India with a diverse and celebrated library which deserves to be retold. Like millions of other people, I have grown up reading these iconic comics and as a child, imagined them with dynamic visuals and dramatic sound & action. This is our opportunity to realize that dream. This partnership is also a small step towards helping export Indian culture by taking a unique and deep rooted cultural brand like Amar Chitra Katha to screens across the globe”
Preeti Vyas, President & CEO, Amar Chitra Katha said, “At Amar Chitra Katha, we have been custodians of India’s stories for over 54 years, and we are thrilled to partner with Applause Entertainment to take our rich storytelling heritage to Indian and global audiences through animation. As the nation’s favourite storyteller, our mission has always been to provide Indian children a route to their roots and inspire in them a great sense of pride about India and being Indian. While we continue to keep our founder, Mr Anant Pai’s dream alive by telling new stories and creating fresh content in print and digital formats, we are also keen on presenting our iconic stories in an animated avtaar. For this, we could not have hoped for a better partner than Applause. We are confident that Sameer Nair and his team, with their passion and superlative track record will do an amazing job adapting our stories to animation and providing the new and future generations of Indians a crucial link to our past.”
Applause Entertainment endeavours to reimagine India’s rich storytelling heritage and bring to life our mythical and real-life heroes in a modern rendition that blends culture with technology. On their fourth anniversary, this announcement reaffirms Applause’s commitment to redefine storytelling across genres and formats.
