Rajiv Chilaka | |
---|---|
Education | Osmania University, Hyderabad, India |
Alma mater | Hyderabad Public School, University of Missouri – Kansas City |
Occupation | Creator & director of animated tv & film |
Organization | Green Gold |
Notable work | Chhota Bheem |
Website | greengold |
Rajiv Chilaka also known as Rajiv Chilakalapudi and Sitarama Rajiv Chilakalapudi is the founder and CEO of Hyderabad-based Green Gold Animations and the creator of a few cartoons including Krishna cartoon series and Chhota Bheem which has now been made into an animated series and films. [1] For his work in presenting cartoons at affordable price, Chilaka was conferred with an honorary doctorate of humane letters by the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in 2016. [2] [3] He was the recipient of the 2013 School of Computing and Engineering Alumni Achievement Award at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. [4]
Chilaka went to Hyderabad Public School (The Hyderabad Public School, Ramanthapur).[ citation needed ] He received his BE in Electronics and Telecommunications engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad in 1995 and went on to the University of Missouri - Kansas City for his master's degree in Computer Science.
He started working as a software engineer in Kansas City for three years, but in 2000 he switched courses to study animation at the Academy of Art University, [5] San Francisco. He has an elder brother, Srinivas Chilaka, who helps him in running Greengold. [6] [7] Chilaka is the youngest son of noted technocrat Madhusudan Rao Chilaka and Ms. Chilaka.
The magazine Businessworld named Rajiv Chilaka's company Green Gold Animations and Gamitronics as two of the top ten companies in India for making visual content in 2023. [8]
In January 2001, Chilaka set up Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd. According to a report in the Indian newspaper, The Hindu it is now "perhaps the largest animation production company in India that caters primarily to children." [6]
His first break came in 2004 with the animation series Bongo about an alien who lands on Earth. That led to Vikram Betal, an 80-minute 2D animation on the Cartoon Network in 2005. Chilaka and his team made a series of four animated telefilms on the life of Krishna for the Cartoon Network, before its sister channel Pogo agreed to air their next project Chhota Bheem in 2008. In various interviews Chilaka has shared that were it not for the windfall his company made from Bheem, he and his Greengold would still be in the 'hand to mouth' stage like hundreds perhaps even thousands of other animation companies. According to Chilaka, a few episodes into the telecast of Chhota Bheem, Pogo TV told him that due to the losses suffered the channel can no longer remain in air. But such was the great success in the very next episodes that Pogo continued with content. Chhota Bheem changed everything. [9]
Chilaka has told Wikipedia teams that he devised the concept of an Indian historically mythological hero, Chhota Bheem in 2005. During the first three years of the series Bheem was 'if not out-rightly presented at least allowed to be thought of' as a reincarnation of legendary warrior prince Bhima from Mahabharata but later on the concept itself was modified to make the village of Dholakpur and its inhabitants more contemporary showing episodes featuring things as disparate and modern as Bollywood, trains, air-crafts etc. to emphasise the change. The first episode aired on 6 April 2008. As of 2012, more than 130 episodes have been telecast in English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil on the Pogo TV. [1] These have been accompanied by more than 10 Chhota Bheem television movies also on Pogo. It has been ranked as the most popular television character among children of 2012 by Ormax Media's Small Wonders. [9]
In 2012, the feature film Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan written by Richa Ingle Deo and Seeta was released. It is considered to be the first Indian home-grown TV series to be made into a feature film. [1] By November 2012, the movie had grossed 50 million Rupees at the box office. [9]
In January 2016, the feature film Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure written by Teja Pratap and Chilaka was released. The film was directed by Rajiv Chilaka and Rusauro B. Adorable.
On 10 May 2019, another feature film titled Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka was released. The film's music was composed by Sunidhi Chauhan and the film was distributed by Yash Raj Films. The film just like the previous ones was directed and produced by Rajiv Chilaka. This was the first film to be released in both 2D and 3D formats.
The following series have been created by Green Gold Animations
Original Run | Series | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004–2006 | Bongo | DD National | |
2006–2007 | Krishna | Cartoon Network | 4 part serialised film |
2008–present | Chhota Bheem | Pogo | |
2008–2010 | Krishna and Balram | Cartoon Network | |
2009–2012 | Chorr Police | Disney XD India | |
2011–present | Mighty Raju | Pogo | First spin-off of Chhota Bheem series |
2012–2014 | Luv Kushh | Disney XD | Series now in syndication on Discovery Kids India since 2015 |
2014–2016 | Arjun - Prince of Bali | Disney Channel India | Spin off of 2013 film Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali Second spin-off of Chhota Bheem series Reruns also aired on Disney XD in 2017 |
2017–present | Super Bheem | Pogo | Third spin-off of Chhota Bheem series |
Kalari Kids [10] | Amazon Prime Video | ||
2018–present | Kicko & Super Speedo | Sony Yay | [11] |
Rudra: Boom Chik Chik Boom | Nickelodeon India | [12] | |
2019–present | Mighty Little Bheem | Netflix | Fourth spin-off of Chhota Bheem series [13] |
2021–present | Chhota Bheem: Adventures in Singapore | Voot Kids | Fifth spin-off of Chhota Bheem series. |
2022–present | Bheem in the city | Pogo | Sixth spin-off of Chhota Bheem series and the follow-up mini series of the 2020 Chhota Bheem film Bheem in the city |
The merchandising accompanying the popularity of the Chhota Bheem series has produced a range over 500 products such as DVDs, T-shirts, bedsheets, ceiling fans which are available at 20 Green Gold Stores across India as well as on-line games, comics and carnivals. [9]
Chilaka, who directs each episode of the TV series and directed the movie, claims "the show has worked across demographics" by not being tied to a specific location in India and "it's followed equally by boys and girls." [1] [9]
A vetala is a class of beings in Hindu mythology. They are usually defined as a knowledgeable paranormal entity said to be dwelling at charnel grounds. The vetala is comparable to the vampires of Western mythology. Reanimated corpses are used as vehicles by these spirits for movement. A vetala may possess and leave a dead body at will.
Pogo is an Indian cable and satellite television channel owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery India under its International division, as part of Cartoon Network India as the network's sister channel. It was launched on 1 January 2004. Broadcasting primarily animated and live action programming.
Cartoon Network is an Indian cable and satellite television channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery under its international division. The channel is the Indian equivalent to the original American network and was launched on 1 May 1995 as the first television network in India dedicated to children. The channel primarily airs animated programming in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
The Indian Animation Industry encompasses traditional 2D animation, 3D animation and visual effects for feature films. In 1956, Disney Studios animator Clair Weeks, who had worked on Bambi, was invited to Films Division of India in Mumbai to establish and train the country's first animation studio as part of the American technical co-operation mission. He trained a core group of Indian animators, whose first production was a film called The Banyan Deer (1957). Veteran animator Ram Mohan started his career at Films Division's Cartoon Unit.
Chhota Bheem is an Indian animated comedy adventure television series, created by Green Gold Animations based in Hyderabad. This show is available in English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Bheem is a brave, strong and intelligent young boy. He often manages to solve everyone's problems which endears him to the townspeople of Dholakpur.
Mondo TV is an Italian production and television distribution company. Founded by Orlando Corradi in 1985 and based in Rome, Mondo TV is a public company, quoted on the STAR segment of the Italian main stock exchange, Borsa Italiana.
Chorr Police is an Indian animated television series that aired on Disney XD (India). As the title suggests, it is about a thief and a policeman. The show is available in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Chhota Bheem & Ganesh is an Indian animated movie featuring Bheem, the star of the Indian television cartoon program Chhota Bheem, and Ganesh, the star of the program Bal Ganesh. It was the second movie of the Chhota Bheem movie series. Its runtime is 22 minutes.
Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan is a 2012 Indian computer-animated fantasy action adventure film written and directed by Rajiv Chilaka, based on the character Chhota Bheem and his friends. It is the eleventh movie in the Chhota Bheem film series and the first movie to be released in theatres. The film was made under the Green Gold Animation banner in association with INOX Cinemas and distributed by PVR Pictures worldwide.
Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali is a 2013 Indian animated film written and directed by Rajiv Chilaka and produced by Chilaka and Samir Jain. The film is based on the Indian animated series Chhota Bheem. It is the sixteenth instalment in the Chhota Bheem film series and the second film in the series to be released directly to movie theatres. Distributed by Yash Raj Films, it was released in four different languages. It received mixed reviews. This movie had its television premiere on Hungama TV on July 17, 2013, was released in the United States on February 1, 2014, and was shown on Pogo TV on January 30, 2021. It was voted best animated feature film of 2013 by IBNLive.
Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd, is a Hyderabad-based Indian Animation company, with offices in India, Singapore, Philippines and the United States. It is known for creating the Chhota Bheem television series and the Krishna film series. Green Gold Animation was founded by Rajiv Chilaka in January 2001.
Oddbods is a Singaporean computer-animated comedy television series produced by One Animation. The series centers on seven characters—Bubbles, Pogo, Newt, Jeff, Slick, Fuse and Zee—wearing furry suits of different colors. The characters make sounds but there is no dialogue, making the series easily translatable and international.
Arjun – Prince of Bali is an Indian animated television series produced by Green Gold Animation. It premiered on 1 June 2014 on Disney Channel India. It is a spin-off of the show Chhota Bheem. The main character of the show, Arjun, was first featured in the film Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali. The show features the adventures of Arjun, the prince of Bali.
Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka is a 2019 Indian martial arts film written and directed by Rajiv Chilaka. The film is based on the characters Chhota Bheem and his friends. This is the 4th theatrical film of Chhota Bheem. The film was distributed by Yash Raj Films and was released in Hindi and English in 2D and 3D version.
Mighty Little Bheem is a computer animated children's television series, Netflix's first animated series from India and the fourth spin-off of the Chhota Bheem series, following Mighty Raju, Arjun - Prince of Bali and Super Bheem. It follows an innocent but super-strong toddler, Little Bheem, on his mischievous adventures in a small Indian town. The toddler is a baby version of the mythological-inspired 9-year-old character from the popular Indian series action comedy animated series Chhota Bheem which has aired on Turner Broadcasting's Pogo TV channel from 2008.
Ekans - Snakes Awake also known as Ekans - Ek Se Badhkar Snake or simply Ekans is an Indian sci-fi superhero computer-animated series produced by Hi-Tech Animation for Cartoon Network (India). The series centers around 13-year-old Ekans, whose name spelled backward would be "S, N, A, K, E". He has the ability to control snakes in form of robots and can also tackle real ones as well.