Graphic India
Exclusive: An India first: For the first time, an animated show has bagged the top two spots in the Hindi viewing charts on Disney+ Hotstar’s viewership charts.
According to an exclusive data estimate from Ormax Media, between June 3 and June 9, “Hanuman Season 4” and “Baahubali 2: Blood Throne” held the first and second spots. This is unprecedented, especially in a country dominated by live-action shows and Bollywood movies. Additionally, both shows are targeted towards Indian adults in a market where animation is generally a kid-oriented genre.
Sharad Devarajan, founder and president of Graphic India, who serves as co-creator, producer and showrunner for both shows, said: “For the past 20 years, my mission has been to recruit, train and present incredible Indian artists, writers, creators and disruptors at our studio, with a defining mission: to transform the perception of India in animation from ‘outsourcer’ to ‘source’, creating uniquely Indian stories, heroes and characters that inspire the imagination of audiences in India and around the world. That is the goal of our company and what drives me in life. The renaissance of Indian animation pop culture has only just begun.”
“Legend of Hanuman” has topped the streaming charts for all three of its past seasons, making it the first animated series to do so. Season 4 premiered on June 5 and reached the top spot by June 7. Devarajan produced the show along with Jeevan J. Kang.
The show depicts the story of Lord Mahadev (Lord Shiva) reincarnated as Hanuman in the service of Rama and how Hanuman transforms from a mighty warrior into a god, becoming a ray of hope in the midst of dire darkness.
According to Ormax Media, season four garnered 6.1 million views just one week after its release. The previous season, which premiered in January, garnered 11.4 million viewers in the three weeks after its release and is estimated to have 3.4 million viewers in its first week. Season four is seeing even higher viewership numbers.
Released on May 17, Baahubali: The Crown of Blood is a 2D animated show from RRR director SS Rajamouli and Devarajan. Rajamouli, Devarajan and Shobhu Yarlagadda are producing Devarajan’s story. Graphic India’s Kang and Navin John are producing and directing. It is based on the world of Baahubali that Rajamouli created in 2015 with Baahubali: The Beginning.
Ormax estimated that Baahubali 2: The Crowned Blood attracted 11 million viewers in its first three weeks of release.
Rajamouli had previously said, “The world of Baahubali is vast and the film series was the perfect introduction to it. But there is so much more to explore and that’s where ‘Baahubali 3: Blood and Blood’ comes in. Arka Mediaworks and I are thrilled to collaborate with Sharad Devarajan, Disney+ Hotstar and Graphic India to reinvent Indian animation for not just kids but a wider audience.”
Ormax estimates viewership from data collected through weekly surveys, and with viewership data being nearly impossible to come by for Indian streaming, Ormax has emerged as perhaps the most trusted independent ratings provider.
At this year’s Annecy conference, Graphic India announced its aggressive commitment to theatrical animation with a number of projects in development. We recently announced Cinnamon, an English language animated film by writer and creator Neil Gaiman. Based on a short story by Gaiman about an Indian princess and a talking tiger’s journey through a fantastical jungle, the screenplay is being adapted by the writer along with Devarajan, Sareena Khan and Sujata SV. Khan will direct.
