Why is Chhota Bheem such a hit with millions of kids, and even some adults? Rajiv Chilaka may not have the answer but he can’t be more happy. The founder and CEO of Green Gold Animation, the creators of Chhota Bheem, Chilaka is the man who conceived India’s answer to Mickey Mouse. 

“Walt Disney inspired me to get into animation,” says the 40-year-old Hyderabadi. It was a coincidence that he went for higher education to the University of Missouri in Kansas City where his idol spent the early years of his career. “Walt Disney had designed the logo of our university long before he created Mickey Mouse. I read up where he would spend time in the city and frequented those places.” The connection Chilaka felt to Disney made him quit everything after completing his masters in computer science and get into animation. “It’s mind-boggling what he has achieved in an age when there was so little technology. If I can do 10 per cent of what he did, I would be more than satisfied.”

The greatest compliment Chilaka received was when a friend’s son, on being introduced as the uncle who made Chhota Bheem, asked him how he managed to give the little laddoo-powered hero his internal organs like heart and lungs. “Children actually believe that Chhota Bheem exists!” says Chilaka. And he does, in Chilaka’s dreams. “I often have dreams featuring Bheem and myself where I would be telling him not to go too near the well while playing or he is throwing the ball to me to catch. He is there for me somewhere.” 

The beginning
Like any doting parent, Chilaka remembers the day when Chhota Bheem was born. “That was September 18, 2003, when the idea and the concept were finalised.”

But the world got to meet Bheem only on April 6, 2008, when the first episode was beamed on Pogo. “Initially we were either getting rejected or getting offers which were so bad that accepting them would have been suicidal for our fledgling company. So we waited for the TV industry to mature while we worked on improvements,” Chilaka says.

In those days, children’s TV was ruled by foreign content and the only Indian animated show to have seen light of day then was The Adventures of Tenali Raman, that also for barely 13 episodes, in 2003. 

Once Chhota Bheem was acquired by Turner International for Pogo, the first season continued for 52 episodes, a record on Indian television. 

Some months after Chhota Bheem went on air, Green Gold set up a booth at a charity event in Hyderabad where the company is based. “We were not sure of what the response would be. So we kept a few mugs and T-shirts and 500 copies of the only comic book we had brought out then (Where is Bheem). But the kids went crazy. Even the smallest ones who couldn’t read were making parents buy them a copy. By 4pm, we were sold out!” Chilaka recalls.

M for merchandise
It took Green Gold three to four years to build a licencing and merchandising company. They started with a 200sq ft store room; now they have 40,000sq ft area overflowing with toys and accessories, stationery, home decor, apparel, books and home videos. Add to that another 5,000sq ft in other cities. 

“Apparel and toys are our strongest segments. Stationery comes next, followed by comics,” says Samir Jain, COO and executive director of Green Gold Animation. The merchandising section does business worth Rs 100 crore annually. “We are exporting to Indonesia and Malaysia. We have a kiosk at Changi airport (in Singapore). And we have distributors in the UAE and Dubai who procure our products,” Jain adds.

The last film — Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure — with Chhota Bheem in a new look has given a fillip to the merchandise. “We are launching fresh action figures, school bags, apparel…. Prototypes of the beautiful sword belonging to the villain Hidimbak are in the works. We’ll also launch bow-arrow sets.”

The journey so far
In the first season, the story had all the core characters around Bheem — Chutki, Kalia, Dholu-Bholu, king Indravarma, his daughter Indumati and Chutki’s mother Tuntun Mausi. Kalia’s character had dark shades, “but kids loved him and wanted him to be on Bheem’s side. So in Season 2, we changed him to a character who is competitive and keen to win,” says Chilaka. 

Also, Chutki did not have much of a role in the first four-five episodes. That did not go down well with the girls. “My niece complained that Bheem does everything all by himself,” Chilaka laughs. Now Chutki comes up with ideas and Bheem does the execution. Another demand from Bheem’s female fans was having Chutki beat up the bull-headed Kalia, whose actions often get Bheem into trouble. “We had one episode where that happened.”

If all the action in the first season took place in Dholakpur, Season 2 introduced the naughty Keechak and his gang from the neighbouring village Pehlwanpur. Other characters like Bheem’s cousin Shivani also got added. 

Another breakthrough was bringing Krishna and Chhota Bheem together in a telefilm in 2009. It was in one such film that the ace villain Kirmada appeared and took over the Dholakpur kingdom. “The Krishna-Bheem combination is so successful that every year we do five-six telefilms on the duo,” says Chilaka.

Lots of mothers, Chilaka says, are asking that Chhota Bheem be sent to school and made to do homework like regular boys. “But we want to keep him as timeless as he is. Rather, we have gone modern with Raju.” Bheem’s sidekick stars in his own series called Mighty Raju. He even had a screen outing last year with the film Mighty Raju: Rio Calling.

Bheem & Bollywood
What connects Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Hrithik Roshan? They have all come to Dholakpur as part of their films’ cross-promotion exercises. 

“Earlier we used to approach Bollywood. Now they take the initiative,” says Krishna Desai, Turner International India executive director and network head, kids entertainment, on behalf of the show’s broadcaster Pogo. “When such an episode is planned, our brief to the creative team is to capture the essence of the movie and make it resonate with the DNA of the character.”

“Whenever we do brand health study surveys across TV as a medium, Chhota Bheem consistently shows up among children’s most favourite icons alongside Bollywood and cricket stars. The show’s impact is huge in the kids’ mindspace. Chhota Bheem is a beacon of hope for the Indian animation industry,” Desai sums up.

Durga in Dholakpur
Even if the official Dholakpur takes time to come through, kids in Calcutta have set feet in the magic village not once but twice during Durga Puja.

In 2012, he was at a pandal near Burrabazar, teaching children the importance of environment conservation. Chhota Bheem returned in 2014 at Tollygunge Purbachal Club in Regent Park where his assistant Chutki was tasked with defeating the bully Kalia, who symbolised the demon Mahishasura. The pandal had brought Dholakpur alive, right down to Tuntun Mausi’s laddoo stall at the gate. 

The road ahead
A Chhota Bheem musical was staged last November in Delhi. “All nine shows over three days went housefull,” recalls Jain. “Now that we have cracked the musical format, we are planning a bigger show for Mumbai or Delhi.” 

Will Chhota Bheem finally give kids a Dholakpur to visit like Mickey and Donald have Disneyland? 

“At some point, there will be but we won’t copy an idea,” says Chilaka.

Why is Chhota Bheem your hero? Tell t2@abp.in