Rana’s Spirit Media debuts at San Diego Comic-Con; thrilling collaborations in the making
Amar Chitra Katha, one of India’s oldest and most beloved comic book publishers, founded by Anant Pai in 1967, will also make its debut at booth 4237.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 23 July 2023 9:18 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Spirit Media, a new-age entertainment and media firm with significant roots in regional Indian film, made its global premiere at the San Diego Comic-Con 2023 (SDCC 2023), the world’s greatest pop culture extravaganza.
The 2023 Comic-Con International: San Diego in the United States was held from July 20-23.
Since 1970, the San Diego Comic-Con International has been a comic book convention and a non-profit multi-genre entertainment event in San Diego, California. The official name is Comic-Con International: San Diego, although it is more frequently known as Comic Con, San Diego Comic-Con, or SDCC.
With the aim to captivate the imagination of a global audience, Spirit announced a new slate of films, series, comics, and other projects.
“We are thrilled to make our first appearance at Comic-Con, where the spirit of storytelling and fandom converge. We want to captivate audiences all over the world by telling stories that cross boundaries and spark the imagination. Comic-Con is the ideal venue for us to present our vision and interact with the enthusiastic film and comic fans who inspire us,” said Rana Daggubati, founder of Spirit Media.
Amar Chitra Katha, one of India’s oldest and most beloved comic book publishers, founded by Anant Pai in 1967, will also make its debut at booth 4237. Amar Chitra Katha, backed by Rana Daggubati, publishes in over 20 languages and sells 2.5 million copies each year. It also has a global digital presence through its Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle apps.
“Through the timeless tales of India’s great heroes and our popular toon characters, we are bringing the extraordinary legacy of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle to the farthest corners of the world at the Comic-Con stage. Our mission is to provide a transcendent glimpse into the enthralling realm of Indian mythology and storytelling to a global audience through both our legacy and new Amar Chitra Katha comics, which continue to endear themselves to multiple generations of comic book and story lovers across transmedia formats,” said Preeti Vyas, CEO of Amar Chitra Katha.
In the run-up to Comic Con, Spirit Media unveiled some of their upcoming projects:
Hiranyakashyap
One of the films from Spirit Media will be a film inspired by Amar Chitra Katha’s comics about the mythical figure, the mighty demon Hiranyakashyap and his pursuit to break the spirit of Lord Vishnu’s devotees. Rana Daggubati will portray the titular demon king, and the script is being written by acclaimed Indian cinema writer-director Trivikram.
Trivikram acknowledged the project, saying, “I am honoured to share the story of this timeless legend with audiences today. The painstaking process of developing this enthralling story has already begun, and we anxiously anticipate the opportunity to convey this enthusiasm onto the big screen.”
Minnal Murali
Spirit announced their collaboration with Weekend Blockbusters, the makers of the much-loved Malayalam superhero picture Minnal Murali, which debuted on Netflix in 2021 and quickly became an international blockbuster, accumulating more than 25 million hours in its first few weeks. The first collaboration of the two media houses will create a Minnal Murali comic character that will appear in the renowned Indian comic magazine Tinkle.
Weekend Blockbuster co-founder Sophia Paul said, “We’re excited to join forces with Spirit Media, who share our love for the superhero genre. Minnal Murali was a labour of love and devotion, and we’re pleased to bring him to fans in a new comic form.”
Lords of The Deccan
Spirit’s second project in the works is a historical epic action-drama series based on the Indian bestseller “Lords of the Deccan” which promises to be a first-of-its-kind historical drama series.
This series promises to take the viewers back in time to witness the emergence of the Chalukyas, a dynasty that influenced southern India for centuries. Spirit is producing the show in collaboration with Sony LIV.
Sony LIV’s head of content, Saugata Mukherjee said, “Sony LIV believes in bringing great Indian stories to audiences worldwide. In keeping with that, we are commencing on the fascinating path of recreating the history of the historic dynasties of southern India by adapting Anirudh Kanisetti’s acclaimed book Lords of the Deccan. We are overjoyed to be embarking on this adventure with Rana Daggubati. We are all very pleased about delivering these forgotten tales of the beautiful dynasties, the gorgeous regions, the courageous kings, and their numerous conflicts to our global audiences.”
What is Project K?
Spirit was also present at SDCC 2023 to promote the highly anticipated Indian mythology-inspired sci-fi epic Project K and its panel presentation in Hall H. It has joined Project K as its international marketing and distribution partner.
Deepika Padukone and Prabhas’ Project K became the first Indian film to be shown at the San Diego Comic-Con. It was also revealed that the official name of Project K is Kalki 2898 AD.
Spirit is committed to elevating local tales throughout the world through real and fascinating films, series, books, and games that exhibit the richness of Indian narrative.
