Entertainment

Punyakoti, India’s very own animated Sanskrit film, is now streaming on Netflix

Movie-going, as a community-centric activity, has unfortunately been stalled along with several other activities due to the coronavirus pandemic. With evolving technologies, film producers have actively sought out OTT platforms over the past few weeks to entertain us. One such animated film has been making the right noise for breaking quite a few barriers. Punyakoti is India’s first crowd-funded animation film, made completely in Sanskrit. Cherry on top? It has music maestro Ilaiyaraaja scoring the soundtrack and veteran actress Revathi lending her voice to the lead character – Punyakoti.

Speaking about the Sanskrit film to Yo! Vizag, director Ravishankar, an ex-Infosys employee said, “I knew very little about Sanskrit growing up. That changed when I attended a ten-day Sanskrit Workshop organised by my employers. If Sanskrit took birth in any other country, they would have honoured it as their pride. Unfortunately in India, the significance of Sanskrit is lost on us. Punyakoti was a story I wrote for my daughter as part of the workshop. That story, based on Kannada folklore music about a truth-speaking cow, was the basis for my film.”

Though the idea was noble, there were no takers willing to back Punyakoti financially. “Because I couldn’t find a confident producer, I took the crowd-funding route on the advice of my colleague and am glad I did so. Punyakoti holds the honour of being the largest crowd-funded animated movie in India. We ran two campaigns in 2015 and 2018 that raised 77 lakhs for the movie,” shares the director of Punyakoti.

Punyakoti has won accolades at international film festivals for its rich storytelling. While the film is currently available on Netflix, the filmmakers aim to reach a wider audience and have partnered with BookMyShow for an online screening of their movie. Much like an online live streaming event, the viewers would receive a unique link once tickets are purchased. Punyakoti is up for online shows starting from 11 July 2020. “The onus lies on us, Indian cine-lovers to promote Punyakoti. Sanskrit is India’s rich culture and heritage that we must be incredibly proud of, and preserve through endeavours like these,” says filmmaker Ravishankar signing off.

Punyakoti Trailer:

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

India’s largest convention centre will come up in Visakhapatnam: Nara Lokesh

During the AP Assembly session on 21 November 2024, IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh…

56 mins ago

2nd Infosys campus to new data units: Lokesh shares 5 key IT developments in Visakhapatnam

Andhra Pradesh's IT and HRD Minister, Nara Lokesh, has revealed a series of exciting IT…

2 hours ago

Badamgir Sai passes away

Noted stage artiste and founder of Rangasai Nataka Sangam and Rangasai Nataka Grandhalayam, AVVS Murthy,…

3 hours ago

What Are The New Releases on OTT Today? Here’s What to Add to Your Watchlist

A slew of fresh and exciting OTT releases are dropping today, promising a binge-worthy lineup…

18 hours ago

Hot & Hearty: The best soups in Visakhapatnam that complements this weather!

With the weather taking a turn these past couple of days, it’s like Visakhapatnam has…

19 hours ago

Plan a trip from Vizag to these 5 skiing destinations in India this winter

Dreaming of swishing down powdery white slopes with crisp mountain air in your lungs? While…

19 hours ago