Graphic India and Disney Channel India announced today that legendary icon, Amitabh Bachchan, loved by millions of fans around the world, will start production on a 52-episode animated series, “Astra Force.” The series created by Mr. Bachchan and Graphic India, CEO, Sharad Devarajan is slated to air on Disney Channel India in 2017.
“I am truly excited to be collaborating with my friends Sharad Devarajan at Graphic India and Sid Roy Kapur at Disney to launch this exciting new superhero series, ‘Astra Force,’” said Amitabh Bachchan. “In the same way animation from other markets has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide, it’s now India’s time to create new heroes and animated shows to spark the imaginations of children all across the world.”
A funny and fast-paced, action-adventure series, filled with laughs and thrills, “Astra Force” tells the story of a mythical hero from a distant world, who was stranded on Earth millions of years ago after an epic space battle.
When 8-year old brother and sister twins accidentally awaken the mythical superhero from his long hibernation, they must teach him about our modern world and join Astra to save the universe from a new wave of giant monsters and intergalactic threats. If monsters weren’t enough, Astra’s new young friends also have to hide the superhero from their parents and deal with Astra’s insatiable hunger for modern desserts after an eternity spent in hibernation.
“At Disney, we believe in showcasing great stories with compelling characters that are loved by our audiences. It is imperative to get the local texture right for any story to resonate and emotionally connect with the viewers. With Mr. Bachchan associating with Graphics India and Disney Channel India on ‘Astra Force,’ we will be bringing an interesting facet to storytelling in the local animation space,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, Disney India.
“Amitabh Bachchan is a real life superhero to millions, including myself, so it’s no surprise that he is the perfect person to become immortalized in this new animated avatar,” added Sharad Devarajan, Graphic’s Co-Founder & CEO. “The opportunity to collaborate with Mr. Bachchan on ‘Astra Force’ is made that much stronger by partnering with Disney, a company whose creativity and storytelling I have admired all my life.”
Disney Channel India has been entertaining kids and families through a range of locally relevant stories spread across high-quality animation and live-action series. “Astra Force” will be the perfect complement to the line-up of existing shows.
Devarajan is the Producer on “Astra Force” along with Jeevan J. Kang, SVP Creative at Graphic India, who is overseeing visual development, character design and art for the project. Graphic’s previous animated superhero, Chakra The Invincible, was created with Stan Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Avengers) and received over 30 million views globally on Rovio’s ToonsTV platform available through the Angry Birds app.
In addition to the partnership with Disney Channel India, Graphic India will also be launching the character in a series of digital and print comic books available through a special Facebook comic app through Mr. Bachchan’s large social media following.
