In times when releasing even a big ticket film in theatres is a big risk, an animation film, Return of the Jungle, locking its date with cinema halls seems a real dare. But for Emmy- nominated animation creator and director Vaibhav Kumaresh, “Everything is a risk and yet no risk, for we have made this film with labour of love and unyielding passion.”Besides, if the teaser boasts ‘Indian animation like never seen before’, he also believes that Indian audiences have always been ready for animation. Live example is the stupendous success of Mahavatar Narsimha, which did a business of over Rs 300 crores. Mythology can certainly be called the superhero of Indian animation or as Vaibhav put it, “is leading the way.” Yet, he would rather dig into Indian folktales and give it a contemporary spin.Indeed, jungle seemed not just an ideal place to let his imagination run wild, but also is a metaphor for something deeper. He nods, “Jungle is a parallel world, one full of wisdom. Something, which has been missing in our lives and we need it back. Hence the title Return of The Jungle.”Among the many life lessons that his jungle world contains is how children face everyday challenges. But make no mistake, the film about children is not for children alone. Since he first and foremost makes films for himself, he has no target viewers on his mind. His Lamput may have won him an International Emmy nod and many awards, international audiences are never on his radar.Whether Indian animation is on par with global standards, he reminds us of the Indian connect in the 2019 version of The Lion King nominated for Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. A huge team of Indian artists of the Moving Picture Company (MPC) studio in Bengaluru was involved in the film. He says, “In India, there are two kinds of animation ecosystems, one which are like service providers for European and American studios. Then there are people like us and the husband-wife duo, of director Ashwin Kumar and producer Shilpaa Dhawan, behind blockbuster Mahavatar Narsimha who tell Indian stories the Indian way.”Of course, today Indians are using the same tools which the world is using but he also points out how our definition of a good film does not always rest on technical finesse. “The heart is at the core of our filmmaking and touching hearts our endeavour,” opines Vaibhav.An alumnus of National Institute of Design, his alma mater expectedly taught him fundamentals of animation, but more importantly it motivated him to give back to society. So, whatever may have been the challenges en route his first feature film, he and other mad people at Vaibhav Studios decided to put their money where their mouth is.To aspiring animators his advice is, “Get both education and clarity of purpose.” For someone who grew up on a staple diet of Amar Chitrakatha, Asterix and later admiring men like RK Laxman and Mario Miranda, inspiration comes from everyday life too. But passion that fuels motivation is not commonplace.Quote“Animation filmmaking is no different from live action, only in the highly imaginative world of animation, we can tell stories which live action doesn’t.”“AI is an enabler, it’s just now we have an intelligent assistant at hand, chores you don’t like to do you can dump it on AI.”