Leading Animation Studio Cosmos-Maya Secures Deal With Arbaaz Khan Productions For Bollywood Blockbuster DABANGG

Next from Cosmos-Maya is an animated series inspired by Chulbul Pandey; the iconic cop immortalized by Salman Khan in the massively popular Dabangg.

• In a first of its kind animation adaptation of a Bollywood franchise, the lead actor will play his adult character rather than being turned into a child avatar.
• Targeted at a kids and family audience, season one will be produced this year with season two in production in 2021.

Leading India and Singapore-based animation studio Cosmos-Maya has signed a deal with Arbaaz Khan Productions to adapt its Bollywood blockbuster Dabangg franchise into an animated series. Cosmos-Maya is producing two seasons of 52 half hours.

In a first of its kind animation adaptation of a Bollywood franchise, the lead actor will play his adult character rather than being turned into a child avatar.

Targeted at a kids and family audience, season one will be produced this year with season two in production in 2021. 

The three films in the Dabangg franchise have grossed more than INR 7 Billion worldwide making it one the most successful Bollywood franchises of all times. The films have also rated well on TV and Digital platforms. Dabangg garnered an astounding TRP of 9.2 when it was premiered on TV. Salman Khan is one of the most loved celebrities in the world and children are one of the most significant contributors (directly and as influencers) to his box office and TV numbers. The series promises audiences all-out entertainment, and with action-comedy sequences, larger than life characters, and with gadgets straight out of a Bond movie, there is something for everyone.

The series chronicles the day to day life of Police Officer Chulbul Pandey (played by Salman Khan in the films). Backed at each step by his entourage, he stands in the face of evil to keep the city safe. Fighting evil is a tough job but whatever the situation may be, Chulbul always has the time to lighten up the mood with his jokes, limericks, and one-liners. Chulbul is joined by his endearing younger brother Makkhi (played by Arbaaz Khan in the films), who is new in the police force and who keeps trying to emulate him.

The show will feature the animated avatars of all iconic characters of the franchise including the three antagonists Chhedi Singh, Bachcha Bhaiya and Baali, Rajjo (played by Sonakshi Sinha in the films), Prajapati Ji (played by the late Vinod Khanna in the films) and the ‘BhaiyaJi Ismile’ guy.  

Speaking on the development, Arbaaz Khan said “Dabangg’s biggest USP is that it is complete family entertainment and so the next logical step to further grow the franchise was to enter the animation space. The medium offers unparalleled creative freedom with storytelling, and we can focus on shorter standalone stories in lieu of longer, linear narratives. Chulbul’s persona is larger than life and in animation his adventures will be showcased as never seen before. We are very happy to be working with Cosmos-Maya on this glorious franchise which has won the heart of millions. The union has been organic in the sense that the franchise and the studio have both captured the pulse of the Indian masses with entertaining grassroots level storytelling and relatable narratives. Exciting times lie ahead.”

Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya added “We are delighted to be partnering with Arbaaz Khan Productions in this historic merger of Bollywood and Animation. As a trendsetter in the industry, Cosmos-Maya is, for the first time ever, bringing a major Bollywood franchise to animation with the adult protagonist being portrayed as an adult. With more and more content viewing platforms shifting their onus to animation, a medium which can adapt itself beautifully to all narrative formats, people of all ages are becoming more accepting of the medium which has traditionally been associated with kids’ viewing. With never seen before animation quality and responsible, Bollywood inspired storytelling, it will be our endeavor to further extend the reach of this iconic brand so that more kids, teenagers and families are engaged and entertained.”

About Cosmos-Maya
Founded by internationally acclaimed Indian filmmakers Ketan Mehta and Deepa Sahi, Cosmos-Maya is a Singapore and India-based animation company that produces high quality 2D and 3D animated content. KKR backed Emerald Media, a Pan-Asian platform established by the leading global media and entertainment investment firm, acquired a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya in 2018.

The company primarily focuses on creating IP in the kids’ animation space and is presently working on multiple Indian animation TV series with all the major linear & non-linear broadcasters in the territory. As a leading producer with a track record of successful shows, the studio presently has 18 shows on air and 10 in production, including four finished European co-productions, and the fifth and latest one being ‘Galactic Agency’, a co-production with Studio 100. The studio has also stepped into the International Animation Feature Film domain and is co-producing the full-length feature Film ‘Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds’.

Cosmos-Maya has a solid reputation for consistent delivery of popular Indian animated content and has produced an unprecedented 40000 minutes of original animation in the last five years, comprising over 2000 half hour episodes. Cosmos-Maya’s IPs air in more than 150 countries today.

Cosmos-Maya’s bouquet of YouTube channels under the umbrella brand WowKidz is one of the fastest growing kids’ platforms in Asia. These channels cumulatively boast of a subscriber base of over 40 million and total view count of over 20 billion as of March, 2020. In addition to the domestic catalogue, it airs massively popular shows like The Smurfs and Chinese franchise, Boonie Bears, and Little Baby Bum for pre-schoolers.