One of the many characters we have grown up watching is Chacha Chaudhary. The character, over the years, has lived and grown with us. Many generations which grew up from the 70s to 2000s have known the character, especially the ones who are 25+ today. While the character has entertained us, we have learned a lot too.
Toonz Animation Media Pvt. Ltd. and Brandmonk Licensing Pvt. Ltd., who hold the exclusive right holders of Chacha Chaudhary, has planned something special - this time to introduce Chacha to a new audience. Focusing on the younger generation, this new version of Chacha will aim to entertain and gain the attention of today's generation, thereby captivating this audience, the way it did back in time.
Talking about the same, in an exclusive interaction, Rohit Sobti, CEO and Co-Founder, Brandmonk, shared his thoughts about the plan, both the firms have made to expand this universe. Here are the excerpts...
Thought behind bringing Chacha back, in today's time: This started 2 years back and success studies in Indian kids entertainment space show that Chacha Chaudhary is a popular character. We evaluated among the team and everybody had a connect with the character. This, as a brand, has a parents approval and they were fine with this being exposed to kids, as it teaches a lot with fun. So we thought of doing something big, with international appeal. We want to make Chacha something like Disney. Earlier people who are 25-year-old or above knew about this character and we want to reach out to a new TG, that is under 25.
But would there be new stories about Chacha and his group, like a 2.0 version? The storytelling will be different for a new set of audience, with a different focus. We have introduced a new boy character to have a story arch and connectivity with kids. The characters, however, will remain the same but the storey revolving around them would be new. We also realised that this also needs to be adapted to a new format, unlike the book which needs some more storytelling.
So, will the team bring new formats too? There are plans to introduce new formats in publishing, but it is too early to speak about it, as we haven't strategised. We may focus on that in the later months of 2020. For now, we want the kids to build an affinity towards Chacha and be a part of his world. Once we achieve that we may include audiobooks.
Share your thoughts on merchandise plans: We are already working on this for a while, and this is done in two phases. In 2019, we wanted to reach out to the 25+ audience, and this was done through new age e-commerce platforms where t-shirts and related products were made and sold on popular websites. This year, we want to make new plans for kids, where toys, apparels etc. would be launched from summer. We are in talks with brands for extended reach thereby sharing messaging among kids.
Just like many other characters today, will Chacha also deliver a social message? Chacha has been a brand ambassador for Swacch Bharat. We have had a tie-up with Helo app and have received a brilliant reach. Earlier we have collaborated for health, road safety and are planning with a road-map. Our focus is not to hurry, but also ensure that we need to reach the right audience first, especially the new TG. Our response to YouTube channel is impressive and we want to listen to what our followers are responding to the content.
Developing interest with events like Comic-Con and other conventions: This is a very long process as all the international characters have been in the entertainment space for many years. We live in a connected world today and their storytelling has helped characters connect with kids. We need to learn from them where our kids need to feel the 'coolness factor' they have successfully developed. With new characters seen today on TV, this scenario definitely changed. But it's a long road ahead but sometime in the next 2-3 years, we will see some Indian characters also doing well. Chacha will play a significant role in the years to come. We want this message to be shared with people where they learn and build a community around him.
Focus on a film around Chacha: I have been a part of many companies related to the animation and film industry. Unfortunately, the financial ROI is less when it comes to animation films and hence we haven't seen a growth in this sector. There is an imbalance and so there is a difficulty in today's time. With Chacha, we hope to see a change, but that's again a longterm goal. Since it is on Disney (now Star) we will see something new, but the first focus is to reach the audience through TV and other mediums. Maybe, in years to come, the interaction with the audience will spark the difference.
Your goal for Chacha Chaudhary in 2020: This year is going to be special as we will plan Season 2, a new LIVE show, expand with the merchandise possibilities, develop interactions with FMCG companies for campaigns and social changed, and a lot more among a long line-up we have planned. To be honest, 2020 is an exciting year ahead for us with Chacha Chaudhary.
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