)
Entertainment company Eros International Media Limited on Wednesday revealed the first look of India’s first ever animated digital series, Blazing Bajirao. The animated project is part of the out-of-the-box marketing initiative from its on-demand entertainment portal, ErosNow for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus, Bajirao Mastani. Blazing Bajirao is dedicated to the adventures and victories of Bajirao Ballal Bhat, Peshwa to the fourth Maratha emperor, Chhatrapati Shahu Raje Bhonsle.
A first for the Indian film industry, Blazing Bajirao is a full-fledged digital graphic series, created for the audiences to familiarise themselves with the lives and histories of the lead characters— Bajirao and Mastani—ahead of the release of film Bajirao Mastani. The web graphic series has been conceptualised by the in-house creative team of ErosNow.
To build curiosity of the audience, especially the younger generation, the creative team at ErosNow has developed a home-grown, grungy, lino-cut style, coupled with calendar art realism for this digital series. Apart from the histories of the main characters, Blazing Bajirao will also give the audience a peek into the times of the then Maratha empire and why Bajirao was one of the most influential and celebrated heroes of his times.
Vaibhav Vishal, chief creative officer, ErosNow said: “The approach behind the series has been two-pronged. First, educate the audiences about Bajirao, the legend of Bajirao Mastani and the socio-political-cultural history of the era. Second and more importantly, make Bajirao the hero that he must be for our young audiences. We want them to know how cool he was, discover and associate with the charisma of Bajirao. And, in the process, get ready for the film when it releases!”
“Had Bajirao been on Twitter, he would have been one of the biggest influencers around. So come to think of it, he always was a superhero. To showcase the magnificence of Bajirao’s character, we have got the best people in the business to do the series; the graphic style is unlike anything that has been seen before in any Indian series, he added.
Produced by Eros International and Bhansali Productions, written and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose reputation for creating visually stunning emotive epics is unparalleled, Bajirao Mastani tells the story of one of the least known parts of Indian history— that of the Maratha and Peshwa princes and the love story of Bajirao and his second wife Mastani. The movie is slated to release worldwide on December 18.
