Ahead of Suzume release, PVR says strong signals to grow anime genre

'Anime film series have been a huge success in many parts of the world'

Japan’s acclaimed anime director Makoto Shinkai, who is seen as the successor to legendary animation filmmaker Miyazaki Hayao, is in India for the theatrical release of his latest movie Suzume on April 21 by PVR Pictures. Ahead of the film’s release, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR INOX, tells Veenu Sandhu about the reasons for anime’s growing popularity in India and PVR Pictures’ plans for the genre. Edited excerpts:

What explains the rise in popularity of anime movies among Indian audiences?

Japanese anime is not new to India with most of us having grown up watching it on television. India