Ujwal Nair and his wife Indou Theagrajan discuss their first musical, a self-funded 2D animated short about a loyal dog dreaming of reuniting with his owner, who left him behind when she moved from India to Canada with her cat.
Since setting up shop in 2019, Bangalore, India-based animation studio Chikuliba Media has produced three short films – one, , was a TASI Anifest award-winner – and roughly a dozen commercial promos and explainers for the software company Freshworks.Owner Ujwal Nair will be the first to admit that, as an independent, self-taught animator in India, life is good.
But there’s still one moment, before launching the studio with wife Indou Theagrajan, that continues to itch the back of his creative brain.
“In 2016, I wanted to immigrate to Canada to study animation and get into the North American animation industry,” shares Nair.
“However, I had to put the brakes on that plan because I was denied a visa.I was able to have a career in animation in India and develop my skills by making animated shorts, but I couldn’t put the Canada chapter behind me.I couldn’t understand why it mattered so much to me, considering my life was good and I had very little to complain about.” To vent and give voice to these feelings of frustration, Nair created the short film, , part of the official selection of Kaboom Animation Festival 2025, taking place March 21st through the 30th. “This film was my attempt to come to terms with that period of my life with humor and irreverence,” says Nair, who directs the short while Theagrajan co-produces.
“It was a superb experience overall.” , a 22-minute-long 2D-animated musical, had its international premiere at BUSAN International Film Festival on October 7th, 2024 in the Wide Angle Shorts Competition.It was only the second Indian-animated short to ever compete at the festival and was the only animated film in the category this past year.The story follows the trials and tribulations of an Indian dog who dreams of immigrating to Canada to be reunited with his owner who dared to leave with the cat but not her loyal canine companion.
But first, he needs a visa.“The story came from a place of raw emotion and doing it as a musical was a great way to express the main character’s strong feelings,” notes Nair.“I really enjoyed writing the lyrics.
Being able to play with words while conveying plot and character was a joy.It was also great to see how our composer, Aditi Ramesh, and her musicians worked.They brought a different creative energy than the visual artists, and it was very refreshing.” He adds, “While the decision to make a musical did increase our budget significantly, the music and lyrics have become such an essential part of the film that I can’t imagine it as a traditional dialogue-driven film.” Despite the extra expenses, which included Chikuliba Media bringing on the largest number of freelancers ever for one project, was able to be entirely self-funded.
“I have a full-time job as a video artist at a software company based in Chennai and it provides a financial cushion to work on personal projects,” shares Nair. Theagrajan, who works in the fashion industry full-time, adds, “The script that Ujwal wrote in 2020 is almost word-for-word what you see in the film.The storyboards and final animation almost perfectly match.This makes my job as a producer much easier.
We also have clearly defined roles, with Ujwal being the creative head, and me as the production head.This helps us make decisions and communicate better with clients or the freelancers we work with.” She continues, “It is fun to have a passion project with your partner and share common aspirations.Ujwal is a joy to work with.” Nair says the same of his artistic other half. “Indou has a genuine interest in art and film, so she encourages me to pursue this art form no matter how time-consuming it is and how much it turns me into a recluse,” he shares.
“It meant a lot to me when she first offered to get involved in these projects and help out however she could.It’s awesome to have a producer who not only has excellent skills but also has your back and wants what’s best for the film.” When it came to nailing down the best artistic style of , Nair and Theagrajan agreed the visuals needed to accentuate the comedy and eccentricity of the characters and story.So, a simple shape language became a must. “The simple shapes were easy on the eye and relatively easy to draw and animate,” notes Nair.
“The style has emerged from practical constraints and a desire to take advantage of the animation medium to stylize and caricature reality.I used stick figure limbs to make the characters appear endearing at times and peculiar or creepy at other times.But the backgrounds were detailed because the film is about a character who wants to escape his surroundings.
So those had to evoke a sense of place.” A large portion of is set in an apartment in India, the home of the owner’s mother, who is not the biggest fan of the stray dog her daughter brings home at the beginning of the film.For the apartment’s layout, Nair drew inspiration from various houses he lived in so the visuals would feel familiar to those living in India and intentionally unfamiliar to those who do not live there. “I loved adding little touches to the main locations to make them feel Indian,” shares Nair.“The mosaic floor tiles, cane furniture, and window grill patterns were part of the decor of houses I grew up in.
Also, at the vet’s clinic in the film, our own cats’ names are present on a calendar for a brief moment.” He continues, “One of my favorite Easter eggs is the number 287 which appears on a monitor in the visa office at the beginning of the film.July 28 was the day I received my rejection letter from the Canadian Visa Centre.When it pops up in the film and it turns out to be the first applicant’s application number, I feel bad for her because I know she’s doomed.” One of Nair’s favorite parts of the film’s production, along with all the personal touches, was getting to sync up the animation with the music.
But it also posed one of the biggest challenges. “When it came to the fast pace of the music, making the visuals readable was a huge challenge,” he explains.“The film is packed with visual gags, and I wanted to make sure they registered without being confusing.Simplifying the gags without compromising on clarity or humor required a lot of trial and error.” Similar to , was storyboarded, animated and composited in Flash.
Though Nair shares it’s not considered the best software for hand-drawn animation due to its limited number of brushes, it is better known for its rigging and puppet animation features. “I also found that it was great for the style of art and animation I was going for, which was a throwback to the Cartoon Network shows I grew up watching,” notes Nair, who says the four-year-long experience of working on has also opened the door to potentially more musicals in Chikuliba’s future. “I think it’s a great medium and I love the storytelling possibilities it offers,” he says.“It gives you the license to go big.You can tell the most dramatic, emotional, humorous, and spectacular stories.
I would gladly do it again if the story demanded it.” Looking ahead, Nair and Theagrajan are hoping to release the film on YouTube or Vimeo in the summer of 2025, but also plan to approach streaming services before any final decisions are made.They also have plans to produce a full-length feature film. “I’ve been working on a few ideas and I’m excited about a couple of them,” teases Nair.“One of the main reasons we made a 22-minute animated short was to see if we could tell a long story that keeps the audience hooked and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
I think we have been quite successful in that regard, and it’s given us the confidence to stick to long form storytelling.”
For more information about Chikuliba Media’s work, visit the links below:
Website: https://www.chikuliba.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ChikulibaMedia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chikuliba.media
Instagram: @chikuliba.media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chikuliba
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime.She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment.Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
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