iWorld
Graphic India ropes in Narendra Deshpande as senior VP of production & animation
MUMBAI: Graphic India has announced the hire of veteran animation executive, Narendra Deshpande as senior vice president of production and animation. Deshpande will work closely with Graphic India’s Co-Founder and CEO, Sharad Devarajanand its EVP, Creative, Jeevan J. Kang, to scale up Graphic’s original animation production across television and digital platforms.
“Narendra brings to Graphic India two decades of animation production experience and excellence and it’s our great honor to have him join us in our mission to create original Indian characters and stories that captivate the imaginations of audiences around the world,” said Devarajan. “With an ever increasing number of new animated shows in production and development, Narendra will oversee our production scale-up and build a world-class execution pipeline.”
“After an enriching journey of 20 years in the animation industry, having learned a lot from each and every experience, I am now joining Graphic India with new hope and a new dream. With the intention to be more perfect, acquire more knowledge with open arms andaim to achieve great heights,” added Desphande. “With my dedication, devotion to my work and a bagful of new ideas, I had heard that if you ‘Choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life’, and that’s exactly what I am going to do as pleasure in work gives perfection. I believe in hard work to get desired results. No gains without pains. Looking forward to a fantastic time at Graphic India.”
Graphic India is a character entertainment company focused on creating leading characters, comics and stories through animation, comics and digital platforms. Graphic believes that India is home to some of the most creative talent in the world, with more than 500 million people under the age of 25 and more than 900 million mobile phone users in the country.
The Company’s animated shows include, Chakra The Invincible, with superhero icon, Stan Lee and has appeared on Cartoon Network/Toonami as well as the Angry Birds ToonsTV platform.
Phantom Films recently announced a partnership with Graphic for a live-action Bollywood film based on Chakra, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane. They are also also working with acclaimed actor, Amitabh Bachchan on the launch of his first animated series, Astra Force, which will appear on Disney Channel later this year. It was also recently announced that Graphic India is working with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and Arka Media Works to create new content around the hit film,Baahubali.
Graphic India is owned by U.S. comic book Company, Liquid Comics LLC, CA Media LP, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, LLC (TCG) and NYC Media Group, Start Media.
iWorld
Matka King campaign turns Mumbai into a city of cards
Massive card billboard, buses and shelters recreate 1960s Bombay.
MUMBAI: Mumbai isn’t just shuffling traffic this week, it’s dealing in drama, one card at a time. A high-impact outdoor campaign for Matka King has quite literally taken over the city, transforming everyday streets into a living, breathing throwback to the world of 1960s Bombay. At the centre of the spectacle is a towering billboard near the city’s T1 airport, created by visual artist Rob, assembling hundreds of playing cards into a striking portrait of Brij Bhatti, the infamous Matka King portrayed by Vijay Varma. The installation doesn’t just sit on the skyline; it commands attention, pulling eyes upward in a city otherwise known for looking straight ahead.
But the campaign doesn’t stop at a single visual. The streets themselves have been drafted into the narrative. Vehicles wrapped entirely in vintage playing card designs are cruising through Mumbai, while bus shelters constructed to resemble houses of cards have begun appearing across key locations. The effect is immersive less an advertisement and more a temporary rewriting of the city’s visual language, where modern Mumbai briefly slips into a stylised past.
The campaign leans heavily into experiential storytelling, extending the show’s world beyond screens and into public spaces. By using tactile, physical installations rather than purely digital amplification, it taps into a growing trend in entertainment marketing where scale, spectacle and shareability converge to create cultural moments rather than just promotional bursts.
Created by Abhay Koranne and directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, the series features a wide ensemble cast including Kritika Kamra, Sai Tamhankar, Siddharth Jadhav and Gulshan Grover, among others. Produced under banners including Roy Kapur Films, the show is currently streaming on Prime Video across India and more than 240 countries and territories.
For now, though, the real action isn’t just on screen, it’s unfolding at traffic signals, bus stops and billboards. In a city that rarely pauses, this is one campaign that has managed to stop people mid-step and deal itself straight into public attention.
