Kids
Kids channels ensure strong lineup for Diwali season
MUMBAI: Kids channels will hope to grab more eyeballs during Diwali, which also happens to be vacation time for most schools.
Since this is the first Diwali for Sony Yay!, which was launched in April this year, the channel has planned a new campaign – ‘Jholmaal Bhari Diwali’, which includes new episodes of shows. On-ground activations include inviting families for the two-hour show of ‘Sab jholmaal hai’ where children are made to play games.
Brand ambassador Tiger Shroff will turn professor on television. Titled ‘Tiger Ki Jholmaal Paatshalla’, he will be teaching lessons to the toons of ‘Sab Jholmaal Hai’. The main presenting sponsor for the campaign is Dabur Red Paste and others like Hersheys, Dominoes Pizza, HUL and Lifebuoy.
Nickelodeon, which garnered first position in BARC’S week 40, is all set to double the celebrations for kids by premiering Motu Patlu in Hong Kong (Kungfu Kings 3) on 19 October at 2.30 pm.
While today’s kids prefer watching cartoons like Doraemon or Shinchan or Chhota Bheem, Discovery Kids will be taking them back to the history of Diwali and Indian culture through animated classics like Ramayan (19 October, 11:00 am) , Mahabharat (20 October at 11 am) and Hanuman (19 October at 1.30 pm) Immortal 2, Pandavas (20 October at 1:30 pm).
Discovery kids channel has used the voice-over of Amitabh Bachchan (Bheeshma), Vidya Balan (Draupadi), Ajay Devgn (Arjun), Sunny Deol (Bheem), Anil Kapoor (Karna) and Jackie Shroff (Duryodhan) in their upcoming mythological shows. Also Manoj Bajpayee, Juhi Chawla, Mukesh Khanna and Anupam Kher and Om Puri have given their voice for the movie – Little Krishna and Krishna aur Kans starting 19 October 2017.
Channels want both children and parents to enjoy the cartoons together and spend quality time. Sony Yay! Business head Leena Lele Dutta affirms that channels do get premium rates during Diwali. However, she denies reports that advertisers have stayed away from TV this season. “Fortunately we have not noticed this. In fact every week we had almost 7-8 brands and 2-3 new clients coming on-board including most FMCG companies and brands targeting kids”, she adds.
There’s another young adult’s all time favourite Disney channel which is making an effort for the children to have a ‘Dhamakedaar Diwali’. Disney India’s kid’s cluster will air the movie Brave and Frozen, while continuing Best of Luck Nikki for families. PJ Masks, a popular animated series, will be aired between Monday and Thursday at 1 pm. For action lovers, Disney XD has planned Pokemon movies, along with the premiere of the movie Darkrai Dost Ya Dushman and a special Marvel Stunt block.
Disney India’s sister channel—Hungama, is also set to celebrate Diwali all week with special episodes of Perman, Friday movie specials and festive packaging to enhance the mood.
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
