Saad Akhtar

Saad Akhtar , the creator of Fly, You Fools , sent me a link to his 4 month old web comic and I found it quite amusing (albeit a little caustic). Even as an 'insider', I sometimes wonder about some conceptual art. More here.

Brown Girls

Brown Girls ; A not-so-politically-correct topical comic on South Asian women in the states , made an appearance in my inbox last week and I've been waiting for the next edition ever since. Brown girls appears every thursday on Devis with Babies , a blog written by sardonic duo Deepa Sood and Monica Mehta.

Cute illustration style . Definitely a staple for the sarcastic types. More here & here.

Death by Chocolate

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE is what Mumbai based animators Asavari Kumar and Chewang Bhutia like to be known as. They are heavily influenced by the urban vinyl phenomenon and are manically obsessed with contemporary character design. While the DBC duo are still working out the kinks in the retail and production of their dolls, the possibilities for Indian urban vinyls are exciting (& intriguing.) I wouldn't mind if the dolls started to resemble the morbid cuteness of their illustrations.More here.

Gulzar Junaid

Animation artist Gulzar Junaid comes from a family of creative people. He takes inspiration from everyday mundanities to religiously studying children to create his characters. According to Gulzar , character design isn't restricted to form and feature but more driven by personality of the character . His biggest influence, have been the Russian animation festivals he attended as a child growing up in Kolkata.

Nina Paley

Nina Paley's , Sita sings the blues has done it's round on all of the desi blogs. But it hasn't got the proper gushing at Masala chai. This Brooklyn based animator and the Ramayana would probably have never have crossed paths if it weren't for her brief yet fateful move to Kerala.

Nina's musical explores Sita's side of the epic, in what she calls 'the greatest breakup story ever told'. A curvy, sensous, almost diva like Sita takes centre stage , illustrated in a wild mix of colours and emblems both ethnic & contemporary. Set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita sings the blues promises to be a fiesty visual journey through time.

I can't wait for it to show in India. The trailer looks all action packed and masalafied.