Ram Mohan

Ram Mohan (26 August 1931 – 11 October 2019) was an Indian animator, title designer and design educator, who was also known as father of Indian Animation[2] and was a veteran in the Indian animation industry, who started his career at the Cartoon Films Unit, Films Division of India, Government of India in 1956.[3] He was chairman and chief creative officer at Graphiti Multimedia, a Mumbai-based animation company which was established in 1995, and later he also established the Graphiti School of Animation in 2006.[1]

Ram Mohan
Born(1931-08-26)August 26, 1931[1]
Died11 October 2019(2019-10-11) (aged 88)
Mumbai
Occupationanimator, founder Graphiti Multimedia (1995)

He had won the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Animation Film twice, You Said It (1972) and Fire Games (1983).[4] He was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the 2006 Mumbai International Film Festival[5] and was awarded the Padma Shri the fourth-highest civilian award given by Government of India in 2014.[6][7]

Early life and education

Graduated in Chemistry from the University of Madras and later moved to Mumbai for his post-graduate studies but gave it up to join the Cartoon Films Unit, Films Division, Government of India in 1956. He received training in animation techniques from Clair Weeks of Walt Disney Studios, under the US Technical Aid program. Weeks was at the time serving a two-year stint as the head of the Cartoon Films Unit. Another important person to join at the same time was Bhimsain Khurana, who also became a notable animator (Ek Anek Aur Ekta).[8]

Career

Mohan worked as an animator with the Films division till the late 1960s, and thereafter founded Ram Mohan Biographics, in 1972. It ultimately merged with UTV Toons, a division of United Studios Limited (USL) (UTV Group) in 1998.[9]

Mohan started out by doing character design and story boards for This Our India, an animated film adapted from a book by Minoo Masani.[10] He scripted, designed and animated many of Cartoon Film unit's productions from 1960 to 1967, including 'Homo Saps' which won the National Award for Best Experimental Film, 1967, and 'Chaos' which won an Award at the Leipzig Festival of short Films in 1968. He participated in the 1967 world retrospective of Animation Cinema in Montreal.

In 1968 he left Films Division and joined Prasad Productions as chief of their animation division. In 1972, he established his own production company, Ram Mohan Biographics, which worked on commercials, and the animated feature Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (1992), which he co-directed in collaboration with Yugo Sako from Japan.[11]

Ram Mohan's film credits include several animation sequences for mainstream filmmakers – an animated song for B.R. Chopra's Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), a title sequence for Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari, a sequence for Mrinal Sen's Hindi film, Bhuvan Shome, and for such films as Biwi O Biwi, Do aur Do Paanch and Kaamchor.[10]

Ram Mohan was also responsible for the spread of Animation in India. Many of the leading Animation professionals active today in India started their careers in his studio.

Death

Ram Mohan died on 11 October 2019 in Mumbai at the age of 88.[12]

Filmography
FilmYearRoleNotes
Chacha Zindabad1959Mohan
Chambe Di Kali1960Ganeshapunjabi movie
Aag1967Lala
Chaos1967DirectorAnimated short film
Baap Re Baap1968DirectorAnimated short film
National Award for the Best Film on family planning
Haseena Maan Jayegi1968Animation DirectorTitle sequence
Laajo1963as Lakshmanpunjabi movie
Bhuvan Shome1969Animation
Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar1970as PeterPunjabi movie
You Said It1971DirectorAnimated short film
National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Animation Film
Pratigya1975as Bhiku
Shatranj Ke Khilari1977Animation Director
Pati Patni Aur Woh1978Animation DirectorSong "Na Aaj Tha Na Kal Tha"
Do Aur Do Paanch1980Animation DirectorTitle sequence
khubsoorat1980AnimationSong "Qayda Qayda"
Insaf Ka Tarazu1980Title Design
Biwi-O-Biwi1981Animation DirectorTitle sequence
Nadiya Ke Paar 1982 Tiwari (Uncle of Omkar and Chandan)
Kaamchor1982Animation Director
Fire Games1983Directoranimated short film
National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Animation Film
Meena1991–2001Director(16 episodes from 1991–2001)
Storyboard artist(3 episodes from 1991–1995)		Animated children's television show created by UNICEF
Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama1992Director(with Yugo Sako)Animated feature-length film
Indo-Japanese co-production

Awards
  • 1969– National Award for the Best Film on family planning, "Baap Re Baap".
  • 1972– National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Animation Film: You Said It[4]
  • 1974– He was commissioned to script, design and direct a series of educational films on population and environment, "Down to Earth" for the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Family Planning Association of India.
  • 1983 – National Award for the Best Animation Film: Fire Games [13][14]
  • 1996– Communication Arts Guild Hall of Frame award for Life Time achievement. Series director:“Meena” for UNICEF, a series of 13 episodes dealing with issues concerning the girl child in south Asia.
  • 2001– Advertising Club Award 'ABBY' for Life Time Achievement.
  • 2003– I.D.P.A. 'Ezra Mir' award for Life-Time Achievement. Broadcast India
  • 2014 – Padma Shri, India's 4th highest civilian award by Govt. of India.

References
  1. "Animated dreams". The Telegraph, Calcutta. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. "Father of Indian Animation". 27 January 2014.
  3. Wright, Jean Ann (2005). Animation writing and development: from script development to pitch. Focal Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-240-80549-8.
  4. "20th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  5. "Animation artist honoured". The Hindu. 5 February 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  6. "Padma Shri Award Announced for Animation Veteran". 27 January 2014.
  7. "Padma Awards Announced". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  8. "An undying love for cartoons". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  9. Nichola Dobson (2009). Historical Dictionary of Animation and Cartoons. Scarecrow Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-8108-6323-1.
  10. Gurnani, Anand. "Following the star of Indian animation and comics with its 3 wise men". Animation Xpress.
  11. "Ramayana films". The Ramayana at the British Library. The British Library Board. 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  12. http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/the-father-of-indian-animation-ram-mohan-passes-away-at-the-age-of-88
  13. "31st National Film Awards". India International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  14. "31st National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 9 December 2011.

Bibliography
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