Paying tribute to the Father of Indian Animation Industry

It’s a mournful day.

And the loss is a major setback for the Animation Industry.

On a very sad note, I would like to share with you about the demise of Shri Ram Mohan ji, the father of Indian Animation Industry. It leaves me teary-eyed every time I think about the loss of such a great man who was not just a maestro of his art but an extremely benevolent soul too.

As a tribute, I would like to spare some moments to talk about the veteran Ram Mohan ji – his career, achievements, and contribution.

Ram Mohan, a longtime veteran of the Indian Animation Industry was an Indian Animator, title designer, design educator who began his career in the animation industry at the Cartoon Films Unit, Film Division of India, and Government of India in 1956. He left the division in 1968 to join Prasad Productions as the head of the animation division. Meanwhile, somewhere in 1972, he established his own production company ‘Ram Mohan Biographics’ which worked on commercials. Ram Mohan collaborated with the Japanese filmmaker Yugo Sako to produce animation feature film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama (1992). He also worked as a chairman and chief creative officer at Graphiti Multimedia, a Mumbai-based animation company and established the Graphiti School of Animation in 2006.

Some of his major works include animated song for B.R. Chopra’s Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), title sequence for Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari, sequence for Mrinal Sen’s Hindi film, Bhuvan Shome, Biwi O Biwi, Do aur Do Paanch, and Kaamchor.

Ram Mohan ji was honored with several awards for his tremendous work in the animation industry. He won the National Film Award for the Best Non-Feature Animation Film for You Said it (1972) and Fire Games (1983). He was graced with the Lifetime achievement award at the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2006 and was also awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2014.

His contribution to the Indian Animation Industry is commendable. He was a great storyteller who could create magic with his in-depth storyboard, beautiful characterization, and seamless animation. This is truly a great loss to the animation industry and the nation. He’ll remain an inspiration to millions of budding animators and animation professionals.