Moneycontrol.com discusses the growth of Richard Branson’s Virgin Comics, perhaps inevitably remarking that “After Harry Potter, The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings, it now appears that Indian mythology and characters based on Indian mystics”. While I plead guilty to reviewing the first of Ashok Banker’s fantasy novels based upon the ancient Sanskrit myth of Ramayana by saying they have much in common with modern fantasy I’m not sure Harry Potter or the Matrix have much to do with Indian folklore and suspect perhaps that the business reporter who wrote the piece was really only familiar with those big brand SF&F names.
After explaining how popular Indian mythology is becoming in the West the article does mention that Virgin does actually plan to sell the comics in India itself eventually (although in English – local language will come somewhat later, but at least they are going to get them, albeit long after the Western audience – oh the irony of it all). However there is one part of this article couched in Business Speak which I simply don’t understand – I know these words but this statement makes no sense to me, as Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Virgin Comics explains cost and resource issues:
“But the opportunities that are available for you at USD 3 in the US and being able to monetize it overseas allows companies like Virgin to build the IP to a much bigger level.”
Is he still talking about creating and selling comics? Can anyone decode this?
December 24th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
Hmm…I’d dispute this as far as the Matrix is concerned – the whole comcept of “Maya” or Universal Illusion underpins the Matrix and is an essentially Eastern concept given a technological (therefore “Western”) slant.
As for Potter, true, nothing remotely “Eastern” there other than a whole raft of associations with magic, which has been associated with India / The Far East since ancient times – is there such a thing as English or European magic anyway ? – you don’t own the I.P on that one I’m afraid…
I don’t understand Devarajans quote either – I hate it when they spout this business babble too…
We need to knock out our own stories and move on from the “no-brainer” (Gotham Chopras’ own words) approach of just re-visualising our own mythology – trouble is, in India, no one has the, erm, balls, to put their collective c**cks on the table and do it…