After three years of breakthrough work and artistry, Charuvi Design Labs (CDL), the animation and design studios has completed two 30-minute animated films on Gautam Buddha’s life journey. These films are designed for permanent exhibition and projection in form of an immersive 360-degree sound and light show at the much-awaited upcoming theme parks in Shravasti (Uttar Pradesh) and Kapilavastu (on the India-Nepal Border). Commissioned by Rajkiya Nirman Nigam, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh through Pan Intellecom under the central government’s Buddhist Thematic Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the spellbinding show is all set to immerse the audience from all perspectives in this one of its kind majestic experience.
Taking the artistic power, mesmerising scenes, visual imagination, and powerful message to the next level these films attempt to encapsulate the brief duration of Buddha’s exemplary life spent in Shravasti and Kapilavastu. The film aims to depict some of the important milestones in his life whilst parallelly showing the historical aspects of both the sites and the holistic connection to the life story of Buddha himself. The sūtra-dhāra of the films takes one through the entire journey of Buddha, where one can experience a captivating monologue of Angulimala. Soundtracks, rhythmic hymns and chants, dramatic music scores, and camera movements add magic to this light and sound show. During the 3D production, Team CDL used Unreal Engine and Maya for animating the majority of the shots.
Visual artist, award-winning filmmaker, and Charuvi Design Labs founder Charuvi Agrawal said, “With its unique concepts and exemplary artwork, CDL is committed to making Indian animation the showstopper on the global stage. For Shravasti and Kapilavastu museum project, our biggest challenge was to design spellbinding content that can enthral the audience when they experience the life of Gautam Buddha in a 360-degree space. We have primarily used a mix of pure 3D, motion graphics, and an amalgamation of real photography, live shoots, and drone shots. Considering it’s a 360 projection, we had to formulate the camera movement as per the surface area so that it feels seamless when viewed from any angle.”
Adding further, she said, “Our team left no stone unturned in research to capture every aspect of Lord Buddha’s life journey and the significance of Shravasti and Kapilvastu in his life. We want the audience to step into a poetic rendition of the whole experience and all this and much more can be experienced under the soothing and sometimes dramatic musical score.”
Shravasti and Kapilvastu are two of the most significant sites of the Buddhist Pilgrimage circuit. Sharvasti is the site where Buddha spent twenty-four rainy seasons at the Jetavan monastery, built by his disciple Sudatta Anathapindika. Kapilavastu is deeply endowed with Buddha’s origins and it is believed that Buddha spent his first early years here before embarking on the long journey to enlightenment.
CDL is working closely with international film production houses, corporates, billionaire/UHNWI families, public and private sector museums, and a plethora of world-class organisations. Shri Hanuman Chalisa by CDL was a massive success and the 3D animated short film made it big on Oscar-qualifying international film festivals including Palm Springs, Anima Mundi, Edinburgh Film Festival etc. CDL is setting new success milestones on the global animation stage with path-breaking content and design. Graphic India’s show Legend of Hanuman for which CDL was involved in has set new success milestones for the Indian animation sector with over 23 million views maintaining a top position and becoming the first animated series in India to ever achieve this distinction.