Pakistans bahadur heroes

Published in Jul-Aug 2015

By Ayesha Shaikh

Sharmeen Obaid and Jerjees Seja, CEO, ARY Digital Network, on the
challenges and triumph of making 3 Bahadur.

May 22, 2015 marked the release of Pakistans first 3D animated

feature film, 3 Bahadur, directed by Academy Award winning
filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and produced by Waadi
Animations (a joint venture between ARY Films and SOC Films).
Although the last few years have seen a revival of Pakistans
filmmaking industry, making an animated film locally was a feat
that was yet to be attempted.
When asked why she chose to opt for animation, Chinoy says,

When asked why she chose to opt for animation, Chinoy says,
Although Pakistan has a very young population and a booming
media industry, we have stopped producing quality content for
children. After exploring a range of options, from live action to
animation, I kept going back to animation because of the sheer
amount of imaginative freedom it offers.
Using the classic theme of crime-fighting superheroes that has
inspired and captured the imagination of audiences for
generations, 3 Bahadur is the story of three children, Amna, Kamil
and Saadi, who discover they have superpowers and decide to use
them to battle the evil lord Mangu and save their hometown
Andher Basti from his malevolent designs.
Scripted by Kamran Khan, the film is anchored in the ideals of
courage, heroism, loyalty and friendship. The objectives of making
a film targeted at the next generation went beyond entertaining
children.

We wanted to convey the message that there is a

hidden superpower in every child and by
recognising their potential, children have the
power to change Pakistans destiny, without
waiting for a superhero to come along and save the
day.
Jerjees Seja, CEO, ARY Digital Network
Although this was not ARY Digital Networks first experience in
releasing a movie (the network has collaborated in the past to
launch Jalebi), the networks involvement so far had been limited
to sponsorship initiatives and obtaining distribution rights for the
film.
Given that it was the first project of its kind for both Chinoy and
ARY Digital Network to be undertaken in Pakistan, the entire
journey, from conceptualisation, filming, post-production and

journey, from conceptualisation, filming, post-production and

release was wrought with challenges.
Chinoy recalls the various issues the team encountered in the three
years it took to complete the project.

It was an uphill task; we had to put together a

team, learn how animation works from the initial
sketch to the nal shot and experiment with a
medium that is both expensive and time
consuming.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
The lack of an infrastructure supporting 3D animation, as well as a
severe dearth of training institutions from where voice talent for
each character could be sourced, further added to the difficulties of
bringing 3 Bahadur to life.
While the animation was done in-house by Waadi Animations, the
colour correction and sound recording was outsourced. Given that
animation and child-centred content is uncommon in Pakistan,
searching for, screening and finalising the technological partners
for the film proved to be quite a task. Eventually, Darkroom, a
Pakistan-based company, was selected for the colour correction,
while Soundsquare, based in the US, did the sound recording.
Even after finding the right people for the right job, the next hurdle
was the high production cost of 3D animation, combined with the
uncertainty of how the film would be received by the audience and
the box office collections it would generate.
According to Seja, For a project that took three years to complete
and an investment ranging between Rs 80 and 100 million, finding
sponsorships for the project was imperative.
English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM) came on board as the main
sponsor. According to Zulfiqar Ali Ansari, Head of Marketing, EBM,

sponsor. According to Zulfiqar Ali Ansari, Head of Marketing, EBM,

At EBM we believe it is our corporate social responsibility to
promote positivity at all levels of society, particularly when it
comes to children and there is no better way to do this than
through an inspiring and relatable audio-visual story.
This is not the first time EBM has ventured into sponsoring
childrens animated films. The company had previously sponsored
the release of Rio, and its sequel, Rio 2, in Pakistan. However, for 3
Bahadur there were two more other sponsors (P&G's Safeguard and
McDonald's).
In an effort to maximise the reach of 3 Bahadur, ARY Digital
Network, in collaboration with their promotional partners, executed
a 360-degree marketing plan. The media mix included conventional
ATL (print, TV and outdoor), as well as groundbreaking BTL
activities. These included a range of specially customised 3
Bahadur Gluco biscuits, with the packaging reflecting the design
elements of the film. Furthermore, each wrapper had a unique code
printed on the inside and the children who messaged this code to
8013, were entertained with riddles, jokes and stories based on the
theme and characters of the film. From the entries received, a
handful of randomly selected children were given free tickets to
the film as well as branded merchandise.
According to Seja, Gul Ahmeds involvement with the project also
played a crucial role. Gul Ahmed is our official merchandising
partners and every outlet of the brand has a section dedicated to an
assortment of 3 Bahadur merchandise.
The BTL activities included a nationwide awareness campaign
which was launched three to four months prior to the release of the
film. Seja says, We visited over 100 schools to introduce the
concept of superheroes to children. We created mascots of the
films main characters and they became a big attraction for the
children during our visits.
Then to further engage young audiences, 3 Bahadurs release
coincided with the launch of its own video game, which could be
downloaded free of cost from either iTunes or the Google Playstore.
The popularity of the game can be gauged by the fact that within a

The popularity of the game can be gauged by the fact that within a
few weeks it had been downloaded more than 150,000 times.
Executing the most extensive marketing campaign ever for a
Pakistani film paid dividends and although at first 3 Bahadur was
allotted limited shows, as the film was competing against five other
international, big-budget releases, by the second week, as interest
in the film increased, cinemas across Pakistan began screening the
film extensively.
As of September 2015, 3 Bahadur had registered box office
collections of Rs 65 million, making it the highest grossing
animated film in Pakistan and beating Rio 2s previously held
record.
In this respect, Seja points out that unlike most commercial
projects, we deliberately restricted the number of sponsors of the
film, despite an extensive list of advertisers who had expressed an
interest in promoting the film.
He further elaborated that content integration was the primary
strategy, whereby advertising messages were incorporated within
the screenplay and dialogue of the film.
Looking to the future of locally produced animated movies, Seja is
optimistic, Despite the technological and creative challenges that
had to be overcome, the unprecedented success of 3 Bahadur has
opened up new horizons of creative expression for filmmakers as
well as integrated marketing opportunities for brands in Pakistan.
A sequel to the film is already in the works and we are aiming for a
2016 release.