Chennai | Animation filmmaker Ujwal Nair’s ‘Lucky Dog’ to premiere internationally at the Busan Film Festival

A still from Lucky Dog
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Eight years ago, Ujwal Nair was planning to head to Canada to study Animation when his plans came crashing down, following a visa rejection. “I have complicated feelings about this whole experience,” he confesses. He recalls being haunted by this rejection, and how there seemed to be no way to escape discussions back then, about immigrating to study, or for professional opportunities. 

This complex world of immigration and privilege, forms the crux of his animated short film Lucky Dog, which is all set to have its international premiere at the upcoming 29th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea. From among 4,351 films, the film has been selected as part of the Wide Angle — Asian Short Film Competition, and is among 10 other films. 

A scene at the visa office in Lucky Dog
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In Lucky Dog, Dice, the four-legged protagonist, decides to follow his owner Disha to Canada. The rules are no different for him though, and he needs a visa. The visa office is much of where Lucky Dog is set in, with characters bursting into song about being enamoured with the West and wanting to reunite with a loved one.    

To tell this story through animation seemed like an obvious choice for Ujwal.  “I cannot talk incessantly about how much the rejection weighed on me, and was thinking about what would be a fun and interesting way to do this. Film seemed like the best medium to express myself, and animation is something I love working on. It combines all my strengths — drawing, writing, filmmaking and even acting, given that I have some theatre experience,” he says. Ujwal is credited as the writer, director, production designer, and cinematographer.  

The process, though long, seemed achievable, says the Chennai-based self-taught animation artist. With a day job in the field of marketing, Ujwal’s weekends for over four years were dedicated to working on this satire-comedy, with a small team and a tight budget. Lucky Dog is Ujwal’s third animated short in the last eight years, and he credits his skills to time spent working at animation studios in the past.

Ujwal Nair and Indou Theagrajan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Given the themes that the film deals with — Ujwal says he relied on personal experiences and observation, to make it as raw and real as possible. “Rather than doing voiceovers for the characters, we realised that the most entertaining way to tell this story was through music and wordplay. Once the script was in place, Aditi Ramesh, a Bengaluru-based composer came on board,” he says. The songs in Lucky Dog, written by Ujwal and composed by Aditi stand out — each more whimsical, quirky, and thought-provoking than the other. 

In January this year, Lucky Dog had a special screening at the inaugural edition of Mumbai’s Animela Festival. At the 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), this was one of two animated films in the competition short fiction section. 

“The inclusion of an animated short in this category, and the response we have got at screenings so far has been promising. Independent animation is getting a lot more recognition around the world,” says Indou Theagrajan, co-producer of Lucky Dog. 

A still from Lucky Dog
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Both Indou and Ujwal acknowledge the difficulties in securing funding for independent projects, especially involving animation. “Every aspect of art in the country, not just performing arts, needs to be funded. There is also a big misconception in India that animation is meant for children. Animation is a medium of filmmaking, and not just filmmaking for children,” Indou says. 

The spotlight on Lucky Dog, and its upcoming international premiere has them enthused. “At Busan and even in Kerala, the film being included in general categories along with live action films is very encouraging,” says Ujwal. “It is befitting that Lucky Dog is having an international premiere in an Asian country, given the themes the film deals with, and we believe this has resonated with the selection committee,” he adds.