Elephant Captivity Indian Animation ‘Mangal’ Heads to Busan’s Asian Project Market

Indian animator Triparna Maiti’s feature project “Mangal – The Holy Beast” has been selected for the Busan Asian Project Market. The film project spotlights the plight of captive elephants through animation.

It follows the life of Mangal, an elephant calf captured from the wild and forced into circus life, logging work, and eventually becoming a temple elephant. Through Mangal’s journey, the film explores themes of captivity, animal rights and the psyche of confined elephants.

Maiti, whose animated short “Neer” (Water) played at festivals including Anifilm and Monstra, chose this subject after encountering captive elephants in Kerala, southern India. The filmmaker experienced discomfort at the irony of how such powerful animals could be confined to human conditioning. Maiti also attended the annual Thrissur Pooram festival where elephants are front and center.

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“I was surprised to see how skilfully the elephants stood still and straight for hours throughout the celebration and noticed the heavy chains around their limbs restricting them from moving freely. Somehow it reminded me of an Indian wedding where the bride, covered in heavy gold jewels from head to toe, gets displayed much similar to these elephants.” Maiti said. “I believe Indian women like myself can relate to this story, as Indian society has always restricted our freedom and questioned our worth at every age of life. From childhood we are trained to follow societal beliefs in order to exist. These personal thoughts and visuals stayed with me for a long time seeking a way to express or a better word would be to protest.”

Producer Pooja Chauhan of Moksha Pictures boarded the project in 2023. “The project delves into themes of identity, animal rights and belonging,” Chauhan said. “These themes have always been central to the films I choose to produce.” Chauhan previously served as a producer on U.K.-set dementia-focused drama “Goldfish,” which played Busan in 2022.

Currently in development, the film has an estimated budget of $1.3 million. Moksha Pictures has provided seed funding, with the team now seeking additional financing through co-productions and private investments. At Busan, Chauhan hopes to “connect with producers, distributors, and sales agents who share our passion for the project.”

The project has participated in the MIFA Pitches at Annecy, is currently part of India’s NFDC Screenwriters Lab and is heading next to Seattle’s Tasveer Film Market. The team aims to begin production in Q2 2025, targeting completion by end of 2026.

The APM takes place Oct. 5-8 as part of the Busan International Film Festival, which unspools Oct. 2-11.