With Shin Chan: The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India, the popular cartoon character who has won our hearts for years together now is all set to pay a visit to India. The film, slated to open in theatres on September 26, is helmed by director Masakazu Hashimoto. In a recent interview with the Hindustan Times, the filmmaker has opened up about setting the film in India out of the wish to visit the country.
His obsession and love for India started after he watched a Rajinikanth film, following which he was sure to bring the country to the Shin Chan world. "The first Indian film that I saw was Rajinikanth's Muthu: The Dancing Maharaja," he said, adding that ever since he felt that India would be a good fit for Shin Chan. "I knew if I made him come to India, I would be able to come here for location hunting too," he added, reiterating his passion for visiting India.
While Masakazu has always loved India, he was unaware about the censorship issues Shin Chan initially faced while it was telecast on TV. But it was eventually toned down because regulation was required in Japan as well. Having taken those changes on the positive side, the director said, "I wasn’t aware of the censorship issues in India, but Shin Chan has changed over the years. In Japan, it is not censorship, but there is regulation on what is fit for children. That is not bad because it is protecting them. For example, I am now blessed with children, and I ask them to not show their butts. Because Shin Chan is the children’s hero, everything he does is copied and mimicked by them. I feel these changes are for the good.”
It is not until this year's Mahavatar Narsimha that animated films have been profit-making in India, especially when compared to anime. Masakazu gives his two cents on what could be the reason. “There are several reasons. For example, in Japanese animation, the producers are well aware that it is going to be shown to a global audience, so it’s very high quality. In India, it’s not just Japanese content but also other international content available too, which Indian audiences are ready to accept.”
Shin Chan: The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India is the 33rd film of the anime series Crayon Shin-chan. Kimiko Ueno has penned the script for the upcoming film, which has already been released in Japan on August 8.