Forty seven years ago, Chacha Chaudhary was born out of a cartoonist’s ink. Pran Kumar Sharma had then created a comic character, a wise old man who would solve the problems of the common people, with his brain and with his wit. Now, Chacha is going to be animated.

The animated series will be produced by Kerala’s Toonz Media Group in collaboration with Pran’s Features. Toonz will also distribute the series with Zamoza Brands handling the licensing and merchandising.

There will be 26 episodes of 22 minutes each in the series and it will be telecast on national and international channels.

Chacha, the petite old man who wears a turban and walks with a stick, had for years entertained comic lovers. He would be accompanied by his giant of an alien friend Sabu from planet Jupiter, and a dog called Rocket. Sometimes there would be his wife Chachi, named Bini, and an old truck called Dag-Dag. Together, Chacha and Sabu remind one of Asterix and Obelix, another comic series where Asterix is a wise little man and Obelix a rounded big one.

Unlike other superheroes though, Chacha has no super powers (even Asterix drinks a magic potion), nor does he like gadgets like Batman. He uses his brain to solve the problems. He is characterised as having a ‘brain sharper than a needle and faster than a super-computer’. About Sabu, his friend, it is said ‘When Sabu is angry, a volcano erupts at some distant place in Jupiter’. While Chacha is characterised around middle class Indian metro surroundings, he also keeps evolving with the passage of time.

The villains could be corrupt government officials, thieves, goons or bullies. One recurring villain is Raaka, who became an immortal giant after consuming an Ayurvedic potion.

“Familiarising the present generation to such an incredible realistic character led to the decision of recreating the comic,” says P Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group.