Animated Cockroach Returns to a Hero's Welcome

When Cocky, the animated cockroach created by Mumbai-based animator, Praful Manekar for the Oscar-award winning animated flick A Bug's Tale, emerged from the airport on Thursday morning, he was a picture of elegance waving his antennas gracefully like departed Princess Diana, to the large crowds gathered outside the Mumbai Airport awaiting his arrival. Perched comfortably inside the mobile phone of his creator, Praful, the animated cockroach who was awarded the trophy for 'The Best Animated Creation' enjoyed every minute of attention he was getting from the large gathering of journalists, cameramen, well-wishers and thousands of onlookers.

Cocky, the digital roach had beat Cribid, the animated frog from the movie 'Muppet Show', Floor-F, the animated robot from 'Floor-F' and Teetrex, the digital dragon from 'Dragon Attack' to emerge as the winner of the best developed animated character of the year.

Police protection, airport security, jostling crowds, popping flashbulbs, cheering fans...the star roach who brought glory for India at the Oscars had arrived. As Cocky emerged along with Praful Manekar, garlands, banners, posters and cut outs were waved and the repeated chant of  'Hsss Ho!' (the award winning song picturized on Cocky) filled the air. As soon as the duo emerged in the arrival area, a mad scramble broke out at the airport, sending both city cops as well as the airport police into a tizzy. Chaos reigned as everyone rushed towards Cocky to catch a glimpse of the animated Indian hero. Cocky and his creator Praful were immediately escorted out under tight police security.

A cleaner at the airport, wonder struck at the mass hysteria generated by the roach said, “I have been working at the airport for so many years and have seen many celebrities come and go. Even Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan don’t get such a grand reception.’’

Almost two hours before his flight landed, about 150 members of the animators team along with their animated creations arrived at the airport with banners and cutouts of Cocky & Praful. “We are going to take our pet digital cockroach in a special car. He has made us proud. Our entire team will escort him home,’’ said Dinesh Trivedi, general secretary of Federation of  All India Animators and their Animations (AIAAA).

The Oscar-winning cockroach spoke to the media for a short while at the airport. “I am really touched by this great welcome I have received. This award is for every Indian cockroach, for every Indian digital creation, for every Indian animator and.....(pause)..and...for every INDIAN.’’ Praful Manekar echoed the sentiment, saying, “I’m very happy that along with our countrymen, those at the Oscars have also recognised our talent in creating cute animated creatures.’’

“Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win an Oscar award,” said Cocky to the media men.

During the award ceremony, Cocky had touched the hearts of millions of Indians by dedicating the award to India. While collecting the award, a beaming and emotional Cocky had said "This is not just an award for a digital creation, but a piece of history that has been handed over to me.  I come from a country where you find cockroaches everywhere, even in the most unlikeliest of places like hotel rooms of English cricketers. Our presence is tolerated and endured by billions of Indians, even those who suffer from acute cockroach phobia. Its appropriate that the first animated cockroach to have been awarded an Oscar should have been developed by Indian animators. So I dedicate this award to my country."

 

Congress launches 'India Stinking' campaign

Keen to be part of the euphoric `Slumdog' bandwagon, Congress has rightfully counted the eight Oscars as part of its 'achievements' of its nearly five decade reign over India. The party has taken credit for the 'Indian triumph' and hinted that such a momentous triumph wouldn't have been possible without congress government's continual gross mismanagement of Indian cities.

In an unmistakable resonance of the previous NDA government's `India Shining' slogan, Congress has floated the idea of a 'Stinking India' and said that the Oscars swept by Slumdog Millionaire symbolises rotten, stinking India - a poverty-stuck India which has emerged as a result of congress government's persistent efforts over five decades of governance.

"We salute the true heroes of stinking India who are at their best in 'Slumdog Millionaire' portraying gristly the real India we have created through our lopsided policies, lack of urban planning and rural mismanagement.  It's a film of poor India, a decaying India that might not have existed without our assistance." Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.

"We are proud that in the conducive environment of bad governance provided by repeated Congress governments at the centre and in the states, India has become 'Stinking India' which has allowed us a moment of glory at the Oscars " he said.

Rejecting criticism that a rotten, stinking India was not a matter of pride and glory, but rather of shame and humiliation, Singhvi reminded that India was the only poor country in the world to receive such laurels. "Half the world is poor, there are countries poorer than India, but it takes a special kind of creativity to be so pitiably poor, so heart-wrenchingly poor that it attracts the attention of the best talents in the world and inspires them to make such brilliant movies."

Singhvi also defended the statement by her party leader, Sonia Gandhi that the movie 'represented the finest traditions of our film industry' considering that Danny Boyle, the director of the movie categorically rejected the claims that Slumdog Millionaire was a Bollywood movie by pointing out that it is a British film - 'very gritty in the beginning and very realistic because our film culture is based on that kind of realism which in Hollywood and Bollywood isn’t quite there' - due to its realistic style compared to the escapism of regular Indian movies.

"We shouldn't forget that India was the jewel of the British crown. We were the largest wealth producing country for the British empire serving as an excellent resource for raw materials and labour. Its a matter of great pride for us that even sixty years after independence, we continue to provide the Britishers with resources like our magnificent slums and allow them to win international laurels on our behalf." said Singhavi.