🎙️What first drew you toward animation, and how did your career lead you into the gaming industry?

💬 My journey into animation began with a deep fascination for storytelling and movement. How drawings could be brought to life and evoke emotions. What started as curiosity soon turned into a lifelong passion, and in 2011, I officially stepped into the animation industry as a professional animator. I began my career in television animation, working in production studios across Pune, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. During this phase, I had the opportunity to contribute to some iconic shows such as Ninja Hattori, Shaktimaan, Ben 10, and others. Seeing my work broadcast on major channels like Cartoon Network and Pogo was incredibly motivating and helped build a strong foundation in character animation, teamwork, and production pipelines. As the industry evolved, my interest gradually shifted toward interactive media, which led me into the mobile gaming industry. I joined Rocksalt Games in Hyderabad, where I worked for over three years. This phase was a major turning point in my career. I gained hands-on experience in game animation and worked on popular titles such as Monster Legends, Dragon City, FarmVille, and Hocus Puzzle. Game animation challenged me to think beyond visuals—considering gameplay, user interaction, and performance optimization—which significantly expanded my skill set. After that, I joined Pragmatic Play in Noida, where I am still associated today under the Arrise India banner. Working here has allowed me to grow further as an animator while being part of large-scale, high-quality productions. When Arrise decided to expand its business operations to Kolkata, I moved back to my hometown and became the first person to join the Kolkata office—something I take great pride in, as it allowed me to contribute not just creatively but also during a crucial growth phase of the studio. From television animation to mobile gaming and now large-scale gaming production, my journey has been one of continuous learning, adaptation, and passion for animation. Even today, I remain excited about evolving with the industry and sharing my knowledge with the next generation of animators.

🎙️ You’ve worked across multiple tools, from Flash to Spine. How has your creative approach evolved with these transitions in technology?

💬 I always like to say that my foundation as an animator is traditional. I started my career animating on paper, using a light box—the oldest and most fundamental form of animation. That phase taught me the true essence of animation: timing, spacing, weight, and emotion. When you animate frame by frame on paper, there are no shortcuts. Your understanding of movement has to be very strong, and that foundation still guides my creative decisions today. As the industry shifted toward digital platforms, I adapted naturally. Tools like Flash, Toon Boom, and Harmony introduced new efficiencies, but my creative approach remained the same. Whether I was drawing on paper or using a pen tablet and monitor, the core principles of animation never changed—only the medium did. Later, when 2D gaming became more prominent, Flash was widely used for game animation. However, as industry demands grew for better performance, optimized workflows, and smoother real-time animation, we transitioned to Spine. Learning Spine was not just about mastering a new tool—it required a mindset shift toward modular animation, rigging, and performance-friendly design for games. This is something I strongly emphasize: software will keep changing, but animation principles do not. With every technological shift, my creative approach didn’t reset—it evolved and became more refined. Each tool added new possibilities and challenged me to think smarter, more efficiently, and more creatively. Adapting through change has been a continuous process of learning, unlearning, and upgrading skills based on industry needs. I believe this adaptability is essential not only for personal growth but also for guiding young animators—helping them understand that tools are temporary, but strong fundamentals make a long-lasting animator.

🎙️ When you begin a new project, what’s your process for giving life and expression to animated characters or elements in games?

💬 For me, bringing life and personality into animation always begins with planning and visualization. Before touching any software, I make sure I clearly understand what I am creating and why. This means understanding the project requirements—who the character or element is for, the theme of the game, the target audience, and the emotional tone it needs to convey. Once the purpose is clear, I visualize the movement in my mind. I often think in terms of acting—how the character would think, react, and move in a given situation. Even for simple game elements, personality comes from intention. A jump, an idle, or a win animation should always communicate something to the player. After visualization, I break the motion down into key poses and timing. I focus on strong silhouettes, clear readability, and smooth transitions, keeping gameplay responsiveness in mind. In games especially, animation must feel alive but also quick and functional, so balancing expression with performance is very important. As a mentor, I always stress that tools don’t create personality—choices do. Whether working in traditional animation or modern tools like Spine, the fundamentals remain the same: timing, spacing, anticipation, and follow-through. When these principles are applied thoughtfully, even simple animations become engaging. In short, my process is about understanding, planning, visualizing, and then executing with purpose. That approach helps me create animations that not only move well but also connect emotionally with players.

🎙️ Is there any particular software or workflow that’s had a major impact on how you create or manage animations today?

💬 Yes, definitely. The biggest impact on how I create and manage animations today comes from combining specialized animation software with a structured production workflow. Tools like Spine for 2.5D animation have completely changed how I approach efficiency, reusability, and iteration. Instead of animating everything frame by frame, I focus on modular rigs, well-organized timelines, and real-time adjustments, which is especially important for game and interactive animation. From a workflow perspective, planning is just as important as the animation itself. I usually begin with clear naming conventions, organized asset folders, and a simple animation blueprint. This structure saves time, reduces errors, and makes revisions and collaboration much smoother. Spine also allows me to plan animations more intelligently—by creating reusable rigs, separating animations logically, and optimizing assets for real-time performance. In game development, smooth playback, memory efficiency, and fast iteration are just as critical as visual quality. As a mentor, I always emphasize that a strong workflow is as important as strong animation fundamentals. These tools help me demonstrate principles like timing, spacing, and weight in a practical, production-ready way. Today, my focus is not only on creating appealing motion, but also on building pipelines that are scalable, flexible, and future-ready—so both students and professionals can work smarter, not just harder.

🎙️ How do you ensure smooth communication and alignment between animation, art, and game design teams during development?

💬 Collaboration in production is essential because game development is a true team effort. To ensure smooth communication between animation, art, game design, and development teams, I focus first on understanding the requirements of each department—especially designers, programmers, artists, and stakeholders. At the start of a task, I make sure we align on goals, technical constraints, and gameplay needs. This includes discussing animation requirements with game designers, performance and implementation details with developers, and visual consistency with the art team. I also pay close attention to technical inputs, such as timing, state machines, and even mathematical considerations like interpolation, blending, and performance limits. Throughout development, I keep communication open through regular check-ins, shared documentation, and clear feedback loops. I often share early previews or test animations so other teams can review and provide input before things are finalized. This helps catch issues early and keeps everyone aligned. As a mentor, I always emphasize that good communication is part of the workflow. When animators understand design intent and technical constraints—and other teams understand animation needs—the process flows smoothly. The result is not just better animation, but a more cohesive, efficient, and collaborative production pipeline.

🎙️ What are your thoughts on iGamity and its effort to bring creative professionals and studios together through these talks?

💬 First of all, thank you for the opportunity to talk about this — iGamity is truly a great platform and conversation starter in our industry. I think what iGamity is doing with its Talks series is an important initiative because it brings creative professionals, studios, and thought leaders together in a way that fosters real insight and cross-disciplinary learning. Through these talks, animators, artists, designers, and even technical creators share their experiences, workflows, challenges, and creative philosophies. This not only helps the community understand how others approach real problems, but also inspires emerging talent by making industry practices more transparent and accessible. In an industry where collaboration is key and knowledge can be siloed, platforms like iGamity help break those silos and encourage open dialogue between studios and practitioners. They create space for peer learning, networking, and shared growth — which is especially valuable in sectors like game development and animation where innovation happens at the intersection of multiple disciplines. Overall, I see iGamity’s efforts as a positive influence — empowering professionals, highlighting diverse voices, and strengthening the creative ecosystem through meaningful discussion.

🎙️ What advice would you share with animators who want to build a strong career in gaming and digital media?

💬 My main advice to aspiring animators is to build a strong foundation in the fundamentals while staying adaptable to industry needs. No matter how advanced the tools are, principles like timing, spacing, weight, and clarity are what make animation feel believable—especially in games and digital media. At the same time, understand that game animation is not just about visuals; it’s about interaction. Learn how animations are implemented in real-time engines, how they blend, loop, and respond to player input. Having even a basic understanding of game design, technical constraints, and performance optimization will set you apart. I also encourage animators to focus on workflow and collaboration. Games are built by teams, so communication with designers, developers, and artists is a key skill. Be open to feedback, iterate quickly, and always think about how your work fits into the bigger pipeline. Finally, keep learning and stay curious. The industry evolves constantly, so invest time in improving your skills, studying great work, and sharing your knowledge. A strong career is built not just on talent, but on consistency, adaptability, and a passion for continuous growth Learn deeply, iterate fast, and never stop improving