Mumbai : Canvas, an Indian microdrama and vertical entertainment app built for global audiences, will launch Project Maya, India’s first original short-form anime series, in the first week of October. The Hindi series has been created over 12 months by a team of 30 Indian animators and creators from across the country.
The central theme of the series draws a contrast between what the idea of independence meant to Indians nearly a century ago and what it means to a younger generation today. Through Indian characters, landscapes and cultural references, the show examines how the meaning of freedom has evolved across generations.
The series will initially be released in Hindi on the Canvas app. It will subsequently be dubbed into English and regional Indian languages as Canvas looks to take the story to a wider domestic and international audience.
The show has been created by Otaku Bharat, an Indian short-form anime studio that brings together animators and artists to develop original anime properties rooted in Indian stories, characters and landscapes. Designed for mobile viewing, the series will unfold through short episodes, combining the visual style and emotional storytelling associated with anime with a narrative grounded in India.
Voice actor Sanket Mhatre, known for lending his voice to Ben 10 and several other popular animated characters, has lent his voice to the series. Rob Pereyda, former Head of Anime at Netflix, is associated with the project as executive producer.
Abhinav Singla, Co-founder and CEO of Canvas, said, “India has one of the most passionate anime audiences in the world, but the stories watched here are still largely created outside the country. This series has been developed by Indian animators, voiced by Indian artists and built around a question that is deeply relevant to us. What did independence mean to people a century ago, and what does it mean to a young Indian today?”
The launch comes as anime moves beyond a niche fan community in India and becomes a more visible part of youth culture. While international anime titles have built large audiences in the country, the ecosystem for original Indian anime remains at an early stage. The new series seeks to demonstrate that Indian creators can build anime properties that are locally rooted while remaining accessible to global audiences.
It also represents Canvas’s effort to expand microdramas beyond relationship-led and family-conflict narratives. The platform is developing short-form shows across animation, comedy, documentary, food, travel and lifestyle to bring greater variety to mobile-first entertainment.
“Thirty animators and creators worked on this series for nearly a year. That investment of time matters because we did not want to simply place Indian names and locations inside a familiar format. The ambition was to develop a visual world and story that feel Indian at their core. The planned regional-language and English versions will help us take that story to audiences beyond its original Hindi release,” Singla added.
Canvas has crossed 50,000 app installs globally, partnered with more than 50 creators and built an Instagram community of over 350,000 followers. Its short-form shows have recorded an average of approximately one million views per show. The company is also producing around 10 shows in New York as it expands its international creator and production network.
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