Anshuman Misra Joins Sharad Devarajan’s Graphic India

Graphic India, the global leader in Indian-themed character entertainment, announced today that respected media executive, Anshuman Misra has joined the company as EVP & Country Head for India.

In his new role, Misra will be working closely with global Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan to expand the Company’s operations in the region across animation, live action and the metaverse, to further Graphic India’s mission of creating original Indian superheroes, mythological worlds, and character entertainment franchises. 

Graphic India was recently the creator and producer of the hit streaming series, “The Legend of Hanuman,” which was ranked by independent data analytics group, Ormax Media as the #2 show in India on SVOD Platforms for all of 2021, with over 23 million viewers, setting an unprecedented milestone for the original Indian animation industry. Its other properties include, "Chakra The Invincible" created by Devarajan and Stan Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men and The Avengers) and “Baahubali The Lost Legends,” an animated series based on the hit film franchise with over 70 episodes;

Devarajan and Graphic India are also a producer on the upcoming live-action film, “The Archies” which was recently announced by Netflix and directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Tiger Baby.

Misra comes to Graphic India as a seasoned media professional with over two decades of experience as managing director/CEO of major media brands such as Turner/ Warner Media/ BBC in India and Asia Pacific. He launched global brands such as CNNI, BBC World, HBO, Cartoon Network in India and formed pioneering joint ventures such as Zee Turner and CNN IBN (now CNN18). 

In 2015, Misra initiated, established and later exited a digital media business in Southeast Asia and more recently launched the world’s largest kids’ influencer media brand, pocket.watch Inc., in Asia Pacific as its managing director for the region.

"I feel privileged to be associated with a dynamic company such as Graphic India with its clear goal to establish itself as the Indian superhero content company for home and abroad,” commented Misra. “I look forward to accomplishing that mission with the help of the super talent we have at Graphic India and with the guidance of our founder Sharad Devarajan."

“Anshuman Misra has a proven track record as a media leader who has established some of the most iconic brands and businesses in India. I am thrilled and honored to bring his wealth of experience to Graphic India as we expand our mission to create characters, heroes and stories that are uniquely Indian, but entertaining and inspiring to audiences around the world,” commented Devarajan. “India has the world’s largest youth population and its time it shared an equivalent portion of the annual $100 billion-dollar global character entertainment and licensing industry.”

With superhero, fantasy and sci-fi content dominating the global media landscape, there has never been a better time to bring India’s own unique worldview and mythic storytelling into these genres. Graphic India targets India’s 650-million youth under the age of 25, and the wider global youth audience, who is now more digitally interconnected and embracing of international content than any previous generation.

The Company has produced over 200 animated episodes and over 300 comics and graphic novels and is also developing over a dozen live action film and TV projects across Hollywood, and Bollywood. With hundreds of stories and thousands of characters, Graphic India’s library of comic book characters and titles include Devi, The Sadhu, 18 Days, Shadow Tiger, Avatarex, Mistry PI, Shikari Force, Reincarnation Man, The Mighty Yeti, Monkey Master, and many more.

Graphic India also recently spun-out a new digital media startup, Toonsutra, to become India’s first India-focused mobile webtoon business. 

Graphic India was launched by an acclaimed group of investors including, U.S. comic book company Liquid Comics, Start Media and CA Media, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group. The company’s partners and investors bring together decades of experience in building businesses in character entertainment, media and India.