"Sanjay's Super Team," an animated short featuring Hinduism and directed by Sanjay Patel, received a nomination for animated short film at the Oscars earlier this week, earning a share in the spotlight at the year's biggest award show.
The crowd at San Diego Comic-Con fell hard for Pixar's upcoming short "Sanjay's Super Team," one of the studio's most heartwarming films yet.
The short is a story about a young boy whose prime interests lie in watching cartoons and playing with his action figures, thus sparking his love for superheroes, even more than his family's Hindu faith.
"Sanjay would much rather watch cartoons and play with his action figures than join his father for puja, a daily Hindu ritual of meditation and prayer. But as the film progresses, Sanjay begins to imagine the gods he is praying to as superheroes, sparking his interest in Hinduism," according to a media report.
This seven-minute film played in theaters before the showing of Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur".
The executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, Suhag Shukla told reporters that she was elated upon her faith getting an opportunity to feature on such a huge platform. It has been noted that although the genre of religion is popular among movies like "Noah" or "Exodus: Gods and Kings", it is rare for Hinduism to be featured in the popular media.
According to reporters, "Shukla said that while growing up, she rarely saw characters who reflected her experience or the way she looked. She is excited for her two children to see the short film and thinks it is a step in the right direction."
It was also reported that the childhood experience of Patel, the animated short's director, was reflected in the story, emerging as the basis of the film. The story is "bound to connect with children of all ages and races, as well as help those outside of the Hindu culture understand their deities a little better."
Hindus compose 0.7 percent of the U.S. population, according to Pew Research Center.
(deseretnews.com) (picture courtesy: businessinsider.in)