🎨 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