In the fourth edition of the comic book series revolving around the animated superhero Priya, the new enemy is invisible and insidious but not invincible – the coronavirus.
In Priya’s Mask, Priya and her flying tiger Sahas gets involved with efforts to rein in Covid-19. “Set against the rustic backdrop of Jodhpur, the narrative weaves around the escapades of eight-year-old Meena voiced by Sairah Kabir and her working mother who nurses COVID-19 infected patients and their cumulative sacrifices,” a press release stated.
Priya also forms an alliance with Pakistani superhero Burka Avenger to defeat Covid-19. “The virus does not understand or respect borders, so this was a natural synergy between both cultural heroes,” writer Shubhra Prakash said in a press statement.
Priya’s Mask has been released both in book form and as an animated short film. The book and film are available on the website www.priyashakti.com.
The animated film based on the book features the voices of Vidya Balan, Mrunal Thakur, Sairah Kabir and Rosanna Arquette. Thakur voices Priya, while Balan is Priya’s flying tigress Sahas. Sairah Kabir is the voice of Meena.
Ever since she was introduced in 2014, Priya has tackled the issues of rape, acid attacks, and sex trafficking. The series was created by Ram Devineni.
Priya’s Mask has been produced by Tanvi Gandhi, Indrani Ray and Monika Samtani and written by Shubhra Prakash. The illustrations and animation are by Syd Fini, Hamid Bahrami and Neda Kazemifar. The project was funded through a grant from the North India Office of the United States Embassy, New Delhi, in coordination with the Regional English Language Office.
“It was important to understand the emotional toll the pandemic and isolation has on young people, and provide a message of hope in the comic and film,” Ram Devineni said in a press statement.
Excerpted with permission from Priya’s Mask, Rattapallax.