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 The team at AnimAsians was heartbroken to hear the news that the South Asian fantasy series Boons and Curses wouldn't be moving forward at Netflix Animation Studios. We sat down with some of the writers and artists on the show for an inside look at what made this project so special, especially for South Asians in the industry. Tell us about the show and its original concept. Set in the South Asian inspired land of Maya, Boons and Curses follows a young girl, Rani, and cursed warrior-made-of-ghee, Baan, who must work together against the villainous Raj. This was a purely authentic South Asian animated series, not only on screen, but behind the scenes— cast, crew, and writers. It also was giving a first chance at joining industries for a lot of new voices. It had South Asian characters not just for the comedic relief, but as heroes! Unfortunately the show was canceled by Netflix Animation in April of 2022. Who were the crew involved in developing Boons and Curses?
What about this project made it stand out even from its early stages? Meena: We got the opportunity to show our culture has its own deep history and lore. With the model minority stereotype, you don’t often see South Asians as loud, impulsive, and adventurous. Our protagonist Rani was just that— she was grappling with growing up, but also bold enough to fail every episode. Shaina: I didn’t ever feel like we had to “play it safe” with our characters or storylines. We were given space to tell stories about dealing with your period as a South Asian girl who’s also trying to save the world, and even weaving in intergenerational trauma from a South Asian perspective. Nabi: I grew up watching and adoring Avatar: The Last Airbender but wanted something distinctively South Asian like it— Boons fulfilled my expectations and went above and beyond. I think it would be very special for South Asian kids to see themselves represented on screen like I wanted to see myself authentically represented in the shows I adored as a kid. How has being South Asian affected your work and how you navigate the industry? Nabi: People would hire me to freelance for a couple of weeks on their South Asian-themed projects (staffed largely by…well… white artists) and then let me go after I was done giving them the visuals they needed. I’ve walked into offices with my art pinned up on their walls as inspiration—yet they were hesitant to offer me a full-time job, or they’d be a little upset at how my designs didn’t fit into their version of what South Asians should look like. I particularly get asked a lot to lighten characters’ skin tones without any explanation as to why. I’m from Tamil Nadu and I can tell you, folks there do not look like the Bollywood models that exist in peoples’ fantasies! After a while of yearning for it and seeing it nowhere, I honestly just tried to find it on my own by burying myself in research about local folklore, particularly from southern India, and I made (and still make) a LOTTTT of original characters. What’s a highlight you can recall from the writer’s room on Boons and Curses? Shaina: We were breaking an episode where our protagonist Rani meets a “cooler older sister” persona, and Meena was like “What if Rani is on her period?” It added a whole new dimension, and I was fortunate enough to be able to write it. In order to make sure we were doing this topic justice, I led a Period Power Hour anyone in the crew could attend, and those who had experience dealing with periods were encouraged to share. It was a really powerful session, and so many people helped shape the episode. Meena: It was just liberating to have a dedicated time to talk about this in a room full of those who had similar experiences. It was something I wished I had when I got my first period. Whether we were hashing out plot or punching up dialogue, there was a sense that we were all there to protect our characters and make sure the representation felt authentic. More than that— telling inclusive stories can often mean putting a lot of yourself onto the page. What do you hope will happen next in this industry, and how can we work towards more and better representation? Shaina: We have to be unafraid of taking risks, and we need to be bold and strive for creating work that broadcasts perspectives that haven’t been seen before. Meena: We have to acknowledge that this isn’t a one show battle. Just because our show didn’t reach the next stage, we need to keep making space for other inclusive shows to have this opportunity. Successful representation requires Hollywood and our communities to invest in our stories for the long term. In what ways did Boons bring authenticity for South Asian culture? They hired as many South Asians in the industry as they could. Jay’s experience as an Indian-American also shone through in the way he led the project, and he and Jake were also committed to keep showcasing more authenticity by encouraging all of us to bring our own experiences to the table if we wanted to. South Asia isn’t made up of one group of people or culture— so the more perspectives, the merrier! It felt true to how we mix and mingle as the diaspora here. From a work environment standpoint, what was the culture of the project & crew like? We all exchanged helpful advice in a healthy environment, so I never felt too anxious to make friendly suggestions. Our more experienced crew members weren’t afraid to actually train us— Drake, our art director, and Tapan, our lead character designer, pushed our art to new levels and helped us keep our unique touches while still aligning with the show style. Most importantly, it felt like I was working with a bunch of friends. What does the project, and loss mean to you personally? It was like losing something precious I had helped make with this big, vibrant family. I think what I miss the most is being around my friends who creatively inspired me every single day. And it felt as if we as South Asians were being told our ideas won’t do well or are too big of a risk. How does Boons and Curses appeal to a wide audience? South Asia is the second-most populous region of the world, and besides that, we made sure the central themes of the story were things anyone could relate to, and we had characters of all ages and body types; there were hairy characters, disabled characters, characters of various complexions, queer characters, etc. We wanted to make sure anyone could see themselves in the Boons world.
Writers: Jordan (@deadswampsofsadness) | Point Person: Gaby, AIA Team
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