One of Bollywood’s leading animators has been in Bradford working with students at the city’s Film School.

Dhananjay Khore has been giving aspiring film-makers, animators and photographers at the Bradford-Whistling Woods International Film School an insight into the industry.

He told students about his rise from fine art graduate to world-class animator.

“In 1995 Russian production company Soviet Multi-film came to India and selected 50 fine art students out of almost 1,000 from across the country. I was picked and trained in traditional animation by these legendary animators,” said Mr Khore, whose work is described as “technically remarkable and imaginatively astonishing”.

He directed his first full-length animation feature film in India. The critically acclaimed production, a dramatic love story called Bhagmati – The Queen of Fortune, was showcased at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2003.

Mr Khore’s love of animation was sparked by his mother, who shared with him an animation clip she had seen on television when he was a young fine art student.

Asked what makes a good animator, he said: “I think it’s important to have really good drawing and visualisation skills, which allows you to imagine and create a story for your audience.

“I have very good drawing skills and the ability to transfer those dreams onto paper. In order to be successful in the industry today, you also need to be technically competent too.”

Offering advice to students starting out in the industry, he added: “Be honest with yourself, don’t try to be something you’re not – and you have to have a real passion for animation.”

During his two-week visit, Mr Khore has been delivering experimental animation workshops and one-to-one sessions with Bradford film students.

Bradford-WWI Film School – a partnership between Bradford College and Whistling Woods International – opened last September.