about us
Cranky Granny Productions Pvt Ltd is a world where creativity bonds with collaborations to produce a product peppered with vision, a voice and unadulterated entertainment.We at Cranky Granny Productions Pvt Ltd traipse through the world of marketing across verticals including sports and entertainment while creating and collaborating on various Intellectual Properties in the world of music, arts and cultural influences.Animation is a large part of our domain, catering to diverse age groups ranging from children’s animation shows to curating adult animation shows for the global market. Our team boasts of internationally acclaimed professionals and those that have left their indelible mark in the world of animation.At Cranky Granny Productions Private Limited we believe that while the sky may be the limit for most, we seek to break the shackles of the tried and tested and explore the unexplored, not bound by the sky or its limits.
DIRECTOR & Chairman
ARJUN DHANRAJ
A Multi-Disciplinary Artist is how Arjun Dhanraj introduces himself. A musician, an actor, a writer, songwriter, a voice over artist and now one of the pillars of Cranky Granny Productions, there isn’t much that Arjun doesn’t excel in. He discovered his love for music at the young age of three and started his first band NerveRek (pronounced Nerve Wreck) in 2003. The progressive Hard Rock band won a number of national level competitions such as JPMER, Campus Rock Idols, and Great Indian Rock amongst others. Arjun won a number of individual awards for Best Vocalist and Best Guitarist during this phase. NerveRek went on to share the stage with greats like ‘The Scorpions’, ‘Iron Maiden’ and ‘Pain of Salvation’, firmly stamping their presence as a band to be reckoned with.Not one to be defined by a particular style, Arjun started his next band, Arjun & the Teenage Men or ‘ATM’ in 2014. The band is a pop rock band and went on to release their debut EP (titled 'Shenanigans') on digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and others.
They also released 12 singles which were televised and aired in August 2019.He has also done voice work in Hindi and English for shows like Big Mouth, Human Resources, Disney’s Lion Guard, Vampirina, among others, and written English scripts and voiced for shows like Disney’s Art Attack, Monica Oh My Darling, Eternally Confused (Netflix), Four More Shots (Amazon Prime) and many others.Arjun has also Acted in theatre shows like Jesus Christ Superstar (directed by Alyque Padamsee), toured US, Canada, Dubai and Bangkok with Taj Express (directed by Shruti Merchant) and even acted in a couple of movies (My Friend Pinto - Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Aashayein - Nagesh Kukunoor).With Cranky Granny Productions, Arjun brings forth his creative genius to intellectual properties, amalgamating scripts, visuals, sound, sound effects, music and voicing into full fledged productions including animation shows.
DIRECTOR & CEO
Mrinalini Sharma
With 25 plus years of experience, Mrinalini Sharma has garnered a large array of knowledge and experience. An entrepreneur in spirit, Mrinalini started her own PR and Marketing firm and proceeded to explore the process of content creation, development and the business of entertainment while her company Infinite Expressions Pvt Ltd. made its mark.Always up for a challenge, Mrinalini proceeded to traverse into the world of sports as she took on the position of Chief Marketing Officer for the homegrown Mixed Martial Arts promotion, Kumite 1 League where the boxing legend Mike Tyson joined her marketing campaign to champion the cause of mixed martial arts in India.She further went on to introduce the global mixed martial arts promotion, Brave Combat Federation to India by securing the biggest broadcast deal in the history of combat sports in India.Mrinalini was with the Premier Handball League since inception as its Co-founder and has been instrumental in developing its marketing strategies and leading its sales initiatives in an endeavour which would introduce a global Olympic sport to India, giving wings to its athletes and taking the initiative to every household in the country. With Cranky Granny Productions, Arjun and Mrinalini further strategized and executed the marketing strategy for Tech Mahindra’s Global Chess League.With Cranky Granny Productions, Mrinalini once again dons the cap of a CEO, producer and pioneer by creating a wholistic environment for all things marketing, entertainment, sports and innovations.
OUR Team
ANIMATION DIRECTOR
ADITYA GUPTA
Aditya is an Animation Director and has almost two decades of experience in a wide range of TV series and short form projects.
He has been working on popular children's series such as Digby Dragon, Tree Fu Tom and Q-Pootle 5 showcased on CBeebies, Nickelodeon, Universal Kids, etc.
Most recently, he managed multiple animation teams across the UK and France in his role as Animation Director for The Adventures of Paddington.
Aditya has also contributed to other projects such as animated backdrops for live concerts and music videos for major international musicians such as AC/DC,
Rihanna, The Pineapple Thief and Madder Mortem as well as TV promos and advertisements for clients such as Lego, Playmobil, Shell and DHL among others.
LEAD ILLUSTRATOR
ANURAG CHANDRA
Anurag, after having served in the Indian navy for 14 years, in 2013, decided to hang up his whites and don the proverbial smock of an artist. Based in Mumbai, Bollywood beckoned and he started storyboarding for Ads and movies.Despite having had no formal education in the field, Anurag has been lucky enough to have worked with some of the best names in the industry and is currently one of the most sought after storyboard artists in India.He has been part of numerous Ads and Films, not only in India but Middle East and Europe too.His filmography includes blockbusters such as Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Bharat and many more.
HEAD OF PRODUCTION
Aditi kapadia
Aditi has 15+ years of cross industry experience in Operations and General Management. A problem solver above everything else, her key strengths are resource management, process creation and improvement. Success for her has always been measured by the efficiencies she has brought to teams, projects and, in her current role, an entire start-up operation.
She's handled large teams for a large part of her career, and her strong supervisory skills have helped her provide truly customer centric solutions in her roles across various industries.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
DEBPARNA BANERJEE
Deebparna "Debbie" Banarjee is a communications professional with over 15 years of experience across diverse sectors viz a vis Media & Entertainment, FMCG, BFSI, Healthcare, Hospitality, Tourism and Automobiles etc. Her work profile includes stints with corporate houses like Ten Sports to top-line PR consulting firms such as Genesis Burson-Marsteller & Adfactors PR.
At Ten Sports, she was heading communications and was responsible for the publicity of the corporate brand and its driver properties such as WWE, UEFA, MotoGP and various cricket series. Her stint across agencies entail clients such as SET MAX, BBC, PVR, Maruti Udyog, Thomas Cook, Master Card, Mirae Assets, Aviva Life Insurance, Bayer India, Johnson; Johnson, HUL among many others. Over the last 8 years, her career has expanded to include the media & entertainment industry.
music
Binary is a band spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Arjun Dhanraj and Ritesh John Dharmaraj. Binary brings you electrifying pop covers which will leave the audience singing and dancing through the concert. Binary presents a 90 minute to 2 hour set covering popular artists such as Sia, The Weekend, Chainsmokers, Imagine Dragons and many others.. Binary is a great fit for corporate shows and weddings with its foot tapping music, rich vocals and high octane stage presence! The band can also incorporate popular Bollywood Music in its set (additional budgets) featuring vocalists from the industry.
The Band Wagon features a touring band that pays tribute to multiple artists of specific genres. Each Band Wagon event caters to a genre, like 'Classic Rock Night' (paying tribute to bands like Guns N' Roses, Queen, AC/DC, etc), 'Queen Bees Night' (paying tribute to artists like Adele, Madona, Avril Lavigne, etc).
Each event features the Band Wagon official band, with a wide range of singers shuffling through the set.
Michael jackson Tribute
The King of Pop needs no introduction and neither do
Arjun and The Teenage Men (ATM) with their immensely popular Michael Jackson Tribute shows which have set many a stage on fire! A 4 piece band, ATM does a 90 minute to 2 hour set filled with Michael Jackson's most popular tracks, guaranteed to keep the audience dancing and singing along through the evening!
highlight
Events
Cranky Granny Productions proudly associated with the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Season 1 across disciplines, including creating the GCL Anthem ('The War Within'), curating their sponsorships and media alliances in India, and executing their pre marketing on ground activations across 5 cities.The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (Season 1) was viewed across 220 territories globally.
