Sharad Devarajan, along with Suresh Seetharaman and Jeevan J. Kang, reimagined Spiderman as Pavitr Prabhakar growing up in Mumbai, swinging from rickshaws and celebrating Diwali, marking a unique chapter in the Marvel universe
In 2003, Sharad Devarajan, Suresh Seetharaman and Jeevan J. Kang co-created the character and its original comic series, Spider-Man: India, which made its debut in 2004. Photo Courtesy: Sharad Devarajan
For comic book lovers and superhero movie buffs, it would be impossible to imagine a life without deep-diving into the life of Spiderman. In the last two decades, the popular Marvel character has been more popularly immortalised by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland and the voice of Shameik Moore. The character has found its way into the homes of people around the world including India, ever since its comic book debut in 1962, owing to the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) on screen.
Interestingly, when the Marvel character was becoming popular in India, there was another version of him that came to life in the country, as three graphic artists brought their desi flavour to recreate Spiderman. In 2003, Sharad Devarajan, Suresh Seetharaman and Jeevan J. Kang co-created the character and its original comic series, Spider-Man: India, which made its debut in 2004. Almost 20 years later, the Indian Spider-Man made an appearance in a movie.
Every year since 2014, August 1 is celebrated as Spider-Man Day to commemorate the iconic superhero. While his original birthday is said to be on August 10 and has even been mentioned in the most recent films, fans are divided. However, many have achieved a consensus to celebrate Spider-Man Day not only on the first day but throughout the month.
In time with the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in June, which featured the Indian Spider-Man Pavitr Prabhakar, voiced by Indian-American actor Karan Soni, mid-day.com spoke to Devarajan, the co-creator of the Indian Spider-Man about the character. He also spoke about the inspiration, influence, and meeting Stan Lee since then.
Here are the edited excerpts: