Chhota Bheem

Plot

The story takes place in the kingdom of Dholakpur, where a young boy named Bheem, often called Chhota Bheem, lives. He is clever and incredibly strong, and the villagers love him for his kind heart and willingness to help. His close companions include Chutki, Raju, and a blue talking monkey named Jaggu. Together, they solve problems, uncover mysteries, defend Dholakpur from villains, and stop the schemes of rivals Kalia, Dholu, and Bholu, who try to embarrass Bheem.

Sometimes their own mischief gets them into trouble. Episodes often feature supernatural threats like the demon king Kirmada or an evil witch. The gang also takes part in contests within Dholakpur and nearby kingdoms, celebrates Indian festivals, and protects nature.

Characters

Chhota Bheem is the main protagonist of the show. He is a 9-year old young boy. Bheem is an adventurous, fun-loving but virtuous boy who is gifted with superhuman strength. This strength can be powered up by consuming ladoos, his favourite food.

Bheem appears bare-chested, wearing an orange dhoti and a gold pendant. He has brown hair. Chutki is a young 7-year old girl and the daughter of Tuntun Mausi, the sweet-maker. She often helps Bheem sneak ladoos from her mother's shop.

Chutki is the brains of the team. She's depicted as fair-skinned having pink blush applied on her cheeks wearing a purple floral lehenga and has her brown hair in twin braids. Raju is a daring, and mischievous 4-year old boy, he is a bald toddler with only two strands of hair on his head who wears nothing but his blue underpants. Jaggu is a blue, talking monkey.

Jaggu has a special way of solving problems, using tricks accompanied by his sense of humour. Bheem learns useful techniques like swinging from trees from him. He can also communicate with other animals. Whenever they are really hungry, Jaggu assists them in stealing ladoos.

He also loves playing tricks on Kalia, Dholu and Bholu. Kalia is an envious bully. He is 10-years old and depicted as an ambitious boy who is always outshone by Bheem. He has two fearful lackeys, Dholu and Bholu, twin brothers who sometimes help him with his plans and, at other times, quickly abandon him.

He often blows his own trumpet by claiming he is the strongest and most courageous person. Whenever any problem arises, he runs away. Despite his competitive personality, he also helps the gang out for important matters (such as an attack on Dholakpur) and will put aside his own rivalries and pride for the greater good. And whenever he witnesses Bheem's other rivalry with Kichak, he'll often show support towards Bheem.

He is depicted as a tall and overweight boy wearing only a short tied-up grey dhoti and lots of gold jewellery. Dholu and Bholu are identical twins and followers of Kalia. Though they are not strong themselves, they bask in Kalia's strength. Despite their support for a bully, they have kind hearts and have also won a trophy for their close brotherhood.

But sometimes, they argue among themselves and get scolded by Kalia. They are differentiated by their clothing, each twin wears a similar set of olive green and brown turban, t-shirt and pants with opposite colouring.

Production

Rajiv Chilaka wanted to create his own intellectual property and established Green Gold Animation in 2001. After struggling to get TV channels to pick up Indian animation content, his company produced Vikram Betal and Krishna shows, which convinced Pogo TV to give Chhota Bheem a chance. The series first appeared in 2008 on Pogo TV. Chilaka conceived an adventurous young boy with the strength and attributes of Bhima from Mahabharata, living in an unspecified period in medieval India.

He was influenced by Disney's animated shows, Tintin, Amar Chitra Katha, and other superhero comics. The show is financed by Samir Jain. Writers include Raj Viswanadha (first four years), Arun Shendurnikar, and Nidhi Anand.

Spin-offs

Mighty Raju is the first spin-off, focusing on Raju in the modern world with superpowers, living in the city Aryanagar. Arjun – Prince of Bali is the second spin-off, based on the character Arjun from Chhota Bheem and the Throne of Bali; it features the young prince of Bali with his friends and pet tiger Zimbu, existing in the same timeline as Chhota Bheem, and aired from 1 June 2014 to 11 September 2016 on Disney Channel India.

Super Bheem, a third spin-off launched in 2017, is an updated 3D version of Bheem with superpowers, originally premiering on Pogo TV in 2017 and airing on Cartoon Network in 2019. Mighty Little Bheem, a fourth spin-off launched in 2019 on Netflix, focuses on a 1- or 2-year-old Bheem. Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka, the fifth spin-off, launched on January 12, 2020, and is the third series in 3D CGI format.

Did You Know?

• Kalia is 10 years old, while Bheem is 9, Chutki is 7, and Raju is 4.
• The show is available in English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Marathi.