Much-loved Indian comic character Common Man, created by cartoonist and illustrator Padma Vibhushan Shri RK Laxman, is getting a new animated lease on life.

Common Man Works, a joint-venture between Mumbai-based CGI animation studio Assemblage Entertainment and RK IPR Management, will launch animated TV and online content built around the 67-year-old IP in 2019. It’s also digitizing Laxman’s original comic strips and plans to launch additional content on social media and AR/VR platforms. New characters, including Common Woman, will join the iconic journeyman in the coming months to provide different perspectives and a better foundation for storytelling. There are also plans to expand the property into consumer products in categories like toys, collectibles and live/location-based brand experiences.

India is on a mission to build up its animation industry, and this year saw Toonz Media Group turn its popular online and mobile game app Smighties into a 39 x seven-minute digital series for kids.