Toy Stories

Ajay Purushithaman (aka Ningal Malayali Ano) has been creating a unique art series. His current area of interest is toy face profiles, a style that is quite popular in the NFT (non-fungible token) trading world. With around 600 works in his collection, Ajay has been creating waves across various NFT platforms. 

The artist has been a great cartoon lover all his life. After finishing Class 12, he immediately joined a diploma course in graphic designing and animation at an academy in Kannur. His inspiration? The release of movie Avatar, an epic science fiction which was released around the time. 

“I started the toy face collection very organically. Before that, I was doing 2D artwork and animations. When I learnt about NFT, I put out some of my new works, and those happened to be toy face profiles. When they gained popularity, something I didn’t expect myself, I decided to stick with it,” says Ajay. 

The 31-year-old soon started putting out 3D animations with his characters. Former US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s supreme leader dancing to a hit hip-hop track, Keanu Reeves as John Wick on his way to get revenge and the most notable one — characters of the evergreen Bollywood movie Sholay dancing together.

Profiles of people from all ethnicity and colour, religions, tribes and genders get their adorable avatars in Ajay’s hands — fishermen, scuba divers, gamers, ninjas and magicians. “It is challenging to draw such a diverse set of characters as toy faces. The basics are pretty much the same. I have to find ways to channelise my imagination into a limited space. I am determined to create 1,000 characters in a similar style. That will be a true challenge for me,” says Ajay. 

“Every day, after a busy day at work, I decide who I will create that day. That’s my first decision before drawing. Since I started the series, I have been drawing at least one character a day. I will finish the collection at least by 2023, I think,” he quips. 

Ajay, who is currently working as an art director in a Bengaluru-based advertising firm, had been working from home since the pandemic started. “That is why I have been able to draw every day. Otherwise, none of this would have happened. After playing with my baby, I work when my family sleeps. Even if it’s as late as 3am, I sleep only after finishing my drawing,” says Ajay. 

His unique tag, Ningal Malayali Ano, is a hit among the artist community. “It is a great tool to connect with Malayalis across the globe. I am a living breathing poster boy of Kerala promotion,” he quips. 

Instagram: @ajnambi

Universal art
Ajay’s works have a global quality to them. It is this cosmopolitan attitude that makes his work sell fast, even on international platforms.