In the book of Zulfat Hakim «Tugan Batyr and the Saber of Truth», the hero is waiting for exciting adventures. In search of a miracle saber, Tugan finds himself far from his homeland, where he honorably overcomes trials due to his intelligence, endurance, loyal friends and kind heart.
Book «Tugan Batyr and the Saber of Truth»
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and buy on Ozon:
and buy on Ozon:
In the fairy tale, the brave Tugan Batyr saves Ayla and goes to Anatolia for the Moon Flower. The story celebrates greatness of spirit, kindness and sacrifice, showing that a true hero has got a noble heart.
Book «Tugan Batyr and the Moon Flower»
Select language
and buy on Ozon:
and buy on Ozon:
"Serious Investments Needed": Airat Bashirov Joins the Tugan Batyr Project
Coming soon is the release of the third book about the "Tatar Batman", an animated series, a full-length film and a computer game
"I believe that the project will be financially successful. But what caught my attention more is that this fairy tale can form a positive image in children's minds that they should strive for," this is how Airat Bashirov, President of the Danaflex Group of Companies, explains his interest in the Tugan Batyr project, which was launched two years ago by entrepreneur Radik Abdrakhmanov. Two books have already been published about the new Tatar hero in several languages, and large-scale festivals and presentations at major international venues have been held under his auspices. The arrival of a major investor will allow the social initiative to be scaled up and make its monetization possible. Read the details in our article.
"What caught my attention more is that this fairy tale can form a positive image in children's minds that they should strive for," this is how Airat Bashirov, President of the Danaflex Group of Companies, explains his interest in the Tugan Batyr project.
In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with historians in honor of National Unity Day, complained about the dominance of Western characters in stores and on screen. "Batman is known, but some of our heroes are not," the head of state said. He instructed to take measures to popularize heroes "who meet traditional values." In Tatarstan, this work began even before the president's order on the initiative of Radik Abdrakhmanov, co-owner of the national restaurant complex "Tugan Avylym." He first presented the "Tugan Batyr" project at the end of 2021. His goal is to create the image of a new Tatar hero who will be as popular as the characters of Western comics and children's blockbusters.
The project is based on the fairy tale-legend about Tugan Batyr, a brave dzhigit driven by love for his native land and family, and the desire to reunite his people. The iconic Tatar writer, playwright, and bard Zulfat Khakim has already written two books dedicated to the exploits of Tugan Batyr. They were published in Tatar, Russian, English, Arabic, Turkish, and Chinese. "Khakim has very deep philosophical thoughts. I think adults will also find these books interesting," Abdrakhmanov shared with us.
The project is based on the fairy tale-legend about Tugan Batyr, a brave dzhigit driven by love for his native land and family, and the desire to reunite his people.
The project is currently in the active development stage, the authors had a "rich, even breakthrough year," the project founder said. The image of the national hero is gradually going beyond the pages of books. The authors are currently working on an animated series and a full-length film. Mobile and computer games are also planned. A children's play based on the legend has already been created. There is an application in the "living pages" format. On the brand's website, you can order clothes with Tugan Batyr symbols (a collaboration with the Alga brand), handmade dolls, Tatar desserts, bracelets, keychains, etc.
Under the auspices of Tugan Batyr, the children's vocal competition "Balachak" was held (more than 1.5 thousand applications from all over Russia, 300 finalists came to Kazan). And the third sports festival "Tugan Batyr" in November 2023 brought together 400 athletes aged 7 to 14. "Our mufti (Kamil Samigullin - the spiritual mentor of the project - editor's note) says that every man can love or not love to fight, but he must be able to fight. This generally speaks of the formation of a masculine character,” Abdrakhmanov explains to us.
The pride of the project is the archery tournament in Yelabuga, which took place in September 2023, and was attended by about 30 thousand spectators from all over Russia. The sports competitions were held in the format of an ethnofestival - guests and participants were able to experience the nomadic culture by living in a tent city. “Such ethnofestivals are held in many countries of the Eastern world: in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and other regions of Russia. We have never had anything like this, so we decided to hold such an event in the concept of “Tugan Batyr”. It was very large-scale and beautiful!” our interlocutor recalls.
Ayrat Bashirov will sponsor the animated series, and the first season alone will cost 360 million rubles.
Currently, the project is mostly financed by Abdrakhmanov himself. The rest of “Tugan Batyr” was supported by the presidential grants fund and the cultural initiatives fund. But the authors of the project have even more grandiose plans for the future. Let us recall that a cartoon series will be filmed about Tugan Batyr (the first season will have 52 episodes), and the culmination of the story will be made into a separate full-length animated film. "I realized that the project needs serious investment," our interlocutor noted.
For financial advice, he turned to his old friend, the president of the Danaflex group of companies, Airat Bashirov. He strongly dissuaded him from attracting credit funds - it is too risky at the initial stage, when the project is not yet generating profit. The entrepreneur recommended looking for private investors. "I myself wanted to participate in the project. Firstly, I sincerely believe that the project will be financially successful. But what caught my attention more was that this fairy tale can form a positive image in children's minds, which they should strive for. It is at such a young age that they can be most influenced," Bashirov told the publication. "I myself grew up on fairy tales and raised my children on them. I always tried to ensure that they retain this understanding: a good positive hero will always end well. A bad hero with bad intentions will end badly," he explained his personal interest in the project. This is not the businessman's first investment in education. For many years, Bashirov has been investing in the Globus education center, owned by his wife, Lyutsiya Bashirova.
According to sources, filming the first season of the animated series costs 360 million rubles. A full-length film will cost another 500 million. The payback period is 4 years. So far, Bashirov is financing the project based on needs. At the same time, other investors have already shown interest. Rustem Mirgalimov, managing partner of the direct investment fund AVG Capital Partners, the main beneficiary of the management company TAVROS, and the junior partner in this project, Ragde Safin, are also entering the project. Rustem Gabdulkhakovich was deputy chairman of the board of Ak Bars Bank, a member of the supervisory board of the National Association of Securities Market Participants, and chairman of the board of directors of the “Razgulyay” group.
In the future, the authors also hope for government support. This summer, Tugan Batyr LLC was created, the main activity of which is the production of films. Currently, 100% of the company belongs to Abdrakhmanov, after the New Year, Bashirov will join it, but the founder of the project will remain the controlling founder.
“Sale of intellectual property can bring in significant income.”
The first episodes of the animated series “Tugan Batyr” will be released at the end of 2024. “We are still deciding where we will show the animated series. There are sites that want exclusive rights to it. But our team does not want this. We want “Tugan Batyr” to be freely shown on television channels,” Abdrakhmanov said.
The Moscow animation studio “Terra Anima” is working on the animated series (the team left the “Aeroplan” studio, which created “The Fixies”). The teaser of the cartoon was first shown at KazanForum this year. The images created in the first season will be used in the full-length film and in the creation of a computer game, which will reduce the cost of future products of the project. The script for the animation is also written by Muscovites, but under strict control from Kazan.
Bashirov emphasized that he does not plan to influence the creative part of the process. His task is to make the project financially successful. "I see my strong side in this. The potential of the project is not only in books and cartoons. These are games, theme parks. Significant income can be brought in by selling intellectual property. Manufacturers themselves must want to buy a license to release products under our brand. This is one of the indicators of the success of the project. In this regard, "Danaflex" can be useful, because we have established connections with the largest transnational and Russian companies that produce food, toys, and so on," the entrepreneur said.
The authors are already promoting the image of Tugan Batyr outside of Tatarstan and Russia. The presentation of the project took place within the framework of the SPIEF-2023, the forums "Russia-China", "Russia-Africa", the film forum in Dubai, with the Congress of Tatars Abdrakhmanov visited Latin America. "Our compatriots were delighted! They are ready to become ambassadors of the project, to promote it abroad. Now we are preparing the Spanish version of the books," the head of "Tugan Avylym" shared. He added that there is an agreement with the Congress of Tatars to be present at all foreign sabantuys. "Soyuzmultfilm" volunteered to organize the foreign distribution of the cartoon.
Global expansion is also reflected in the plot of the legend. Thus, in the third part of the work, the main character will find himself in Turkey and will come into contact with local fairy-tale characters, Abdrakhmanov lifted the veil of secrecy. In this part, the authors of the project are consulted by Kamil Hazrat, as well as Turkish writers. It is planned that, in addition to KazanForum 2024, a large-scale presentation of the book will also take place in Istanbul next year.
“We realized that our children have lost the image they could look up to. There is very little good content for children now. Firstly, the West does not provide any. Secondly, Disney and Marvel have begun to clearly promote non-traditional values. They have two mothers and two fathers - superheroes... This is unacceptable for the Eastern world! And there is no alternative at all. They are waiting for a new superhero, and we can give him. We want Tugan Batyr to be recognized all over the planet! The values that we instill in him are close to the Turkic and Arab countries,” Abdrakhmanov is confident.
The project logo is an eight-pointed star, which personifies the qualities of a real man: kindness, generosity, compassion, justice, tolerance, the ability to keep secrets, trust in Allah and devotion. These qualities are reflected in the books about Tugan Batyr. At the same time, the book also has a strong female character - Tugan's childhood friend and beloved girl named Gulchachak. "She will have her own important role, that is, she will not just stand behind the main character. Gulchachak will have her own superpower, she will help him perform feats, save somewhere, inspire. We do not want to show that only men rule the world," the founder of the project assured.
"I am also attracted by the global development of the project. We need to target the widest possible audience. Further development is possible with the emergence of new heroes who are popular locally. I would not limit myself here," Bashirov supported the idea of a kind of "multiverse" of national fairy-tale heroes.
According to Abdrakhmanov, acquaintances increasingly admit that their children are truly captivated by the tale of Tugan Batyr and invariably ask to read it before bed. The city authorities are even thinking about creating a municipal kindergarten in the style of the new hero of Tatar culture, and the investment development agency is helping the project by participating in international forums.
Recently, Abdrakhmanov presented the project to the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov at a meeting of the council under the RAis of the Republic of Tatarstan for interethnic and interfaith relations. Minnikhanov expressed interest in the project and assured that he would provide all the necessary assistance for its development. "Before asking for anything, we must show the results of our work, the scale of the project, its international format, its usefulness for society, culture, and the recognition of the region in the world," our interlocutor noted.
"In the future, support will be needed, among other things, for the creation of the House of Fairy Tales in Kazan, equipping courtyards and playgrounds in the style of Tugan Batyr, and using the image at the BRICS-2024 summit. We need state support to develop the project. But at the same time, we are counting on our own strengths. We will make every effort, do everything possible and impossible to ensure that the project develops," he concluded.
"Business Online".
"I believe that the project will be financially successful. But what caught my attention more is that this fairy tale can form a positive image in children's minds that they should strive for," this is how Airat Bashirov, President of the Danaflex Group of Companies, explains his interest in the Tugan Batyr project, which was launched two years ago by entrepreneur Radik Abdrakhmanov. Two books have already been published about the new Tatar hero in several languages, and large-scale festivals and presentations at major international venues have been held under his auspices. The arrival of a major investor will allow the social initiative to be scaled up and make its monetization possible. Read the details in our article.
"What caught my attention more is that this fairy tale can form a positive image in children's minds that they should strive for," this is how Airat Bashirov, President of the Danaflex Group of Companies, explains his interest in the Tugan Batyr project.
In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with historians in honor of National Unity Day, complained about the dominance of Western characters in stores and on screen. "Batman is known, but some of our heroes are not," the head of state said. He instructed to take measures to popularize heroes "who meet traditional values." In Tatarstan, this work began even before the president's order on the initiative of Radik Abdrakhmanov, co-owner of the national restaurant complex "Tugan Avylym." He first presented the "Tugan Batyr" project at the end of 2021. His goal is to create the image of a new Tatar hero who will be as popular as the characters of Western comics and children's blockbusters.
The project is based on the fairy tale-legend about Tugan Batyr, a brave dzhigit driven by love for his native land and family, and the desire to reunite his people. The iconic Tatar writer, playwright, and bard Zulfat Khakim has already written two books dedicated to the exploits of Tugan Batyr. They were published in Tatar, Russian, English, Arabic, Turkish, and Chinese. "Khakim has very deep philosophical thoughts. I think adults will also find these books interesting," Abdrakhmanov shared with us.
The project is based on the fairy tale-legend about Tugan Batyr, a brave dzhigit driven by love for his native land and family, and the desire to reunite his people.
The project is currently in the active development stage, the authors had a "rich, even breakthrough year," the project founder said. The image of the national hero is gradually going beyond the pages of books. The authors are currently working on an animated series and a full-length film. Mobile and computer games are also planned. A children's play based on the legend has already been created. There is an application in the "living pages" format. On the brand's website, you can order clothes with Tugan Batyr symbols (a collaboration with the Alga brand), handmade dolls, Tatar desserts, bracelets, keychains, etc.
Under the auspices of Tugan Batyr, the children's vocal competition "Balachak" was held (more than 1.5 thousand applications from all over Russia, 300 finalists came to Kazan). And the third sports festival "Tugan Batyr" in November 2023 brought together 400 athletes aged 7 to 14. "Our mufti (Kamil Samigullin - the spiritual mentor of the project - editor's note) says that every man can love or not love to fight, but he must be able to fight. This generally speaks of the formation of a masculine character,” Abdrakhmanov explains to us.
The pride of the project is the archery tournament in Yelabuga, which took place in September 2023, and was attended by about 30 thousand spectators from all over Russia. The sports competitions were held in the format of an ethnofestival - guests and participants were able to experience the nomadic culture by living in a tent city. “Such ethnofestivals are held in many countries of the Eastern world: in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and other regions of Russia. We have never had anything like this, so we decided to hold such an event in the concept of “Tugan Batyr”. It was very large-scale and beautiful!” our interlocutor recalls.
Ayrat Bashirov will sponsor the animated series, and the first season alone will cost 360 million rubles.
Currently, the project is mostly financed by Abdrakhmanov himself. The rest of “Tugan Batyr” was supported by the presidential grants fund and the cultural initiatives fund. But the authors of the project have even more grandiose plans for the future. Let us recall that a cartoon series will be filmed about Tugan Batyr (the first season will have 52 episodes), and the culmination of the story will be made into a separate full-length animated film. "I realized that the project needs serious investment," our interlocutor noted.
For financial advice, he turned to his old friend, the president of the Danaflex group of companies, Airat Bashirov. He strongly dissuaded him from attracting credit funds - it is too risky at the initial stage, when the project is not yet generating profit. The entrepreneur recommended looking for private investors. "I myself wanted to participate in the project. Firstly, I sincerely believe that the project will be financially successful. But what caught my attention more was that this fairy tale can form a positive image in children's minds, which they should strive for. It is at such a young age that they can be most influenced," Bashirov told the publication. "I myself grew up on fairy tales and raised my children on them. I always tried to ensure that they retain this understanding: a good positive hero will always end well. A bad hero with bad intentions will end badly," he explained his personal interest in the project. This is not the businessman's first investment in education. For many years, Bashirov has been investing in the Globus education center, owned by his wife, Lyutsiya Bashirova.
According to sources, filming the first season of the animated series costs 360 million rubles. A full-length film will cost another 500 million. The payback period is 4 years. So far, Bashirov is financing the project based on needs. At the same time, other investors have already shown interest. Rustem Mirgalimov, managing partner of the direct investment fund AVG Capital Partners, the main beneficiary of the management company TAVROS, and the junior partner in this project, Ragde Safin, are also entering the project. Rustem Gabdulkhakovich was deputy chairman of the board of Ak Bars Bank, a member of the supervisory board of the National Association of Securities Market Participants, and chairman of the board of directors of the “Razgulyay” group.
In the future, the authors also hope for government support. This summer, Tugan Batyr LLC was created, the main activity of which is the production of films. Currently, 100% of the company belongs to Abdrakhmanov, after the New Year, Bashirov will join it, but the founder of the project will remain the controlling founder.
“Sale of intellectual property can bring in significant income.”
The first episodes of the animated series “Tugan Batyr” will be released at the end of 2024. “We are still deciding where we will show the animated series. There are sites that want exclusive rights to it. But our team does not want this. We want “Tugan Batyr” to be freely shown on television channels,” Abdrakhmanov said.
The Moscow animation studio “Terra Anima” is working on the animated series (the team left the “Aeroplan” studio, which created “The Fixies”). The teaser of the cartoon was first shown at KazanForum this year. The images created in the first season will be used in the full-length film and in the creation of a computer game, which will reduce the cost of future products of the project. The script for the animation is also written by Muscovites, but under strict control from Kazan.
Bashirov emphasized that he does not plan to influence the creative part of the process. His task is to make the project financially successful. "I see my strong side in this. The potential of the project is not only in books and cartoons. These are games, theme parks. Significant income can be brought in by selling intellectual property. Manufacturers themselves must want to buy a license to release products under our brand. This is one of the indicators of the success of the project. In this regard, "Danaflex" can be useful, because we have established connections with the largest transnational and Russian companies that produce food, toys, and so on," the entrepreneur said.
The authors are already promoting the image of Tugan Batyr outside of Tatarstan and Russia. The presentation of the project took place within the framework of the SPIEF-2023, the forums "Russia-China", "Russia-Africa", the film forum in Dubai, with the Congress of Tatars Abdrakhmanov visited Latin America. "Our compatriots were delighted! They are ready to become ambassadors of the project, to promote it abroad. Now we are preparing the Spanish version of the books," the head of "Tugan Avylym" shared. He added that there is an agreement with the Congress of Tatars to be present at all foreign sabantuys. "Soyuzmultfilm" volunteered to organize the foreign distribution of the cartoon.
Global expansion is also reflected in the plot of the legend. Thus, in the third part of the work, the main character will find himself in Turkey and will come into contact with local fairy-tale characters, Abdrakhmanov lifted the veil of secrecy. In this part, the authors of the project are consulted by Kamil Hazrat, as well as Turkish writers. It is planned that, in addition to KazanForum 2024, a large-scale presentation of the book will also take place in Istanbul next year.
“We realized that our children have lost the image they could look up to. There is very little good content for children now. Firstly, the West does not provide any. Secondly, Disney and Marvel have begun to clearly promote non-traditional values. They have two mothers and two fathers - superheroes... This is unacceptable for the Eastern world! And there is no alternative at all. They are waiting for a new superhero, and we can give him. We want Tugan Batyr to be recognized all over the planet! The values that we instill in him are close to the Turkic and Arab countries,” Abdrakhmanov is confident.
The project logo is an eight-pointed star, which personifies the qualities of a real man: kindness, generosity, compassion, justice, tolerance, the ability to keep secrets, trust in Allah and devotion. These qualities are reflected in the books about Tugan Batyr. At the same time, the book also has a strong female character - Tugan's childhood friend and beloved girl named Gulchachak. "She will have her own important role, that is, she will not just stand behind the main character. Gulchachak will have her own superpower, she will help him perform feats, save somewhere, inspire. We do not want to show that only men rule the world," the founder of the project assured.
"I am also attracted by the global development of the project. We need to target the widest possible audience. Further development is possible with the emergence of new heroes who are popular locally. I would not limit myself here," Bashirov supported the idea of a kind of "multiverse" of national fairy-tale heroes.
According to Abdrakhmanov, acquaintances increasingly admit that their children are truly captivated by the tale of Tugan Batyr and invariably ask to read it before bed. The city authorities are even thinking about creating a municipal kindergarten in the style of the new hero of Tatar culture, and the investment development agency is helping the project by participating in international forums.
Recently, Abdrakhmanov presented the project to the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov at a meeting of the council under the RAis of the Republic of Tatarstan for interethnic and interfaith relations. Minnikhanov expressed interest in the project and assured that he would provide all the necessary assistance for its development. "Before asking for anything, we must show the results of our work, the scale of the project, its international format, its usefulness for society, culture, and the recognition of the region in the world," our interlocutor noted.
"In the future, support will be needed, among other things, for the creation of the House of Fairy Tales in Kazan, equipping courtyards and playgrounds in the style of Tugan Batyr, and using the image at the BRICS-2024 summit. We need state support to develop the project. But at the same time, we are counting on our own strengths. We will make every effort, do everything possible and impossible to ensure that the project develops," he concluded.
"Business Online".
29.12.2023