Motu Patlu is an Indian animated sitcom that premiered on Nickelodeon on 16 October 2012. Adapted from the classic comic strip Lotpot, the series focuses on the misadventures of two friends, Motu and Patlu, landing in trouble and comical situations, later being rescued only by luck.
One of the most popular kids' shows in India, the show is available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, Odia and Bengali. It started streaming digitally on Voot Kids in 2021.
The series is set in a fictional town of Furfuri Nagar of India. It is a peaceful yet glamorous small town, simultaneously noble and squalid, adjoined by a river with a few shops, a large market area, a bus depot, a cluster of single-storeyed houses, temples, and a few recreational places. The town has three or more banks, three or more jewellery shops, Furfuri Nagar Police Station, Chingum's house, Boxer's house, Motu Patlu's house, Chaiwala's stall and house, Furfuri Nagar Central Jail, Furfuri Nagar Bus Stand, John's den, Dr. Jhatka's laboratory and house and Ghasitaram's house. There are a few villages and a few neighbouring cities around, such as Kamalpur, Sursuri Nagar and Modern City. Despite being a small town it has its own airport. It is not clearly mentioned where the town is exactly located, but most of the vehicles carry license plate numbers starting with "MH", which stands for the state of Maharashtra. The local police force wears uniforms of the Maharashtra Police.
However, in the later episodes, they had moved to Modern City for unknown reasons. A quick trailer showcasing new episodes mentions the differences in their new setting.
In the later episodes, they were on a trip to countries of Europe. Some European countries and cities they have visited include Pisa, Italy; Rome, Italy; Tuscany, Italy; London, England and Paris, France. They also visited Germany's Berlin, Switzerland's Top of Europe, Russia's St. Petersburg, England's Salisbury and Switzerland's Jungfraujoch.
In the later episodes, they are on a trip to India. Some Indian cities of monuments they have visited include Taj Mahal (Agra), Gateway of India (Mumbai), Victoria Memorial (Kolkata), Qutub Minar (New Delhi), Hawa Mahal (Jaipur), Tea Plantation (Assam), Backwater (Kerala), Charminar (Hyderabad), Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Mumbai), Rock Garden (Chandigarh), Elephanta Caves (Mumbai), Bekal Fort (Kerala), Red Fort (New Delhi) and Howrah Bridge (Kolkata) and many more.
However now they are back to Furfuri Nagar as same settings.
Motu and Patlu are two friends living in Furfuri Nagar. Samosas are Motu's favorite food, and he frequently tries to steal them from a small shopkeeper named Chaiwala, who makes the best samosas in the town, along with selling tea. After Motu eats samosas, he temporarily gains more energy and strength. Motu is mainly the black sheep of the duo, unintentionally creating problems due to his incompetency while Patlu is the smart one who always tries to stop him. The two land in trouble and comical situations, later being rescued only by luck. Ghasitaram occasionally misdirects and swindles them by making them try Dr. Jhatka's vast repertoire of quirky gadgets and gizmos.
The main antagonist of the series is a criminal named John the Don (briefly and very famously known as "John") who is accompanied by his two big but weak and dumb henchmen, Number 1 and Number 2, who steal people's money and jewelry and create havoc in Furfuri Nagar. John intends to become a don (gangster), but his plans always fail due to the heroic actions of Motu and Patlu, who trap and expose him and his plans tit for tat. In some episodes, John tries to harm them by stealing Dr. Jhatka's newest gadget and using it against Motu and Patlu, but they eventually manage to give John a taste of his own medicine.
The music featured in the series and film is written by Sandesh Shandilya, an Indian film composer. The theme song of the series, "Motu Aur Patlu Ki Jodi", is written by Gulzar and sung by Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh in Hindi.
Since the inception of the television series, its creators, Lotpot magazine, Maya Digital Studios and Nickelodeon India are aggressively promoting its merchandising, the series products and tie-ups.
In March 2014, Nick India tied up with the Yellow Diamond chips brand for promotion of its products across various media. In November 2014 a major deal was signed by Horlicks for promotion of its brand with the series's characters in its marketing advertisements.
Numerous mobile video games based on the series have been released by Indian software companies such as Nazara Technologies and Tangiapps.