MAM
CAA Kwan bags Bollywood biggie Akshay Kumar
MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar is definitely a good name to have on any talent management agency‘s roster. Akshay has had strong brand associations with the likes of Thums Up, Dollar and Signature. This apart he has also anchored shows on Hindi GEC Colors such as Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and helped build its connect with audiences when it was launched five years ago.
Now Akshay has signed entertainment & marketing management firm CAA Kwan as his brand custodian and exclusive representative.
Akshay joins other Bollywood talents such as Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Freida Pinto who are managed by CAA Kwan. The representation covers endorsements and live appearances, in India and internationally.
Says Akshay: “I have known of Anirban and the team‘s abilities at CAA Kwan for quite some time now. After having already worked with them, I was glad to have them represent me for my commercial work and manage my work behind the scenes while I focus on and give my work in front of the camera my all.”
Adds CAA Kwan managing partner Anirban Das Blah: “Akshay Kumar is one of the biggest stars in the country. Having delivered the maximum number of super-hits over the last 10 years, it is an honour to have a global icon who stands for success, integrity and perseverance. He exudes warmth and humility, has a strong pan India appeal, effortless style and a bank of blockbusters to vouch for his unmatched talent. It has always been a pleasure to work with him in the past and we are now looking forward to take this relationship to the next level as his exclusive agents in the brand and appearance market.”
While no numbers were available on how much the deal would be worth, Forbes India had earlier this year estimated that Akshay Kumar earned Rs 179.85 crore in 2012. A substantial part of this income came from endorsements and live appearances. This apart he is the highest tax payer in Bollywood.
Digital
Galleri5 launches India’s first AI cinema OS at India AI Summit
Collective Artists Network unveils end-to-end production platform powering Mahabharat series and Hanuman teaser.
MUMBAI: India’s cinema just got an AI operating system upgrade because why settle for tools when you can have a full production command centre? Collective Artists Network and Galleri5 today unveiled Galleri5 AI Studio at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, billing it as the country’s first cinema-native production technology platform. Launched on 20 February 2026, the system acts as an end-to-end orchestration layer for film and television, integrating generative AI, LoRA-driven character architecture, controlled shot pipelines, 3D/VFX tools, lip-sync, upscaling, quality control, and delivery, all tuned for theatrical and broadcast standards.
Unlike piecemeal AI tools, Galleri5 controls the entire stack from script and world-building to final master output. Filmmakers retain creative authorship, continuity, and IP security while slashing timelines from years to months.
The platform is already in live use at scale. Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, an AI-powered series produced under Collective’s Historyverse banner, is airing on Star Plus and streaming on JioHotstar, ranking among the top-watched shows in its slot. Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi Hanuman – The Eternal (produced by Star Studios 18) dropped its teaser on IMAX screens, leveraging Galleri5’s infrastructure for the visuals.
Collective Artists Network founder and group CEO Vijay Subramaniam said, “For India to lead in the next era of storytelling, we have to think beyond tools and start building systems. This is about putting durable production infrastructure in place so creators can dream bigger, producers can execute faster, and our stories can travel further.”
Galleri5 partner at Collective and CEO Rahul Regulapati added, “Cinema requires precision, repeatability, and control. Off-the-shelf AI doesn’t solve that. Orchestration does. We built an operating system where technology bends to filmmaking, not the other way around.”
Under Historyverse, Collective Studios is developing a slate including Hanuman, Krishna, Shiva, and Shivaji blending advanced AI systems with traditional craft. The summit session featured directors from Hanuman, Krishna, and Shiva alongside Collective leaders, diving into real-world case studies: what delivers on screen, what glitches, and how production economics are shifting.
At a summit packed with global tech brass and policymakers, Galleri5 stakes a bold claim, cinema’s future belongs to integrated systems, not isolated gadgets and India is building one right now. Whether you’re a filmmaker eyeing faster workflows or just curious about AI remaking epics, this OS could be the script-flip the industry didn’t see coming.
