Hindi
Barfi! mired by controversy
MUMBAI: The much awaited cinematic offering from director Anurag Basu has run into controversy with Mumbai based Murphy Enterprises. The firm has sent a legal notice to the movie‘s producers UTV Motion Pictures and Ishana Films on 10 September for infringing the copyrights of their registered trademarks without obtaining a NOC.
As reported in the media, in the notice, the company has claimed that the film has used the words ‘Murphy‘, ‘Murphy Radio‘ and ‘Murphy Munna‘ in the title song as well as in the film without any prior written permission. They have also added that if the notice is not taken seriously, the company will be filing a legal suit against the producers that may lead to bringing a stay on the film‘s release.
Kapoor‘s character is named Murphy but he is addressed as Barfi by all around him. The lyrics of the song in questions go “Barfi jo amma ji ki kokh mein tha soya/amma ne murphy ka radio mangaya/barfi munna jaisa lalla/amma ka tha sapna/ munna jab haule haule duniya mein aaya/baba ne Ceylon wala station lagaya/radio on hua, amma off hui/toota har sapna.”
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Rupa Ganguly and newcomer Ileana D‘Cruz.
Surjeet Kurup, the lawyer representing the company, feels that the title song of the film is not only a violation of copyright but shows the company in a bad way.
“In the song Ala Barfi, the brand Murphy Radio is unambiguously mentioned and perceivably in a negative light. It appears that the story line revolves round the theme that the lady desires for a baby like Murphy Munna which is also registered trademark with us,” he added.
He has been quoted in the media, “UTV Motion Pictures have done this blatantly without taking consent from the owners of this brand. It has annoyed the brand owners. We have issued a notice to the violators and are intending to proceed to file a suit for injunction and damages for Rs 50 crore.”
However, UTV maintains its innocence in the matter. “We are clear that there has been no infringement whatsoever and we are in the process of sending a response to the notice,” a UTV spokesperson told the media.
Hindi
Abundantia and invideo join hands for Rs 100 crore AI films
Studio Aion and global video tech leader join forces for 5 AI-driven films over 3 years.
When Hollywood meets artificial intelligence, the credits might soon read “Directed by Algorithm” but Abundantia Entertainment wants to keep the human spark in the frame. The Mumbai-based studio’s AI-powered division Aion has teamed up with generative-video pioneer invideo in a Rs 100 crore strategic partnership, billed as India’s largest structured commitment to AI-driven filmmaking to date.
Announced at the India AI Film Festival (IAFF) beside the historic Qutb Minar in New Delhi on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the alliance pools Abundantia’s creative and production muscle with invideo’s cutting-edge AI video tech. The duo will channel the Rs 100 crore development and production corpus into a slate of five AI-driven films over the next three years, blending human imagination with machine-powered tools to craft stories that aim to be both emotionally rich and technologically bold.
Abundantia Entertainment founder & CEO Vikram Malhotra framed the move as cinema’s next big leap, “AI in film-making is now real! Every major leap in cinema from sound to colour to digital has expanded storytelling possibility. AI represents the next inflection point. With Abundantia Aion, we are building a future where AI strengthens and amplifies the filmmaker’s voice, not substitutes it.”
Invideo founder & CEO Sanket Shah echoed the sentiment: “At invideo our mission has always been to democratize high-quality video creation through AI. Partnering with a top-notch studio like Abundantia Entertainment enables us to extend this capability into the world of high-quality filmmaking by building tools and workflows that allow creators to move from idea to cinematic expression faster and more freely than ever before.”
The collaboration already has momentum. Abundantia Aion is developing India’s first AI-generated Hindi feature film, Chiranjeevi Hanuman, slated for release in 2026, alongside its next AI-powered project, Jai Santoshi Mata, as part of a broader slate. The partnership will explore OpenAI-style workflows, advanced generative pipelines (bolstered by invideo’s recent Google Cloud tie-up), and new ways to accelerate everything from concept to final cut.
Backed by Tiger Global and Peak XV, invideo brings deep generative-video expertise to the table, while Abundantia’s track record in storytelling ensures the tech serves the narrative rather than stealing the show. In a year when AI is rewriting rules across industries, this Rs 100 crore bet signals India’s ambition to shape not just follow the future of cinema. Lights, camera, algorithm… action.
