Hindi
Film industry wants legal powers for film tribunal
MUMBAI: The film industry wants the powers of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) to be enlarged to hear appeals from persons aggrieved by the decisions of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The film industry has demanded amendment to Section 5C of the Cinematograph Act 1952 to include such appeals so that most trial courts could automatically direct petitions to the Tribunal, thus preventing the filing of large number of petitions on frivolous grounds.
However, both the Film Federation of India and the Film and Television Producers Guild of India said this would not mean that the High Courts should surrender their powers to entertain writ petitions.
In his representation to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, FFI President Jitendra Jain referred to individuals, groups of persons or organizations representing narrow, partisan and sectarian and identity interests creating disputes to hold up the screening of films that are cleared for public viewing by the CBFC.
These disputes pertain only to certain portions of the film/song/lyric which may be objectionable to the beliefs of these parties and individuals. But many of them then approached the Courts and acquire injunction orders.
It is unfortunate that though most of these injunctions are withdrawn and the matter decided in favour of the producers, there is no compensation for the resultant loss or the delays in court hearings.
He said this rigmarole leads to producers and exhibitors suffering huge losses as the films are generally sold in advance, thereby committing the exhibitors to the dates of the screening.
Guild President Manmohan Shetty in a separate representation to the Minister said the matter gets compounded when some groups take the law into their own hands and attack cinema halls creating law and order problems, which in turn lead to the police stopping the screenings of the film temporarily or otherwise to restore peace.
Shetty said Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and nominated Member of Parliament Shyam Benegal had been requested by the film industry to liaison with the Ministry on this matter on behalf of the entertainment industry.
Hindi
Kuku enters theatrical cinema with Indian Institute of Zombies
Audio and micro-drama giant launches first Hindi feature film on 8 May.
MUMBAI: Kuku just added brains to its bite because when an audio and micro-drama powerhouse decides to make a zombie comedy, even the undead had better watch their step. Kuku, one of India’s largest digital entertainment companies and the force behind Kuku FM and Kuku TV, has announced its foray into theatrical cinema with its debut Hindi feature film, Indian Institute of Zombies (IIZ). Billed as India’s first campus zombie comedy, the film is set to release in cinemas on 8 May 2026.
Set inside an elite engineering campus, IIZ blends zombie horror, youth comedy and sharp social satire, promising a high-energy big-screen experience. The film stars an ensemble cast including Jessie Lever, Anupriya Goenka, Mohan Kapur, Ranjan Raj, Shivani Paliwal, Shantanu Anam, Rose Sardana, Sachin Kavetham and Tanishq Chaudhary. It has been developed in-house at Kuku, scripted by Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal (known for Brahmāstra and Farzi), and directed by Gaganjeet Singh and Alok Dwivedi of Low Gravity Productions.
Kuku, CEO Lal Chand Bisu said, “Kuku has always been obsessed with how India consumes stories. We built scale in personal consumption through Kuku FM and created a new micro-drama category with Kuku TV. Theatres represent the next frontier, and Indian Institute of Zombies marks the first of many, rooted in youth culture, genre innovation and mass Indian tastes.”
Kuku senior vice president Kunj Sanghvi added, “IIZ is a film for everyone who has ever been on a college campus. We observed the success of horror comedies at the box office, the lack of a breakout Indian zombie film, and the insatiable appetite for campus stories across age groups.”
The project also showcases Kuku’s AI-native approach to filmmaking. Artificial intelligence has been deeply integrated into concept structuring, story architecture, scheduling, budgeting and creative iteration not as a gimmick, but as an amplifier to enable faster development cycles and sharper decisions.
With this move, Kuku is evolving from a leader in audio and vertical storytelling into a multi-format entertainment powerhouse, leveraging its deep audience insights and technological edge to create culturally resonant theatrical experiences.
In a content universe where stories are getting shorter and screens smaller, Kuku is boldly going big proving that even in the age of two-minute episodes, there’s still plenty of room for zombies, campus chaos and full-blown cinematic laughter. Indian Institute of Zombies hits theatres on 8 May 2026.
