Hindi
Percept Picture Company unveils anti-piracy documentary
MUMBAI: Piracy is chewing into Indian movie profits! This has been a long lingering whine amongst stakeholders of the Indian movie business.
In a bid to combat the menace, Percept Picture Company (PPC) has unveiled a documentary campaign. PVR Cinema has joined hands with PPC to convey the social message in an entertaining manner aimed at educating movie-goers.
The two-minute documentary on anti-piracy will be aired across the PVR cinema chain. This is not the first time that PVR Cinemas has extended its hands towards such efforts. The multiplex major had also teamed up with BBC World Service Trust’s initiative Haath se Haath Mila to screen the music video in all its screens.
The theme of the campaign Stop Piracy, showcases a woman on the delivery table giving birth to a child. On seeing the baby, the women utters, “Have you ever seen something so beautiful.” The husband reacts by saying that he has a copy. In agreement, the doctor says that he too has a copy. While the overwhelmed nursed informs that she has the ninth version from Bangkok and suggests that the couple can get multiple copies of it from Ahmed bhai.
The husband points out that henceforth he would opt for copies. Listening to this, the poor mother is left weeping…
“Every movie or song you copy is someone’s baby. Stop Piracy.” This subtle message has been conceptualised and directed by O&M senior creative director Rensil D’Silva and senior creative director Anup Chitnis.
The scourge that is gnawing at the industry’s innards affects everyone in the film food-chain, points out PPC MD Shailendra Singh, who has joined hands with the Excel Home Video for this initiative and is in talks with other fraternity members to come together on this project. “Though the fraternity, judiciary and the government are all working to curb piracy, the epidemic has just been growing,” says Singh.
Interestingly, the PPC also has a movie project in the pipeline with the theme of ‘piracy’ as the backdrop.
For the industry, which churns out at least a 1,000 films per year, piracy of content is happening at the theatre level (camera prints), on cable networks and through distribution of illegal VCDs / DVDs. According to Sony BMG MD Shridhar Subramaniam, 90 per cent of all hit movies are hit by the scourge. Conversely, flop movies are barely scathed.
Music revenues are affected to the extent of 50 per cent, while with DVDs it is to the tune of 80 per cent. As for theatrical receipts, it is affected by up to 50 per cent, Subramaniam points out.
Pirated content copying and distribution costs the industry an estimated Rs 4.3 billion annually, which is as much as 42 per cent of the industry’s total revenues. The Indian audio-video market is estimated to be growing at an explosive pace of almost 300 per cent. However, this growth has not been reflected in a corresponding growth in the legitimate sale of CDs, VCDs and DVDs. The volume or pirated units has been rising consistently despite the falling prices of legitimate music, concludes Subramaniam.
Hindi
Kridhan Infra enters film production with AI-led feature film
Infra firm debuts AI-powered film marking RSS centenary
MUMBAI: Kridhan Infra Limited is swapping hard hats for headsets. The infrastructure company has announced its entry into film production and media technology through its subsidiary, Kridhan Mediatech Private Limited, with the nationwide theatrical release of Shatak: Sangh Ke 100 Varsh, an AI-led feature film.
With Shatak, the company is not just stepping into cinema but staking a claim in what it describes as one of the world’s early full-length AI-driven feature films. Artificial Intelligence has been embedded across the creative and production process, from script visualisation and environment creation to modelling and production design.
The film commemorates 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, tracing defining moments, personalities and historical phases that shaped its journey. By combining archival storytelling with algorithm-powered creativity, the project attempts to blend heritage with high technology.
For Kridhan Mediatech, this is only the opening scene. The subsidiary’s broader ambition spans AI, CGI, virtual production systems and scalable content models for both theatres and digital platforms. The move signals a strategic diversification for Kridhan Infra, traditionally rooted in engineering and construction.
The timing aligns with India’s growing push to become a global AI powerhouse. At the 2026 AI Impact Summit, prime minister Narendra Modi urged innovators to design in India and deliver to the world. Kridhan Mediatech’s initiative positions itself squarely within that narrative, aiming to export technology-enabled storytelling beyond domestic audiences.
India’s media and entertainment industry, valued at over Rs 2.5 lakh crore, alongside a rapidly expanding AI economy projected to cross Rs 1.4 lakh crore in the coming years, offers fertile ground at the intersection of cinema and code.
“With Shatak, we proudly present one of the world’s first AI-led full-length feature films while marking our strategic entry into film production and media technology through our subsidiary,” the company said in a statement. “Our vision is to combine India’s rich narrative heritage with forward-looking innovation. This is just the beginning of building globally competitive, technology-enabled cinematic experiences.”
From infrastructure to imagination, Kridhan’s latest venture suggests that in today’s India, even storytelling can be engineered.
