MAM
ESS announces ‘Cricket Sabha’ elections
MUMBAI:Although the rights to the World Cup have been bagged by MAX, ESPN and Star Sports are hoping to cash in on cricket fever with a unique promotional show – ‘Cricket Sabha’ election – that kicks off tonight.
The promotion asks viewers to select the Indian cricket team for the World Cup 2003. Five lucky voters whose team tallies with that of the final list that makes it for the World Cup, will win a free trip to South Africa.
As a part of this campaign, on-ground road shows will be held in seven cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Bhopal and Jaipur. Debates on the relative merits of the candidates will be broadcast on Sportsline, Sportscenter, Radio and Internet. The ballot paper for the election will be available online or through advertisements in mainline media. Actual electoral booths will also be erected across the country for cricket enthusiasts to cast their votes.
The on-air launch of this TVS and Palmolive sponsored promotional show will be telecast tonight at 8:30 pm on ESPN, and 10:30 PM on Star Sports. It profiles 30 candidates for the Indian World Cup squad – along with their ‘election symbols’.
ESS experts Sunil Gavaskar and Navjot Singh Sidhu, along with commentators Harsha Bhogle and Alan Wilkins, will analyse and evaluate players, their chances of making the team, and advise voters on how to choose the team.
The ‘Cricket Sabha’ entries start today and close on 31 December. The results will be declared after the ‘Judgment Day’ episode, coinciding with the official announcement of the final squad.
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.
