Hindi
London and Mumbai celebrate films
MUMBAI: London and Mumbai celebrated the special relationship their film production industries share, with the signing of an historic city-to-city agreement by Film London, London‘s film and media agency, and the Film and Television Producers Guild of India.
Amitabh Bachchan joined the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, to witness the signing attended by Film London chief executive Adrian Wootton, Film London chair Sandy Lieberson, and Film and Television Guild of India president Ronnie Screwvala.
As part of the agreement, Film London and the Film and Television Producers Guild of India agree to work together to share ideas and best practice on domestic and international film production and promotion.
Additionally, production crews from India will be able to take advantage of a new ‘Indian Productions’ Guide to London’, which offers practical advice and guidance on working in London and the UK. Film London is the first point of contact for all crews working in London. These new guidelines are the culmination of ongoing work by Film London to promote a greater understanding and more effective working between the film industries in London and India.
Over 40 Indian productions filmed in London last year. Film London provided considerable support to the crew of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, one of the first Bollywood films to be set primarily in London.
London‘s relationship with India and the Indian film industry has flourished in other ways over the past 12 months. During the summer the Mayor of London staged India Now, a spectacular three-month season celebrating Indian culture. As part of the India Now celebrations, Film 4 and Somerset House hosted the world premiere of Yash Raj Films production Chak De India, where Londoners and visitors to the capital were treated to a special appearance by Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan.
Film London is in Mumbai as part of a larger Mayor of London-led trade and cultural mission. The signing is part of a week-long series of events organised by Film London to share knowledge and understanding between the film sectors of India and the UK. Other activities include :
The London-Mumbai Production Tournament: Funded by Film London and UK Trade & Investment, eight London-based and eight Indian-based film producers are being given first-hand experience of the Mumbai industry.
Seminar on filming in London: Opportunity to hear from leading producers about their experiences of filming in London.
Speaking about the unique agreement, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London said: “London and Mumbai are two of the great international film-making cities. This agreement celebrates and reinforces the excellent relationship London has developed with the Indian film industry. Our work with the Indian film industry is a vital part of our wider mission to develop London’s economic, cultural and tourism links with India.”
Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London said:
“Our relationship with the Indian film industry is making a real contribution to London as a centre for international film production and is offering new and fresh interpretations of the city for all of London’s audiences.
This agreement will make a vital contribution to sharing knowledge and promoting a greater understanding between the film sectors of India and the UK. It also provides us with an opportunity to discuss real co-operation on a range of commercial initiatives and forge long-term educational and cultural links that will have great benefit to London and the UK’s film industry.”
Ronnie Screwvala, President of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India said:
“The relationship between the UK and Indian film industry has been a long and fruitful one and we are happy that both sides are making efforts to ensure that both commercially and creatively this is nurtured and built on.”
Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, said:
“Having recently returned from India I saw first hand how much our two countries have in common. Film making is one of those traditions which we share and we’re already seeing an increasing cross-over of talent between our two industries, both on screen and off. We have a great deal to offer each other, which is why I am delighted that we’re supporting this important mission.”
Amitabh Bachchan said:
“I laud the excellent concept that you are envisioning towards India and London.”
Subhash Ghai, Founder & Chairman, of Whistling Winds International said:
“Globalization is the future. And it is up to us, the established members of the Global Media industry, to encourage and promote a healthy mixing of talent from our respective countries. Only then will the next generation of filmmakers be truly collaborative at a global level – whichever country they may reside in. This is precisely the reason why Whistling Woods International has joined hands with Film London to proudly host the Mumbai-London Film Agreement signing and the Filming in London Seminar.”
Hindi
Jio Studios unveils AI-powered Krishna teaser at NAB Show 2026
Global first look of Krishna uses Galleri5 AI pipeline on Azure, Historyverse slate as Jio’s Dhurandhar crosses Rs 3,000cr worldwide.
MUMBAI: Krishna has just dropped a divine teaser and this time the gods are powered by silicon, not just scripture. Jio Studios and Collective Studios’ Historyverse stole the spotlight at the NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas with the world’s first teaser for their upcoming theatrical feature Krishna, directed by Manu Anand. The big reveal happened during Microsoft’s keynote “Powering Intelligent Media, From AI Experimentation to Real-World Impact,” where the film’s AI-native production pipeline took centre stage alongside Collective Artists Network’s in-house platform, Galleri5.
At the heart of this mythological spectacle lies a fresh cinematic workflow built by Galleri5 on Microsoft Azure’s advanced AI and cloud infrastructure. Forget bolting AI onto traditional VFX or animation, this is an end-to-end, production-grade system woven into every layer: world-building, character creation, shot design and final output. Yet the storytelling remains firmly director-led, emphasising emotional depth, stillness, music and performance rather than pure spectacle. The result? Large-format theatrical cinema rooted in Indian history and culture, but conceived in ways that were simply not possible before.
Collective Artists Network runs Galleri5 natively on Azure, leveraging Microsoft Foundry and cutting-edge AI tools to handle film, episodic and advertising workflows in a secure enterprise environment. Microsoft highlighted Collective as a “Frontier” organisation successfully moving AI from pilot projects to real production-scale deployment in cinema. The technology is also on display at Microsoft’s NAB booth in the West Hall (Booth W1731).
Jio Studios (Media & Content Business, Reliance Industries), president Jyoti Deshpande said the project advances the studio’s mission to take Indian stories global with scale, ambition and authenticity, “With Krishna, we are embracing cutting-edge AI-led filmmaking while democratising these tools to make them more accessible, intuitive and cost-effective for storytellers everywhere.”
Collective Artists Network founder & group CEO Vijay Subramaniam added, “We’re using technology developed in India to carry our culture and history to audiences worldwide at a scale never seen before.”
Microsoft, vice president for telco media & entertainment, gaming Silvia Candiani noted that the media industry has reached an inflection point, “AI is no longer about experimentation but delivering real impact at production scale… By building AI-native creative systems on Microsoft Azure, Collective exemplifies how storytellers can unlock new formats, move faster and realise a true return on intelligence while keeping human creativity at the centre.”
Krishna forms part of Historyverse, Collective Studios’ ambitious slate of history and culture-driven IPs. The slate draws from iconic figures and traditions that shaped the Indian subcontinent, including stories inspired by Kali, Karna and Durga. It builds on the already-released Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh series, showing how ancient narratives can be reimagined for modern screens.
Jio Studios, India’s leading content studio and the media and content arm of Reliance Industries, continues its blockbuster run. The studio’s Dhurandhar franchise led by Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge has become the first Indian film series to cross Rs 3,000 crore worldwide. It also delivered three consecutive years of India’s highest-grossing Hindi films: Stree 2 (2024), Dhurandhar (2025) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026). In just eight years, Jio Studios has assembled a library of over 160 films and series, with more than 60 titles winning over 500 awards. Other notable successes include Laapataa Ladies (India’s official Oscar entry 2025), Stree, Article 370, Shaitaan and Mrs.
The NAB unveiling marks another step in Jio Studios and Collective’s push to blend Indian storytelling talent with frontier technology proving that the future of cinema may well be both ancient in spirit and thoroughly modern in execution. For audiences who love epic tales with a fresh twist, Krishna promises to deliver divine drama, this time with a little help from the cloud.
