Animation
Anime India announces nationwide expansion; Kolkata to host first edition of 2026 tour with expected footfall of 40,000+
After a blockbuster debut in Mumbai, Anime India, one of the country’s fastest-growing pop culture celebration platforms, is gearing up to captivate audiences across India with its 2026 multi-city expansion. Organisers today announced that the first regional edition—Anime India East (Kolkata)—will take place on 14 and 15 February 2026 at Kolkata, marking the beginning of a year-long nationwide anime convention series.
The inaugural Anime India 2025 event, held from 22 to 24 August 2025 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, drew an impressive 29,000+ fans, cementing its position as a major cultural phenomenon. The event featured top-tier global guests including Attack on Titan and Death Note director Tetsuro Araki, The Pokémon Company corporate officer Susumu Fukunaga, and Japanese creator-performer Tsunko, alongside immersive experiences such as cosplay championships, cultural workshops, gaming zones, panels, and live concerts.
Anime India Kolkata 2026: A grand kickoff for the East
As the first stop in Anime India’s 2026 expansion across East (Kolkata), North (Delhi), West (Mumbai) and South (Hyderabad), the Kolkata edition promises to set the benchmark for a year of anime celebrations across the country.
Anime India Kolkata is expected to attract over 40,000 fans across two days—making it one of the largest anime and Japanese pop culture gatherings ever hosted in the region. The event will feature cosplay competitions, anime karaoke, an extensive Artist Alley, a vibrant maid café, cultural experiences, gaming tournaments, and engaging panel discussions.
Organisers have also teased a very special guest from Japan, with the official announcement scheduled for release soon.
Anime India co-founder & director Mishaal Wanvari shared, “The success of Anime India Mumbai validated our vision of creating world-class anime conventions in India. Our goal for 2026 is to take this experience to fans across the country—from East to West and North to South. Kolkata’s vibrant artistic culture and passionate audience make it the ideal starting point. Anime India Kolkata will deliver an unforgettable blend of global talent, cultural immersion, and fan-driven experiences.”
Anime India co-founder & director Neha Mehta added, “Kolkata holds a special place in India’s creative ecosystem, and we are excited to bring Anime India to the East for the very first time. Following the overwhelming response in Mumbai, it became clear that India’s anime fandom deserves a truly national celebration. We expect more than 40,000 attendees over two days, and the Kolkata edition will set the pace for our multi-city journey in 2026. We’re also preparing to announce a very special guest from Japan—something fans will not want to miss.”
Anime India is committed to uniting fans across regions and building a pan-India movement that celebrates anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With its expansion into four major metropolitan regions in 2026, Anime India aims to solidify India’s position on the global anime map while empowering creators, artists, and fans nationwide.
Click here to learn more about Anime India and here to purchase tickets for Anime India in Kolkata.
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
