Kids
Archie Panjabi joins BBC Studios as EP for ‘Anisha Accidental Detective’
Mumbai: Emmy award-winning actress, Archie Panjabi, has teamed up with BBC Studios Kids & Family to develop the new comedic mystery series, Anisha Accidental Detective.
Based on the successful book series of the same name, written by Serena Patel and illustrated by Emma McCann, the ten-part live-action series follows strong-willed ten-year-old, Anisha Mistry, whose life is upended when her auntie’s fiancé disappears a few days before their big Bollywood-style wedding.
Anisha must use her super sleuthing skills to uncover what’s happened to her Uncle Tony and get him to the wedding on time. Utilising the framework of classic detective dramas, this is a binge-able whodunnit series for audiences aged seven plus, bursting with intrigue, laughs, twists and turns. Anisha’s race for the truth is set against the backdrop of a lavish, glamourous Bollywood-style wedding.
Archie Panjabi, who was the first South Asian woman to win an Emmy award for acting and is best known for her work on The Good Wife, Blindspot, Bend It Like Beckham, and currently starring in Under The Bridge, has come on board as executive producer of the series.
Archie said: “BBC Studios Kids & Family have pulled together an amazing team to bring these utterly delightful books to life. With a British Indian family at the heart, it’s a wonderful celebration of British Indian culture. Anisha was the character I yearned to see on screen when I was a ten-year-old. The series is a refreshing comedy mystery about friendship, family and growing up, packed with vibrant characters. It’s delightfully intriguing and will keep the whole family craving for more – just like Anisha’s granny’s parathas!”
BBC Studios VP distribution South Asia Stanley Fernandes commented: “This announcement is really exciting news for our audiences in India who can already catch a fantastic variety of our BBC Kids and Family content on BBC Kids and BBC Player on Amazon Prime Video Channel. We’re really looking forward to seeing more detail on this show as it develops.”
Serena Patel, author of the Anisha Accidental Detective books, which are published by Usborne and have been a success across countries including the UK, Australia and India, said: “I was thrilled when I heard that Archie Panjabi was coming on board as Executive Producer for the series. I have huge admiration for her career as an actor and for her to be involved in bringing my books to the screen feels like a dream come true.”
The series is being developed by BBC Studios Kids & Family in a deal optioned by Emily Hayward-Whitlock at The Artist Partnership and Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency, with up-and-coming screenwriter and children’s novelist Nikesh Shukla. Nikesh is the writer of the multi-award winning Two Dosas and the author of The Council of Good Friends and several YA novels. He is also co-founder of The Good Literary Agency, as well as working on a Spider-Man comic book miniseries for Marvel.
BBC Studios Kids & Family VP of development, Edward Barnieh, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with industry leaders like Archie Panjabi, alongside exciting new talent like Serena and Nikesh, to bring Anisha Accidental Detective to a global audience. The series will feature fresh, diverse characters and will be bursting with clues, suspects and hilarious mishaps and, with a ticking clock counting down to a big family wedding, it’s sure to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.”
Kids
Mukta Arts and Green Gold ink MOU to animate iconic film IPs
Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan to spawn animated shows plus features.
MUMBAI: When classic hindi movie meets animation, the result is a fresh reel of nostalgia with a cartoon twist. Mukta Arts Ltd. and Green Gold Animation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on animated shows and feature films drawn from Mukta Arts’ four-decade treasure trove of iconic IPs. The partnership taps Mukta’s SGM Animation Studio launched in 2025 as its dedicated animation and games arm and Green Gold’s proven track record in building scalable, homegrown franchises. Creative teams from both sides have already kicked off discussions, with the first project currently in development.
The slate will draw inspiration from landmark Mukta films including Kalicharan, Karz, Hero, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Saudagar and Iqbal, plus character-led spin-offs from those universes. The aim is to reimagine these stories for today’s young, global audiences while preserving their emotional core.
Green Gold Animation (home of Chhota Bheem) founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences.”
Mukta Arts Ltd. filmmaker and founder Subhash Ghai added, “Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation.”
In an industry where timeless tales never go out of fashion, this collaboration promises to bring beloved characters back to life with a modern, animated glow proving that some stories are too good to stay in live-action. Stay tuned for the first animated frame to drop.
