Animation
Comic Con India bids farewell to its founding superheroes in style
MUMBAI: A founder exits, but the fandom marches on
The capes are coming off—but not before a final bow. In a major leadership shakeup, Comic Con India announced that founder Jatin Varma, along with co-founder Karan Kalra and event director Sonal Varma, are stepping away from their day-to-day roles at the helm of India’s beloved pop culture carnival.
Announced on 10 April 2025, the move marks the end of an era that began in 2011 with a dream to bring cosplay, comics, and chaos to the masses. But fans, fret not—this isn’t a full-throttle exit. The OG team will continue in an advisory and strategic capacity, lending their nerdy wisdom as the brand evolves under new leadership.
The changing of the guard comes on the heels of Nodwin Gaming’s acquisition of Comic Con India in January 2024, pegged at a neat Rs 55 crore.
And what a power-up it’s been.
Since then, the event has gone from geeky niche to national juggernaut—adding Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Pune to its roster alongside legacy cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
What started as a scrappy fandom gathering in 2011 has morphed into India’s largest pop culture festival, drawing over 200,000 fans and clocking a jaw-dropping 330 million in digital reach. Jatin and his team didn’t just build a convention; they built a community. A multiverse of creators, cosplayers, fans, and fandoms stitched together with passion, panel discussions, and Deadpool sightings.
“Their passion for storytelling, comics, gaming, and cosplay built a platform that connected creators and fans alike,” the company noted, in a tribute that hits right in the feels.
As Nodwin prepares to roll out a new core team, expectations are sky-high. The mission? Keep the soul of Comic Con intact while dialling up the digital, the dazzle, and the drama for India’s next-gen pop culture brigade.
An official update on the next phase of leadership is expected soon.
So long, Jatin and crew. Thanks for the panels, the Pikachus, and the passion. The fandom salutes you.
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.
