iWorld
Discovery+ launches new original ‘Gaganyaan: Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan’
Mumbai: ISRO prepares for Mission Gaganyaan, India’s voyage of this astronomical achievement that will be showcased in Discovery+’s newest original – “Gaganyaan – Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan.”
India etches its place in the highest echelons of human history, as ISRO prepares to send Indian astronauts into space aboard the first self-manufactured space rocket. With a pedigree of featuring successful and immensely popular cosmological titles like – ‘India’s Space Odyssey,’ ‘How The Universe Works,’ ‘Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole,’ ‘Space Titans: Musk, Bezos, Branson’ and many more, discovery+ will exclusively premiere the new original on 18 May.
As the clock counts down to “Mission Gaganyaan,” the documentary will feature three eminent astronauts namely, Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go into space, the elite record-holding woman astronaut of NASA – Sunita Williams, and Russian Cosmonaut – Oleg Kotov. Along with them, various experts namely, Dr G Madhavan Nair (former chairman, ISRO); Air Cdre (Rtd) Ravish Malhotra (former test pilot, IAF); Asif Siddiqi (space historian); Dr Brigitte Godard (flight surgeon, European astronaut centre); and other distinguished professionals will be lending their expertise on the subject.
Produced by Miditech Studios, “Gaganyaan – Bharat ki Antariksh Udaan” charts the audacious and challenging journey of India’s human space flight programme, from developing the country’s state of the art cryogenic engine, testing of flights, rigorous astronaut training to the final preparations and anticipation before its launch in 2023. Supporting with archival footage, modern graphical representations of the complex processes and tremendous dangers of human space flight, this fascinating original will also recap the ground-breaking engineering that enabled India to successfully test the crew capsule launch & re-entry in 2014.
Warner Bros Discover original content head- South India Sai Abishek said, “With rapid developments in space exploration, we are excited to present an inspiring documentary for our superfans of science and space programming which highlights the daunting journey undertaken by some of India’s brightest minds and space scientists. Through this special title, our objective is to celebrate and showcase the unique viewpoint to the progress India has made so far, in their endeavor of sending Indian astronauts into space and ensuring their safe return home on a made-in-India space shuttle.” He further added, “We are proud to be the first OTT platform to bring to our audience this historical journey which will put India on the world stage with other space faring nations.”
iWorld
Talk to your telly: JioHotstar’s new AI voice feature reads your mood to suggest shows
The streaming giant ditches the scroll for a “conversational” AI that understands moods, cricket and Hinglish
MUMBAI: The era of the endless scroll may finally be over. JioHotstar has officially flicked the switch on its “Conversational Voice Discovery” (CVD) feature, a high-tech overhaul designed to turn the hunt for a Friday night film into a natural chat. Developed in a landmark partnership with OpenAI, the tool moves beyond clunky keyword searches, allowing users to find content by describing their mood, context or even the most bizarre viewing scenarios.
The feature is vision of Uday Shankar, vice chairman of JioStar, whose goal is to eliminate “content overload” by replacing the tedious, traditional scroll with natural dialogue. By leveraging ChatGPT’s ability to grasp context and cultural nuance, the new mobile interface allows users to bypass menus entirely, turning search into a seamless conversation.
The launch, which rolled out across India this month, sees a ChatGPT-powered interface integrated directly into the heart of the app. Instead of typing “action movie” into a sterile search bar, viewers can now speak to their devices as if they were asking a well-read friend for a tip. For now, the feature is exclusive to the mobile app, with a rollout for Connected TV (CTV) expected in later phases.
Beyond the keyword
The CVD feature is built on what JioStar calls “Multilingual Cognitive Search.” It is designed to interpret nuance rather than just matching text. If you tell the app, “I’ve had a long day, give me something mindless and funny,” it won’t just look for those words in a title; it will sift through 300,000 hours of library content to find a light-hearted sitcom or a stand-up special that fits the vibe.
The tech is natively multilingual, catering to India’s diverse linguistic landscape. Users can switch effortlessly between languages—asking for “Koi light-hearted comedy dikhao” (show me some light-hearted comedy) or requesting a “Thriller hai but zyada dark nahi chahiye” (a thriller that isn’t too dark).
Real-time curiosity and live sports
Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of the rollout is its integration with live sports. During a high-stakes cricket match, the AI acts as a digital companion. Fans can ask, “Who is the top scorer right now?” or “Show me that last wicket again,” and the system will pull the relevant data or clips instantly. It even attempts to explain the “why” behind the crowd’s energy, responding to prompts like, “Why is everyone reacting like that?” by contextualizing on-field events.
A shift in streaming strategy
The move is part of a broader reimagining of the entertainment experience following the massive merger between JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. Uday Shankar noted that the goal is to make premium entertainment “truly accessible” by embedding AI at the core of the user journey. By anticipating culture and context, the platform hopes to kill off “decision fatigue.”
For OpenAI, the partnership represents a major play in the Indian market. Fidji Simo, the head of applications at OpenAI, said the goal was to turn a “one-way” passive consumption experience into a “deeply personal conversation.”
As the feature goes live for millions of subscribers, the message from Bombay House is clear: the remote control is becoming obsolete. Whether you’re looking for a show that “feels like a rainy Sunday afternoon” or a crime series with a “strong female lead but not too violent,” all you have to do is ask.
